Effect of epidermal growth factor receptor status on the outcomes of patients with metastatic gastric cancer: A pilot study

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been linked to clinical outcome in several solid tumors. However, the clinical significance of EGFR (c-erbB1) in gastric cancer remains unclear. The present study was designed to detect the clinical implications of EGFR in the Turkish population. Paraffin-embedded tissue microarrays containing gastric cancer tissue were obtained from 30 patients. EGFR expression was detected using immunohistochemistry. The correlation of this biomarker to the clinicopathological features and survival of patients with gastric cancer was studied. The overall positivity rate of EGFR was 63.3%. EGFR expression was significantly correlated with an improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rate (P=0.039 and 0.01, respectively). EGFR expression is a good prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer.