FGFR genes mutation is an independent prognostic factor and associated with lymph node metastasis in squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

Targeting FGFRs is one of the most promising therapeutic strategies in squamous non-small cell lung cancer (SQCC). However, different FGFR genomic aberrations can be associated with distinct biological characteristics that result in different clinical outcomes or therapeutic consequences. Currently, the full spectrum of FGFR gene aberrations and their clinical significance in SQCC have not been comprehensively studied. Here, we used Next-generation sequencing to investigate the presence of FGFR gene mutations in 143 tumors from patients with stage I, II or III SQCC and who had not been treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy prior to surgery. FGFR gene mutations were identified in 24 cases, resulting in an overall frequency of 16.9%. Among the mutations, 7% (10/143) were somatic mutations, and 9.8% (14/143) germline mutations. FGFR mutations were significantly associated with an increased risk of lymph node metastasis. SQCC patients with a FGFR somatic mutation had shorter OS (overall survival, log rank P = 0.005) and DFS (disease-free survival，log rank P = 0.004) compared with those without an FGFR mutation. The multivariate analysis confirmed that a somatic mutation was an independent poor prognostic factor for OS (HR: 4.26, 95% CI: 1.49-12.16, P = 0.007) and DFS (HR: 3.16, 95% CI: 1.20-8.35, P = 0.020). Our data indicate that FGFR genes mutation is an independent prognostic factor and associated with lymph node metastasis in stage I to III Chinese SQCC patients.