BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80% of lung carcinoma cases, which becomes more and more important in the field of lung carcinoma as well as primary lung carcinoma in females.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the medical history of 62 female NSCLC patients. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe and compare the expression of EGFR. The chi-square test was conducted to analyze associations between EGFR expression and the different variables. The cumulative survival rate was determined by the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. The prognosis of female patients with NSCLC was examined by using a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model.

RESULTS: The expression proportion of EGFR in Chinese female NSCLC patients was 70.97%, and it was remarkably higher in adenocarcinoma than in squamous cell carcinoma and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. A positive correlation was observed between EGFR expression and tumor-node metastasis staging or lymph node metastasis. The Cox proportional risk model analysis showed a correlation between postoperative survival time of the patients and pathology of the tumor type and lymph node metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS: Expression of EGFR was closely related to pathology of the tumor type, tumor-node metastasis staging, and lymph node metastasis, which could be used as a promising indicator of NSCLC in Chinese female patients.

Keywords: Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology, Lung Neoplasms - pathology, Proportional Hazards Models, Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - metabolism, Survival Rate