Expression of FGFR3 and FGFR4 and clinical risk factors associated with progression-free survival in synovial sarcoma

Although rare, synovial sarcoma (SS) is one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas affecting young adults. To investigate potential tumor markers related to synovial sarcoma prognosis, we carried out a single-institution retrospective analysis of 103 patients diagnosed with SS between 1980 and 2009. Clinical outcome data were obtained from medical records, and archived tissue samples were used to evaluate the relationship between progression-free survival (PFS) and several prognostic factors, including tumor expression of FGFR3 and FGFR4. No associations were found between PFS and gender, body mass index, tumor site, SS18-SSX translocation, or FGFR4 expression. As seen in previous studies, age at diagnosis (<35, 63% versus ≥35 years, 31% 10-year PFS; P =.033), histologic subtype (biphasic, 75% versus monophasic 34% 10-year PFS; P =.034), and tumor size (≤5 cm, 70% versus >5 cm, 22% 10-year PFS; P <.0001) were associated with PFS in SS patients. In addition, in a subset of patients with available archived tumor samples taken prior to chemotherapy or radiation (n = 34), higher FGFR3 expression was associated with improved PFS (P =.030). To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest study of SS to date to suggest a potential clinical role for FGFR3. While small numbers make this investigation somewhat exploratory, the findings merit future investigation on a larger scale.