Research progress on the role of epidermal growth factor receptor in human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is a common malignant tumor with a relatively high degree of malignan-cy,which often induces recurrence and metastasis.Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)is an important oncogene that is overex-pressed in HNSCC and is negatively correlated with prognosis,making it an important therapeutic target.However,EGFR-targeted ther-apy for HNSCC is not as effective as it is for non-small cell lung cancer.Recent studies have found that EGFR can promote resistance of tumor cells to therapeutic agents via its overexpression,mutation,single nucleotide polymorphism,nuclear translocation,and induc-tion of autophagy.This article will review these aspects and discuss how to utilize EGFR more effectively in treating HNSCC,and also provide a new direction for exploring therapeutic strategies for HNSCC.