08:10 AM: Tonsil T Cell Immunity to HPV in Healthy Adults

Abstract

Somatic mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are associated with increased sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and are present in 10% to 30% of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma depending on ethnic origin. EGFR protein is also overexpressed in about 90% of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (HNSCC), and treatment with TKIs has shown clinical benefit in a subgroup of these patients. Recently, EGFR mutations were described in three Asian patients with larynx cancer. METHODS: The presenters screened for EGFR tyrosine kinase mutations in tumor DNA of 100 patients of Caucasian origin with HNSCC by direct sequencing of the hotspot regions. Two patients displayed a novel, somatic EGFR missense mutation, K745R, affecting a highly conserved residue within the ATP cleft.