Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and the Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Developments in the field of evaluation and treatment in the last decade have resulted only in a modest improvement in survival rate.1 Hence, targeted therapies for HNSCC are actively tried with the goal of reducing morbidity and improving the survival. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is over expressed in 80 to 90% of head and neck cancers2 and play a role in its pathogenesis and clinical course. Several EGFR-targeted therapies have therefore been developed and tried in clinical trials in the past decade resulting in the approval of cetuximab, an EGFR monoclonal antibody as a treatment agent for HNSCC by US FDA. This article reviews the EGFR biology, its various targeting agents, the clinical experience so far gained and the future directions in the EGFR research.