Function of fibroblast growth factor 2 in gastric cancer occurrence and prognosis

The present study aimed to explore the role of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) in the development and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC). The relationship between FGF2 mRNA expression levels and the clinical characteristics of GC was investigated using microarray data from four GC cohorts involving 726 patients obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The results of the present study indicated that FGF2 expression levels were an independent factor affecting the prognosis of GC. The primary functions of FGF2 were related to cell adhesion and angiogenesis, and patients with high levels of FGF2 expression had poorer TNM staging and prognosis; these differences were statistically significant. In terms of immune infiltration, a higher extent of M2 macrophage intrusion was observed in patients with higher levels of FGF2. However, the degree of infiltration by dendritic and CD4⁺ T cells was lower, and this difference was statistically significant. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis revealed that age, TNM staging and FGF2 expression levels were independent prognostic factors for GC. In summary, FGF2 expression was demonstrated to be an independent prognostic factor in GC, and higher levels of FGF2 may promote the progression of this malignancy.