Prognostic role of epiregulin/amphiregulin expression in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer treated with cetuximab

BACKGROUND: Cetuximab combined with chemoradiotherapy chemotherapy is the standard therapy for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, survival benefit is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of epiregulin (EREG) and amphiregulin (AREG), as predictive prognostic markers for the efficacy of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in R/M HNSCC. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 37 patients diagnosed with R/M HNSCC. Tumor samples were analyzed for EREG and AREG mRNA gene expression, and clinical outcomes evaluated. RESULTS: Values of EREG and AREG were associated with significantly longer overall survival (OS) (P = .03 and P = .01, respectively), as well as progression-free survival (PFS) (P = .04 and P = .04, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that AREG expression was significantly associated with OS and PFS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC with higher EREG and AREG gene expression appear to benefit more from cetuximab combined with chemoradiotherapy chemotherapy than those with lower expression.