Title

Comparative analysis of EGFR expression in tobacco-related and HPV-associated oral cancer

Authors

R.M Lavanya¹^,*, Megha Modi², Devashree Shukla³, C. Nandini⁴, Tamoghna Biswas⁵ & Arvind Jain⁶

Affiliation

¹Department of Oral Pathology, Rajiv Gandhi Dental College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; ²Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, United States; ³Department of Dentistry, LN medical College and JK Hospital, Kolar Road, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; ⁴Department of Oral Pathology, Karnavati School of Dentistry, Karnavati University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India; ⁵Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Saraswati Dental College, Atal Bihari Vajpayee University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India; ⁶Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Maitri College of Dentistry and Research Centre, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Devashree Shukla - E-mail: shreebalajicbct@gmail.com

R.M Lavanya - E-mail: drlavanyarms@gmail.com

Megha Modi - E-mail: drmeghamodi2027@gmail.com

C. Nandini - E-mail: nandini.chaduvula@gmail.com

Tamoghna Biswas - E-mail: tamoghna2508@gmail.com

Arvind Jain - E-mail: dentist3499@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received June 1, 2026; Revised June 30, 2026; Accepted June 30, 2026, Published June 30, 2026

Abstract

Differences in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression between tobacco-related and human papillomavirus (HPV)–associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain insufficiently defined. Therefore, it is of interest to compare EGFR expression in 90 histopathologically confirmed OSCC cases, including tobacco-related OSCC and HPV-associated OSCC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess EGFR expression, while p16 immunostaining served as a surrogate marker for HPV status. Tobacco-related OSCC demonstrated higher EGFR expression than HPV-associated OSCC, indicating differences in tumor biology and therapeutic response. Thus, we show etiological variation in EGFR expression in OSCC, supporting development of targeted and personalized treatment strategies.

Keywords

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, tobacco, oral cancer HPV-association, oral squamous cell carcinoma

Citation

Lavanya et al. Bioinformation 22(6): 3310-3313 (2026)

Edited by

Vini Mehta

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.