Expression analysis of fibroblast growth factor receptor-like 1 (FGFRL1) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

We previously reported that microRNA-210 regulates cancer cell proliferation by targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor-like 1 (FGFRL1) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In order to clarify the role of FGFRL1 in ESCC, we evaluated FGFRL1 expression by tissue microarray and compared it with the clinicopathological factors of patients. Sixty-nine specimens of ESCC were obtained from patients who underwent an operation from 1990 to 2008. The patients consisted of 62 males and 7 females. Average age was 64.1 years old. The TNM stages of the patients were as follows: stage I, 7 patients; stage IIA, 10; stage IIB, 10; stage III, 35; stage IV, 7. After careful examination by two independent researchers, the immunohistochemical results for these patients were scored according to intensity and distribution. Among the 69 patients with ESCC, 56 patients (81 %) were FGFRL1 positive and 13 patients were FGFRL1 negative. FGFRL1 positivity was associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.004) and tended to be associated with the depth of the tumor (p = 0.089). As a result, the prognosis of the FGFRL1-positive patients was significantly worse than that of the FGFRL1-negative patients (logrank p = 0.0311). However, FGFRL1 expression was not an independent prognostic factor for the patients. FGFRL1 expression was associated with both lymph node metastasis and tumor growth in the patients with ESCC.