A retrospective study was performed on 109 human breast tumors stored in liquid nitrogen in order to assess the prognostic value of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) (median patient follow-up 5 years). A significant inverse relationship was observed between EGF-R and both estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR). Univariate analysis showed a trend towards a shorter metastasis-free survival both in the overall population and in node-negative patients with EGF-R positive tumors. Multivariate analysis of the overall population showed that lymph-node involvement and PR status were the only significant variables in predicting metastasis-free survival. However, in patients receiving no adjuvant treatment (hormone therapy or chemotherapy). EGF was the only significant variable in the multivariate Cox analysis. No c-erbB-1 amplification was detected in these tumors.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), determined by the Scatchard curve method, was found in 22 cases of a random series of 100 patients with breast carcinoma. Two groups of patients were identified, one (n = 16) with a low concentration (0-50 fm/mg protein) of EGFR but with a high affinity (Kd = 3.2 nM), and the other (n = 6) with a high concentration (90-210 fm/mg protein) of EGFR but with a lower affinity (Kd = 6.3 nM). A significant inverse relationship was found between the presence of EGFR and receptors for estrogen (p less than 0.001) and progesterone (p = 0.001). EGFR was found in no (0/8) tumors with Grade I histoprognostic grade, 17% (10/58) Grade II, and 38% (11/29) Grade III (p less than 0.05). EGFR is present therefore in poorly differentiated tumors and associated with other factors of poor prognosis. Our in vivo analyses confirm results found in tissue culture derived from human breast carcinoma cells.

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