Role of epidermal growth factor gene in the development of pancreatic cancer and efficiency of inhibitors of this gene in the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptors in normal and tumor cells of the pancreas, the type and incidence of EGFR gene polymorphism were studied. EGFR gene expression in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells significantly surpassed that in normal pancreatic cells. On the other hand, AA genome and A allele polymorphism in the EGF gene nucleotide pair G-A 61 is a significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer. The effect of AG-1478 preparation (a new-generation inhibitor of EGFR) on apoptosis and cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer was evaluated. This preparation is not inferior to 5FU by its apoptotic effect and significantly reduces cell proliferation, its antiproliferative effect being 1.5 times higher than that of 5FU. __________ Translated from Kletochnye Tehnologii v Biologii i Meditsine, No. 2, pp. 106–109, April, 2008