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The article reports on results of a study to determine whether the introduction of imatinib coincided with improved survival from metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the United States. A description of the experimental set-up and measurement method is provided. The study concluded that survival from metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor has improved significantly in the era of imatinib.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor (FGFR) substrate 2 (FRS2) is an adaptor protein that plays a critical role in FGFR signaling, is located on chromosome 12q13-15 that is frequently amplified in liposarcomas. The FRS2 significance of FRS2 and FGFR signaling in high-grade liposarcomas is unknown. Herein, we first comparatively examined the amplification and expression of FRS2 with CDK4 and MDM2 in dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLS) and undifferentiated high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma (UHGPS). Amplification and expression of the three genes were identified in 90% to 100% (9-11 of 11) of DDLS, whereas that of FRS2, CDK4, and MDM2 were observed in 55% (41 of 75), 48% (36 of 75), and 44% (33/75) of clinically diagnosed UHGPS, suggesting that these "UHGPS" may represent DDLS despite lacking histologic evidence of lipoblasts. Immunohistochemical analysis of phosphorylated FRS2 protein indicated that the FGFR/FRS2 signaling axis was generally activated in about 75% of FRS2-positive high-grade liposarcomas. Moreover, we found that FRS2 and FGFRs proteins are highly expressed and functional in three high-grade liposarcoma cell lines: FU-DDLS-1, LiSa-2, and SW872. Importantly, the FGFR selective inhibitor NVP-BGJ-398 significantly inhibited the growth of FU-DDLS-1 and LiSa-2 cells with a concomitant suppression of FGFR signal transduction. Attenuation of FRS2 protein in FU-DDLS-1 and LiSa-2 cell lines decreased the phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and AKT and repressed cell proliferation. These findings indicate that analysis of FRS2 in combination with CDK4 and MDM2 will more accurately characterize pathologic features of high-grade liposarcomas. Activated FGFR/FRS2 signalingmay play a functional role in the development of high-grade liposarcomas, therefore, serve as a potential therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]