Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 gene amplification in gastric adenocarcinoma

Gastric adenocarcinomas are associated with a poor prognosis due to the fact that the tumor has often metastasized by the time of diagnosis. Thus, identification of novel therapeutic targets is highly desirable. Here, we examined gene copy number of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), a potential target for tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and clinicopathologic parameters in a large cohort of gastric adenocarcinomas. We performed fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of 293 gastric adenocarcinomas using tissue microarrays. Amplification of the FGFR1 gene is a rare but noticeable event that can be found in 2% (6/293) of cases and was associated with poor 10-year survival (median 15.3 months in FGFR1-amplified cases versus 36 months in nonamplified cases, P = .047) and a higher rate of distant metastasis (P = .025). FGFR1 appears to represent a potential new therapeutic target in a subset of patients with gastric carcinoma. Identification of gastric cancers harboring FGFR1 amplification may be important in preselecting patients and/or interpreting clinical studies using tyrosine kinase inhibitors.