Fibroblast growth factor 2 is of prognostic value for patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Background and purpose Patients with locally advanced SCCHN have a poor prognosis. This study investigated the prognostic value of the tumor cell expression of the fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) in patients treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy. Patients and methods The impact of FGF-2-expression and 11 additional potential prognostic factors on loco-regional control (LRC), metastases-free survival (MFS), and overall survival (OS) was retrospectively evaluated in 146 patients. Additional factors included age, gender, performance status, pre-radiotherapy hemoglobin levels, tumor site, histologic grade, T-category, N-category, human papilloma virus (HPV) status, extent of resection, and chemotherapy. Univariate analyses were performed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test, multivariate analyses with the Cox proportional hazard model. Results On multivariate analysis, improved LRC was significantly associated with FGF-2-negativity [risk ratio (RR): 7.33; 95 %-confidence interval (CI): 2.88–19.05; p