Meta and pooled analyses of FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism as a cancer prognostic factor

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) contains a Gly388Arg functional polymorphism (rs351855) that has shown contrasting results in association studies. In this study, we assessed the association between the FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism and cancer prognosis. Meta-analysis and pooled analysis of 6817 and 2537 cancer cases, respectively, were carried out by nodal status and overall survival. The study included the following types of cancer: brain, breast, colorectal, head and neck, larynx, lung, melanoma, prostate, sarcomas. A statistically significant association between the Arg388Arg genotype and nodal involvement was found in the meta-analysis (odds ratio=1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.74). In the pooled analysis, the Arg388 allele carriers showed an increased hazard of poor overall survival compared with homozygous carriers of the common Gly388 allele, even after adjusting for nodal status (hazard ratio=1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.40). These results provide evidence of a role for the FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphism in modulating patients' outcome in different types of cancer, thus offering to clinicians a new marker to predict predisposition to poor survival in cancer patients.