EGFR Isoforms Might be Responsible for the Diminished Treatment Outcome of EGFR Inhibitors

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an active role during the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). OSCC is the most common head and neck cancer. Cetuximab, which is an inhibitor of EGFR, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 for the treatment of head and neck cancer. After initial clinical success, Cetuximab proved to be ineffective in the management of aggressive or metastatic oral cancer lesions. We hypothesize that EGFR has multiple isoforms that lead to the failure of Cetuximab. A future study of EGFR isoforms and protein-interacting partners will address the issue.