Expression of epidermal growth factor and its receptor in lung cancer

Objective: To explore the expression level and clinical significance of epidermal gronth factor (EGF) and EGF receptor (EGFR) in lung cancer. Methods: The expression levels of EGF and EGFR mRNA were detected in 30 cases of benign lung lesion and 55 of primary lung cancer with the method of half quantitative RT-PCR method. Results: The positive rates of EGF and EGFR mRNA in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were 72.92% and 77.08% respectively, while the positive rates of EGF and EGFR in cases of benign lung lesion were 6.67% and 13.33% respectively. There was no positive expression of EGF and EGFR mRNA in 7 cases of small cell lung cancer. The positive rates of EGF and EGFR in tissues within 3 cm from the cancer of NSCLC were 77.08% and 79.17%, while the positive rate was (10.42)% in normal lung tissue which were more than 6 cm from the cancer. The mRNA expression in NSCLC and para-carcinoma tissue were higher than that in normal lung tissue and carcinoma-distal tissue (P0.01). Conclusion: The mRNA level of EGF and EGFR were higher than that of benign lung lesion. The detection of EGF and EGFR mRNA will be helpful in the differentiation of benign and malignant diseases.