The Role of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors in Cancer

Breast cancer accounts for a quarter of all cancers and ranks as the second most common cancer in the world. In particular, triple negative breast cancer is aggressive and lacks targeted therapeutic options. Hence, new therapeutic targets need to be identified for personalised treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes. My PhD work describes abnormal fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) as therapeutic targets in breast cancer. It investigates two FGFR fusions, including the identification of a novel FGFR fusion, and the identification of novel targeted combinations involving FGFR. The findings in my PhD support targeting FGFRs as a precision medicine approach for specific cancers.