The following is a summary of “Prognostic Value of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Genetic Alterations in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma,” published in the February 2024 issue of Oncology by Fleming et al.
Limited evidence exists regarding the impact of fibroblast growth factor receptor gene alterations (FGFRalt) on clinical outcomes in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC). This study aimed to assess progression-free survival (PFS) among mUC patients based on their FGFRalt status in the first-line setting (1L). Data were collected via a survey of oncologists/urologists who treated at least one FGFRalt patient between July 2017 and June 2019. The survey included patient demographics, FGFR status, treatment regimens, and measures of disease progression. The primary endpoint was the time from metastatic diagnosis to disease progression from initial treatment for FGFRalt and FGFRwt (wild-type) mUC.
Cox proportional hazard models were utilized to assess the adjusted risk of disease progression associated with FGFR status. A total of 414 patients were analyzed, with a mean age of 64.5 years and 73.9% being male. Approximately 52.7% of patients had FGFRalt. While FGFR status did not influence PFS among the overall cohort or in patients receiving chemotherapy or chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI), it significantly impacted patients treated with 1L ICI therapy alone. Specifically, patients with FGFRalt had a twofold higher risk of disease progression compared to FGFRwt patients (HR: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.13-4.00).
These findings suggest a potential decreased benefit from ICI therapy in patients with FGFRalt and emphasize the need for further validation to determine the clinical implications of FGFR genetic alterations in mUC treatment strategies.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558767324000272