Prognostic significance and clinical relevance of the expression of the HER family of type I receptor tyrosine kinases in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

IntroductionThe full clinical relevance of the expression pattern of HER family of type I receptor tyrosine kinases in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma remains to be elucidated. We evaluated the clinical relevance of such parameter in our population.Patients and methodsThis study examined the expression pattern of HER family receptor members by quantitative immunohistochemistry and the amount of the EGF binding sites by a radioligand binding assay, in the same group of 67 LSCC patients, analysing the correlation between the expression of the four HER receptors and the clinical and prognostic parameters.ResultsHER1 levels inversely correlated with that of HER2–4, while HER2–4 directly correlated among them. Cox univariate analysis using HER1–4 values as continuous covariates indicated that HER1 expression was directly associated with the risk of death and relapse while that of HER2–4 was inversely associated with the risk of death. Among the patients with high HER1 expressing tumours, those with tumours co-expressing HER2–4 showed a lower risk of death and relapse (in particular regional relapse) than those with tumours displaying a negative HER2–4 status.ConclusionsThe evaluation of HER2–4 status adds more power to the prognostic role of HER1 detection. In the era of molecularly targeted therapy, the expression of HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases in LSCC may hold relevant clinical significance and turn out to be a key factor in prognostic assessment and in treatment planning.