Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest cranial tumors occurring in adults. Various biomarkers have been tested for their significance in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of GBM. Some well-studied markers in GBM are Isocitrate dehydrogenase1 (IDH1), Murine double minute2 (MDM2), Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and p53. The aim of this study was to investigate the protein expression of these markers in GBM patients of Pakistan.
A total of 51 surgically resected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from patients diagnosed and treated at Aga Khan University Hospital were included in this study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for IDH1, MDM2, EGFR and p53 was performed using Dako EnVision System and respective monoclonal antibodies. Survival analysis was performed to check association of markers protein expression with prognosis in GBM patients.
There were 36 males and 15 females in this study, with a median age of 48 at the time diagnosis. Overexpression of molecular markers was as follows: 55% for EGFR, 22% for p53, 79% for IDH1 and 85% for MDM2. We did observe that EGFR was significantly associated with increased age of our patients and with worse survival. Age >40 years was a predictor for worse prognosis as well.
EGFR overexpression and advanced age were worse prognostic indicators.
The authors.
Seed Money Grant, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.