Anti- or pro-proliferation - Conditional options for TGF-α and cetuximab in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

We therefore show that TGF-α can have both growth-stimulating and growth-inhibiting effects in the same cell line and that EGFR-targeting drugs can be similarly double-edged. The implication for such drugs is that the micro-environment within a tumour, and possibly within portions of a tumour, may influence the growth-inhibiting effect of the drug. There may also be important implications for our understanding of EGFR signalling and its influence on growth and development.