Significance of nuclear EGFR and ABCG2 expression in malignant transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of nuclear EGFR (nEGFR) and the stem cell marker ABCG2 in oral leukoplakia (OL) and oral erythroplakia (OE) and to assess their significance as prognostic biomarkers for malignant transformation. METHODS: In this study we included 50 patients with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD), 31 with OL and 19 with OE, in whom we examined the expression of nEGFR and ABCG2 by immunohistochemical methods. RESULTS: Twenty-one (42%) of 50 patients with OL and OE developed oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The malignant transformation was increased 12,84-fold (95% CI, 2.15-76.44, p = 0.005) in OPMD expressing both ABCG2 and nEGFR. Expression of nEGFR is a strong indicator of malignant transformation, unlike ABCG2 expression, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Determining the co-expression of the biomarkers nEGFR and ABCG2 in OPMD may serve us to determine the risk of malignant transformation in OSCC.