The expression of a mutant epidermal growth factor receptor in prostatic tumours

Synopsis.;This project tested my postulation that, in addition to the normal receptor, prostatic tumours also express an aberrant EGFR, and that the contradictory findings in previous studies are due to the detection of this mutant receptor by some but not all of the different techniques used. Tissues from normal, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), carcinoma of the prostate (CaP) and metastatic tissues were scrutinised retrospectively for the presence of EGFRvIII and WT-EGFR using western blotting and immunohistochemical techniques. The levels of expression of both receptors within these neoplasms were then compared using statistical tests. The tests confirmed the presence of the EGFRvIII protein in prostatic neoplasms but not in normal glands. They also demonstrated an inverse relationship between the expression of this variant EGFR and the wild-type protein in these tissues. This study also reported for the first time on the expression of EGFRs (normal and variant) expression in prostate cancer metastases. We also assessed the clinical significance of EGFRvIII expression in prostate cancer by correlating its level of expression with levels of accepted prognostic indices of the disease.;The specificity of these results indicates that EGFRvIII is a potential histological marker for prostate cancer. This variant EGFR may also be of clinical significance in prostate cancer patients as its level of expression was predictive of an aggressive disease phenotype and the progression to hormone refraction. Taken together, these findings suggest that EGFRvIII could be a target for modern anti-cancer regimes including gene therapy.