Does the EGFR and VEGF expression predict the prognosis in colon cancer?
GROUND/AIM: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are frequently encountered with aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis, but the relationship between EGFR/VEGF expression and survival remains unclear. The aim of our study was to further investigate the prognostic value of EGFR and VEGF expression in colon cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pathological specimens of 60 colon carcinoma patients were retrospectively evaluated and grouped according to EGFR and VEGF staining intensity and percentage of stained neoplastic cells. A final score was assigned to each case by multiplying percentage and staining score. The patients were stratified into the following categories: negative (score 0), low expression (score 1 or 2), and high expression (score 4). The remaining patient data were filtered out from the institutional cancer database. RESULTS: The mean survival time was 28.93 +/- 14.1 (range 2-52) months in the EGFR-negative group, 23.