Expression and Clinical Significance of EGF Receptor and IGF-1 Receptor in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Objective: To investigate the expressions of EGF and IGF-1 receptors and their relation to the growth and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) and to explore the clinicopathologic significance.Methods: Seventy-five patients with NPC and twenty-one noncancerous nasopharyngeal epithelial samples were retrospectively studied from year 1997 to 2006,and the expressions of EGF and IGF-1 receptors were detected by immunohistochemical staining.Results: The levels of these two proteins significantly correlated with each other(correlation coefficience=0.367,P=0.001).And the overexpression rates of EGF and IGF-1 receptors were 65.3% and 56% in nasopharyngeal samples,respectively.Furthermore,both protein expressions were significantly higher in NPC patients with cervical lymph node or distant metastasis than in NPC patients without.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that both receptor proteins may play important roles in the invasion,metastasis,and recurrence of NPC.Both receptors are valuable markers for assessing the prognosis of NPC.