BACKGROUND
Fibroblast growth factors and their receptors regulate key cellular functions, such as proliferation, differentiation and survival. Herein, we studied the prevalence and prognostic role of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) amplification in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) who received systemic chemotherapy.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
The gene copy number of FGFR2 was investigated in 80 patients with AGC who received systemic chemotherapy. FGFR2 gene status was assessed by dual-color fluorescence in-situ hybridization.
RESULTS
Among 80 patients, FGFR2 amplification was observed in seven cases (11.5%). Patients with FGFR2 amplification had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than did those without FGFR2 amplification (9.1 vs. 16.5 months; p=0.037). In multivariate analysis, disease status and number of metastatic sites were associated with worse OS (p=0.015 and p=0.009, respectively). FGFR2 amplification tended to be correlated with a poorer outcome (p=0.080).
CONCLUSION
FGFR2 amplification tended to result in a shorter survival period compared to cases without amplification.