Detecting the (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) EGFR Gene Amplification in Oral Carcinogenesis

Abnormal amplification of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene has been reported in various human tumors. We used competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to study weather EGFR gene is amplified and the degree of amplification. We used in this study 17 cases of oral epithelial dysplasia (ED), 4 cases of carcinoma in Situ (CIS) and 20 cases of primary squamous cell carcinoma SCC. The extracted DNA was subjected to competitive PCR to amplify EGFR gene. Amplification of EGFR gene was observed in 3 cases (17%) of ED, 1 case of CIS and 4 cases (20%) of SCC. The degree of amplification was low in ED and CIS but extremely high in SCC. This suggests that amplification of EGFR occurs in early stage of oral SCC however high levels of EGFR plays a role in the progression to invasive carcinoma.