Immunoexpression of EGFR and EMMPRIN in a series of cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundThe epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) have been identified as oncologically important targets. This study aimed to evaluate the immunoexpression of EGFR and EMMPRIN in a series of cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).MethodsForty-five cases of HNSCC were selected for this study and evaluated with anti-EGFR and anti-EMMPRIN antibodies. The percentage of positive cells was determined assessing to the following categories: score 1 (staining in 0–50% of cells), score 2 (staining in 51–75% of cells), and score 3 (staining in >75% of cells). Immunostaining intensity was graded according to the following parameters: score 1 (absent/weak expression) and score 2 (strong expression).ResultsFor EGFR, a predominance of high median scores was observed in cases of both histological grades of malignancy and in different clinical stages (p > 0.05). For EMMPRIN, a statistically significant difference was observed between the histological grades of malignancy (p = 0.030). Regarding the immunostaining intensity of EMMPRIN, it was observed a predominance of score 1 in cases with stages I/II, whereas most cases with stages III/IV presented score 2 (p = 0.032). Considering the anatomical location, most cases of buccal floor presented higher median score of EMMPRIN in comparison with the other sites (p = 0.015).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that both proteins are potential targets for cancer therapy and EMMPRIN can be used as a prognostic marker of a more aggressive biological behavior in patients with HNSCC.