The association between fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 gene amplification and lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: Identifying target oncogenic alterations in lung cancer represents a major development in disease management. We examined the association of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 () gene amplification with pathological characteristics and geographic region.

Material And Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of studies published between January 2010 and October 2016. Relative risks (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated regarding the rate of amplification in different lung cancer types and geographic region.

Results: Twenty-three studies (5252 patients) were included. There was heterogeneity between studies. However, in subgroup analyses for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), studies using the same definition of amplification, and those from Australia, no significant heterogeneity was detected. The prevalence of amplification in these studies ranged from 4.9% to 49.2% in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 5.1% to 41.5% in SCC, 0% to 14.7% in adenocarcinoma, and 0% to 7.8% in SCLC. The prevalence of amplification was significantly higher in SCC than in adenocarcinoma (RR = 5.2) and SCLC (RR = 4.2). The prevalence of amplification ranged from 5.6% to 22.2% in Europe, 4.1% to 18.2% in the United States, 7.8% to 49.2% in Asia, and 14.2% to 18.6% in Australia. The rate of amplification was higher in Asians than in non-Asians (RR = 1.9) in NSCLC.

Conclusions: These results suggest that amplification occurs more frequently in SCC and in Asians. amplification may be a potential new therapeutic target for specific patients and lung cancer subtypes.