Immunohistochemical Expression of EGFR in the Patients Having Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the top 10 most common malignancies worldwide. Oral squamous cell carcinoma forms a major health problem in many countries. The reason for the high incidence of oral cavity cancers in Pakistan, and South Asia in general, is the frequent, persistent, and prevalent use of substances classified as oral cancer risk factors. These include betel quid, areca nut, smoking, smokeless tobacco, viral infections such as EBV, HPV, poor oral hygiene (including sharp teeth and decay), ultraviolet (UV) exposure, nutrition, and genetic predisposition. For several decades the management of OSCC consisted of surgery with or without radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Associated with worse prognosis, overexpression of EGFR may lead to invasion, cellular migration, enhanced angiogenesis, decreased cell apoptosis, and increased metastatic potential. However, advances in immunotherapy have had a major impact on cancer treatment. This study was exclusively designed to highlight the immunohistochemical detection of expression pattern of EGFR in already diagnosed cases of lip and OSCC in histopathology dept of AFIP and its correlation with the grade of the tumor. In this study, contact details of all diagnosed cases of SCC of lips and oral cavity from June to November 2023 were taken from the archives of Histopathology department. The patients were contacted for consent approval for participation. The data was collected (as per proforma attached), including demographic details, location of tumor. Blocks were retrieved, grade of tumor was identified followed by the application of EGFR marker. Patterns of expression of EGFR were evaluated and compared with grade of tumor to strengthen the correlation of this association.