Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its three related proteins are collectively known as an ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). It comprises of four distinct receptors: the EGFR (ErbB1/Her1), ErbB2 (neu/Her2), ErbB3 (Her3) and ErbB4 (Her4). It plays a critical function in the homeostasis of epithelial cells. It also drives cancer development. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is considered the sixth most common cancer. It has been reported that an overexpression of EGFR correlated with progression and poor prognosis in SCC of the tongue. Therefore, targeted inhibition of EGFR is a promising approach to suppress signal transduction pathways which control tumor cell growth, proliferation, and resistance to apoptosis. The role of bacteria in cancer, in particular initiation and progression, is well known. It has been reported that TLR4 activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC. The overall goal of the study is to elucidate how oral bacteria influence the clinical outcome of the EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC since the oral cavity harbors a diverse and complex microbial community. In this presentation, we reported an expression of ErbB family of RTKs and TLR 4 on OSCC cells
