Preclinically, high epidermal growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) messenger RNA (FGFR1-MRNA) and FGFR1 amplification (FGFR1-AMP) predicted sensitivity to fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors in non-small-cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer cell lines.
The lung cancer subtypes share some genetic variations such as the dysfunction of tumor suppressor gene TP53, and also harbor specific variations of their own such as MET in ADC, FGFR1 and FGFR3 in SCC and MYC in SCLC.
EGFR-mutant clones depopulated AZD9291-resistant tumors to below 1% (baseline, 14%-36%) in three patients with progression: one with the loss of EGFR-double mutant clones and two accompanied by transformation to small-cell carcinoma and focal fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) amplification, respectively.
Although FGFR1 amplification is rare in SCLC compared to non-small cell lung cancer or other malignancies with squamous histology, it is associated with poor survival following standard chemotherapy in SCLC.
In addition, a second cohort of 24 SCLC biopsy samples with known FGFR1 amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization was assessed for FGFR1 protein expression by IHC.
FGFR1 amplification is an independent negative prognostic factor in surgically resected SCCL and is associated with cigarette smoking in a dose-dependent manner.