Abstract
The epidermal growth factor receptor has received much interest as a target for various antineoplastic agents, but a complication is that many normal tissues also express this receptor. We have previously identified in human glial tumors an 801-bp in-frame deletion within the epidermal growth factor receptor gene that created a novel epitope at the junction. By using Western blot assays with a mutant-specific antibody as a rapid and sensitive means for detecting this alteration in primary human tumors, it was found that 57% (26 of 46) of high-grade and 86% (6 of 7) of low-grade glial tumors, but not normal brain, express this protein. This altered receptor was also present in 66% (4 of 6) of pediatric gliomas and 86% (6 of 7) of medulloblastomas, 78% (21 of 27) of breast carcinomas, and 73% (24 of 32) of ovarian carcinomas. The fact that this receptor is frequently found in tumors but not in normal tissue makes it an attractive candidate for various antitumor strategies.
Footnotes
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↵1 This work was supported by CA-51093, NS-31102, and the Ronald McDonald Children's Charities Foundation.
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↵2 These two authors contributed equally to this work.
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↵3 To whom correspondence should be addressed, at Jefferson Cancer Institute, BLSB 1002, 233 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
- Received September 20, 1995.
- Accepted October 19, 1995.
- ©1995 American Association for Cancer Research.
Volume 55, Issue 23
