THE BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR AND ITS RECEPTOR IN PULMONARY ADENOCARCINOMAS - AN INVESTIGATION OF THEIR EXPRESSION AS PROGNOSTIC MARKERS

The expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and its recept or, the high-affinity type I basic fibroblast growth factor receptor ( FGFR-1), were immunohistologically studied in tissues specimens from 1 67 patients with a pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Of the 167 specimens, 82 (49%) expressed bFGF and 104 (62%) expressed FGFR-1. bFGF and FGFR-1 w ere simultaneously expressed in 72 (43%). It was also found that many patients who showed intensely positive staining for bFGF were also pos itive for FGFR-1, and that the expression of bFGF or FGFR-1 or both wa s associated with p-stage, T and N factors. The overall prognosis was significantly poorer in the bFGF-positive or FGFR-1-positive patients than in negative patients (P < 0.01), The prognosis was also significa ntly poorer in all patients positive for both bFGF and FGFR-1 than in those negative for both (P < 0.01); this was also true for stage I pat ients (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that bFGF had a signifi cant affect on prognosis, whereas FGFR-1 did not. As FGFR-1 is signifi cantly linked with the bFGF expression, it may be that FGFR-1 interfer es with the bFGF effect on survival. These findings suggest that bFGF and FGFR-1 play important roles in tumour progression, and that bFGF e xpression may be a useful prognostic marker for pulmonary adenocarcino mas. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd