EGFR-related polypeptides and methods of use

Described herein are truncated EGF receptor polypeptides, nucleic acids encoding them, and methods of using them to help select a method of treatment for an EGFR-related cancer, to predict clinical outcome, and to detect micrometastases or minimal residual disease. High EGFR expression and phosphorylated EGFR predicts poor survival in head and neck cancer patients, but does not correlate with advanced stage disease. In our studies, we determined that clinical biological correlates are likely to be more accurate when different aspects of EGFR are evaluated in combination. We analyzed EGFR phosphorylation, expression and mutations in 60 primary head and neck tumors. We not only found that head and neck tumors with either truncated or activated EGFR tend to have higher tumor and nodal stage, but also discovered three EGFR truncations.