Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive epithelial malignancy that is the sixth most common neoplasm in the world today. Overexpression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is one of the most common molecular alterations in HNSCC. Promising preclinical studies have prompted the development of clinical trials testing EGFR inhibitors as singleagent therapy or in combination with conventional cytotoxic therapy.

Objectives: This study was aimed to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of EGFR in malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Methods: A retrospective and a prospective study was conducted by light microscopy and immunohistochemical examination of 80 resected specimens of malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract at the Department of Pathology, M.S. Ramaiah hospital, Bangalore over a period of three and a half years between January 2010- June 2013.

Results: All the cases were Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of which 72/80 cases were conventional SCC and the remaining were verrucuous carcinoma. Majority were Grade I tumours (43/80). 72 of the 80 cases showed EGFR positivity on IHC with >50% of the tumour cells showing EGFR positivity in 60% of the cases and 53% of cases showing strong intensity staining of EGFR. In majority of stage IVA tumours, >51% of the tumour cells showed EGFR positivity (84%) in comparison with stage I, II and III tumours.

Conclusion: The expression of EGFR protein in HNSCC can be used as a marker for targeted therapy.

Keywords: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor; Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Immunohistochemistry.