MALIGNANT PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA AND EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR (EGF-R) - RELATIONSHIP OF EGF-R WITH HISTOLOGY AND SURVIVAL USING FIXED PARAFFIN EMBEDDED TISSUE AND THE F4, MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in 34 formalin fixed paraffin embedded specimens of malignant mesothelioma was examined using the F4 antibody. Eight samples of reactive pleura showed homogenous cytoplasmic staining with the antibody. EGF-R positive cells (≥ 5%) were found in 68% of the mesotheliomas examined. EGF-R positivity was more commonly seen in the epithelial histological subtype than in the sarcomatous or mixed subtypes. Patients with <5% of mesothelioma cells staining positive for EGF-R 76268299 had a significantly shorter survival (median 299 days) compared with patients whose tumours had a greater number of cells positive for EGF-R (median 446 days) (P = 0. 04). However, when the histological subgroup was also taken into consideration (epithelial type had a significantly longer survival than the sarcomatous or mixed) the survival difference in relation to EGF-R positivity was no longer significant (P = 0. 08). EGF-R could not be used to distinguish between malignant and benign mesothelial tissue and was not an independent prognostic factor for survival. © The MacMillan Press Ltd., 1990.