The role of fibroblast growth factor 18 in cancers: functions and signaling pathways

Yiming Zhou; Sizheng Sun; Tao Ling; Yongzhen Chen; Rongzhong Zhou; Qiang You

doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1124520

The role of fibroblast growth factor 18 in cancers: functions and signaling pathways

Front Oncol. 2023 May 9:13:1124520. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1124520. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yiming Zhou¹, Sizheng Sun², Tao Ling¹, Yongzhen Chen³, Rongzhong Zhou⁴, Qiang You¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotherapy, Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
² Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
³ Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Zaoyang First People's Hosipital, Zaoyang, China.

Abstract

Fibroblast growth factor 18(FGF18) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family (FGFs). FGF18 is a class of bioactive substances that can conduct biological signals, regulate cell growth, participate in tissue repair and other functions, and can promote the occurrence and development of different types of malignant tumors through various mechanisms. In this review, we focus on recent studies of FGF18 in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of tumors in digestive, reproductive, urinary, respiratory, motor, and pediatric systems. These findings suggest that FGF18 may play an increasingly important role in the clinical evaluation of these malignancies. Overall, FGF18 can function as an important oncogene at different gene and protein levels, and can be used as a potential new therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for these tumors.

Keywords: (FGFR) fibroblast growth factor receptor; FGF18; cancer; gene expression; pathway.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Jiangsu medical scientific research project of Jiangsu Health Commission (to QY), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 81870409, 81671543 to QY), and the 789 Outstanding Talent Program of SAHNMU (789ZYRC202070102 to QY).