Dr. Roychowdhury on FGFR Mutations in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, assistant professor, the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, discusses the prevalence of FGFR mutations in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

FGFR mutations, which activate the FGFR receptor and cause abnormal signaling that affects cell growth, are most common in ICC, plus urothelial or bladder cancers, Roychowdhury says. Specifically, FGFR2 mutations tend to be more common in ICC, ranging from 10% to 15% of patients in that subset, Roychowdhury adds. However, FGFR3 mutations are more common in bladder cancer, appearing in 15% to 20% of that subset of patients, Roychowdhury explains.

Additionally, FGFR3 point mutations tend to occur more often in bladder cancer, whereas in ICC, FGFR2 gene fusions or rearrangements are typical, Roychowdhury continues. Despite these tendencies, a variety of FGFR mutations can present in these cancers, Roychowdhury concludes.