Colorectal adenocarcinoma-derived EGFR mutants are oncogenic and sensitive to EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibodies, cetuximab and panitumumab.
Int J Cancer 2019;
146:2194-2200. [PMID:
31290142 DOI:
10.1002/ijc.32499]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Somatic mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) occur in ~3% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Here, through systematic functional screening of 21 recurrent EGFR mutations selected from public data sets, we show that 11 colon cancer-derived EGFR mutants (G63R, E114K, R165Q, R222C, S492R, P596L, K708R, E709K, G719S, G724S and L858R) are oncogenic and able to transform cells in a ligand-independent manner. We demonstrate that cellular transformation by these mutants requires receptor dimerization. Importantly, the EGF-induced and constitutive oncogenic potential of these EGFR mutants are inhibited by cetuximab or panitumumab in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, we propose that a subset of EGFR mutations can serve as genomic predictors for response to anti-EGFR antibodies and that metastatic CRC patients with such mutations may benefit from these drugs as part of the first-line therapy.
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