EGFR and cancer: The binding of EGF to EGFR leads to receptor dimerization, autophosphorylation and the activation of several downstream signaling pathways, such as the MAPK pathway and the PI3K/Akt pathway, which play roles in cell proliferation, motility, and survival [19]; these pathways have also been shown to contribute to the abnormal growth of several types of human cancers [20].