Polymorphic variants of FGFR-4 associated with clinical characteristics in urothelial cell carcinoma

Background: Fibroblast growth factor receptor-4 (FGFR-4) polymorphic variants have an important role on the development of various cancers. However, the association between FGFR-4 polymorphic variants and the risk of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) has not been determined. In this study, we studied the associations of FGFR-4 polymorphic variants with UCC susceptibility and its clinicopathological features. Materials and methods: Four SNPs in FGFR-4 were analyzed among 558 participants comprising 279 controls and 279 patients with UCC by performing a real-time genotype PCR assay. Results: Our results showed that UCC patients who carried at least one A genotype at rs1966265 exhibited a higher risk of invasive tumor stage compared with those carrying the wild-type genotype (P < 0.05). Patients with UCC who carried at least one G genotype (AG and GG) at rs2011077 also exhibited a higher risk of invasive tumor stage. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that polymorphic variants in FGFR-4 rs1966265 and rs2011077 may be associated with the risk of invasive tumor stage in Taiwanese patients with UCC. This is the first study to determine the association between FGFR-4 polymorphic variants and UCC tumor stage progression.