Open AccessFibroblast growth factor receptor 3 protein is overexpressed in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Koole Koos,
Kempen Pauline M. W.,
Swartz Justin E.,
Peeters Ton,
Diest Paul J.,
Koole Ron,
Es Robert J. J.,
Willems Stefan M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
cancer medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 53
ISSN - 2045-7634
DOI - 10.1002/cam4.595
Subject(s) - fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 , tissue microarray , head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , cancer research , fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 , cancer , receptor tyrosine kinase , biology , pathology , fibroblast growth factor receptor , medicine , fibroblast growth factor , oncology , receptor , head and neck cancer
Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 ( FGFR 3) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase family. It has been identified as a promising therapeutic target in multiple types of cancer. We have investigated FGFR 3 protein expression and FGFR 3 gene copy‐numbers in a single well‐documented cohort of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Tissue microarray sets containing 452 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissues were immunohistochemically stained with an anti‐ FGFR 3 antibody and hybridized with a FGFR 3 fluorescence in situ hybridization probe. FGFR 3 protein expression was correlated with clinicopathological and survival data, which were retrieved from electronic medical records. FGFR 3 mRNA data of 522 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ( HNSCC ) were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas ( TCGA ). Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 ( FGFR 3) protein was overexpressed in 48% (89/185) of oral and 59% (124/211) of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Overexpression of FGFR 3 protein was not related to overall survival or disease‐free survival in oral ( HR [hazard ratio]: 0.94; 95% CI : 0.64–1.39; P = 0.77, HR : 0.94; 95% CI : 0.65–1.36; P = 0.75) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma ( HR : 1.21; 95% CI : 0.81–1.80; P = 0.36, HR : 0.42; 95% CI : 0.79–1.77; P = 0.42). FGFR 3 mRNA was upregulated in 3% (18/522) of HNSCC from the TCGA . The FGFR 3 gene was gained in 0.6% (1/179) of oral squamous cell carcinoma but no amplification was found in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. In conclusion, FGFR 3 protein is frequently overexpressed in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, it may serve as a potential therapeutic target for FGFR 3‐directed therapies in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.