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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

A Mouse Model to Investigate the Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Tumor Growth
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A Mouse Model to Investigate the Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Tumor Growth

Published on: December 22, 2020

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Fibroblast growth factor family aberrations in cancers: clinical and molecular characteristics

A Parish1, M Schwaederle, G Daniels

  • 1a Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy; University of California San Diego; Moores Cancer Center ; San Diego , CA , USA.

Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)
|May 8, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and receptor (FGFR) abnormalities occur in 14.3% of diverse cancers, particularly breast cancer. These alterations were associated with other gene changes but not survival outcomes, suggesting combination therapies may be needed.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) ligands and receptors (FGFR) are crucial in cancer development.
  • Targeted therapies for FGF/FGFR pathways are emerging.
  • Understanding FGF/FGFR alterations in various cancers is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency and biologic correlates of FGF/FGFR abnormalities in a diverse cohort of cancer patients.
  • To identify associations between FGF/FGFR alterations and other genetic changes.
  • To explore the impact of FGF/FGFR alterations on clinical outcomes like metastasis and survival.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records for 391 cancer patients.
  • Targeted next-generation sequencing of 182 or 236 cancer-related genes, including specific FGF and FGFR genes.
  • Multivariate analysis to assess associations between FGF/FGFR alterations and other genetic alterations and clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

  • FGF/FGFR aberrations were identified in 14.3% (56/391) of patients, most commonly amplifications.
  • Aberrations were most frequent in breast cancers (32.1%).
  • FGF/FGFR alterations were associated with alterations in CCND1/2, RICTOR, ZNF703, RPTOR, AKT2, and CDK8, and a higher median number of alterations.
  • No significant difference in time to metastasis or overall survival was observed between patients with and without FGF/FGFR alterations.

Conclusions:

  • FGF/FGFR pathways are frequently altered in diverse malignancies.
  • These alterations often co-occur with anomalies in other cancer-related genes.
  • The frequent co-occurrence suggests that combination therapies may be required for effective treatment.
Keywords:
cancer, FGF, FGFR, sequencing, profiling

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