Comparison of four antibodies for immunohistochemical evaluation of epidermal growth factor receptor expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Mathieu, Anne; Weynand, Birgit; Verbeken, Eric; Da Silva, Susana; Decaestecker, Christine; Salmon, Isabelle; Demetter, Pieter

doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2009.09.003

« Previous Next »Lung Cancer
Volume 69, Issue 1 , Pages 46-50, July 2010

Comparison of four antibodies for immunohistochemical evaluation of epidermal growth factor receptor expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Anne Mathieu
- Department of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Route de Lennik 808, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
Birgit Weynand
- Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium
Eric Verbeken
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Gasthuisberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium
Susana Da Silva
- N.V. Roche S.A., Brussels, Belgium
Christine Decaestecker
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Image Analysis and Synthesis, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
Isabelle Salmon
- Department of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Route de Lennik 808, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +32 025553115; fax: +32 025554790.
Pieter Demetter
- Department of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Route de Lennik 808, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium

Received 13 March 2009; received in revised form 17 August 2009; accepted 3 September 2009. published online 05 October 2009.

Abstract

Agents acting on signalling molecules of growth pathways have emerged as therapeutics for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Among them are inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). To meet Belgian reimbursement criteria for erlotinib, patients must have an EGFR-positive tumour, defined as at least 10% of cells showing membranous staining on immunohistochemistry. This study compares results obtained with the Dako pharmDx kit versus other anti-EGFR antibodies in 634 NSCLC. More than 80% of patients qualify for erlotinib therapy using the Dako pharmDx kit or antibodies from Zymed or Novocastra; when NeoMarkers antibodies are used, less than 70% will do. Although immunohistochemical stainings for EGFR can be performed on biopsies, surgical and cytological samples from primary and metastatic NSCLC, highest positivity rates were obtained in biopsies from primary tumours. In conclusion, immunohistochemistry for patient selection for erlotinib therapy needs standardization in order to avoid results influenced by technical issues.

Keywords: Non-small cell lung cancer, Lung cancer, Epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR, Immunohistochemistry, Erlotinib