Over the past decade, the important role of different growth factors and their receptors and signal transduction pathways in the genesis and progression of tumors has been well recognized and their mechanism of action and interactions is gradually being unraveled.Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression is present in the vast majority of squamous cell head and neck cancers and carries a worse prognosis.EGFR is the target of multiple specifically targeted monoelonal antibodies and tyrosine kinases, which are in various stages of clinical development in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).The search for EGFR mutations is an area of active investigation.The incidence and impact of EGFR mutations in SCCHN has yet to be determined.