Quantification of CD44v6 and EGFR expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas using a single-dose radioimmunoassay.

Background: In the growing field of tumor targeting, there is an urgent need to profile suitable molecular targets. In this study, CD44v6 and EGFR expression was quantified in samples of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using a single-dose (SD) radioimmunoassay.

Methods: The SD radioimmunoassay using 125I-chimeric monoclonal antibody (cMAb) U36 and 125I-cMAb cetuximab was first validated and then applied to quantify the expression of their target antigen molecules, CD44v6 and EGFR, in patient samples.