Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression May Correlate with Survival Through Clinical and Radiological Features of Aggressiveness in Glioblastoma Treated with Radiochemotherapy

AIM: To analyze the correlation between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and clinicoradiological features in patients with glioblastoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Select clinical (age, Karnofsky performance status, neurological performance status) and neuroradiological (multiple tumor incidence, peritumoral edema, response to treatment) prognostic variables were correlated with EGFR expression levels estimated on pathological samples in 144 patients who had undergone postoperative radiochemotherapy treatment. RESULTS: Clinical and radiological prognostic parameters, including synchronous multiple tumor, extent of edema, and radiological response after therapy, showed a statistically significant correlation with the EGFR expression score. Patients with a high EGFR expression seemed to present worse cliniconeurological status and radiological features of tumor aggressiveness (higher incidence of multiple tumor, major extent of peritumoral edema and poorer radiological response to treatment). CONCLUSION: A potential correlation between high EGFR expression and aggressive clinical and radiological features of GB seems to exist, leading to worse prognosis in these patients.