Impact of EGFR Overexpression on Oral Cancer

Pakistan suffers from a very high prevalence of oral cancer. The city of Karachi has been reported to have one of the highest incidences of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) worldwide. To tackle this malignancy, new molecular markers have to be identified which can serve as targets for molecular therapy and also help clinicians predict patient prognosis with more accuracy. The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) has been studied in detail for its role in various malignancies. EGFR is of special interest to researchers since it can be targeted through enzyme inhibitors or monoclonal antibodies. We investigated if EGFR was expressed above normal levels in OSCC patients of Pakistan and whether this overexpression was linked to patient overall and disease free survival. It is hoped that this book would help others pursing this line of research and provide a basis for developing better treatment protocols for OSCC patients.