Gene amplification of epidermal growth factor receptor in atypical glottic hyperplasia.

The study searched for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene amplification in hyperplastic glottis lesions. After classical pathohistological findings of hematoxylin-eosin (HE) slides and quantitative immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used on tissue microarrays of laryngeal hyperplastic tissue ranging from normal mucosa to abnormal and atypical hyperplastic lesions. FISH analysis of two atypical hyperplastic lesions discovered the amplification of EGFR gene while it was not found in simple and abnormal hyperplastic lesions. The results may indicate that EGFR gene amplifications could possibly correlate with the histopathologic picture. Tissue samples burdened with specific oncogen signatures like EGFR gene amplification could be detected in precancerous lesion. This might improve follow-up and treatment protocols of glottic lesions which are an everyday problem for ENT practitioners. Further research is mandatory to confirm our findings.