Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39948303›Full record

ArticleGastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association2025

Lenvatinib suppress FGF19-FGFR4 signaling to enhance antitumor immune response in gastric cancer.

Yuya Maruyama, Motonobu Saito, Shotaro Nakajima, Katsuharu Saito, Hiroya Suzuki, Ryo Kanoda, Hirokazu Okayama, Hiroyuki Hanayama, Wataru Sakamoto, Zenichiro Saze and 4 more

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Article in Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Yuya MaruyamaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Motonobu SaitoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan. moto@fmu.ac.jp.ORCID 0000-0001-5072-3520
Shotaro NakajimaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Katsuharu SaitoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Hiroya SuzukiDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Ryo KanodaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Hirokazu OkayamaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Hiroyuki HanayamaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Wataru SakamotoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Zenichiro SazeDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Tomoyuki MommaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Kosaku MimuraDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.
Akiteru GotoDepartment of Cellular and Organ Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Akita University, Akita, Japan.
Koji KonoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Japan.

Funding

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 21K08675
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 4 is overexpressed in gastric cancer (GC) and is a potential therapeutic target for GC. Since the FGF/FGFR signaling is involved in tumor microenvironment inducing the formation of an immunosuppression, lenvatinib is expected to inhibit FGFR4 leading to reduced tumor PD-L1 levels and regulatory T cell (Treg) infiltration, improving pembrolizumab efficacy. This study explored the background of the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab.

methodsExpression of FGFR4 and its specific ligand FGF19 was assessed by immunohistochemical staining and clinicopathological relevance was also examined. The effect of lenvatinib on FGF19-FGFR4 signaling was evaluated using cellular experiments. Lastly, the expression of FGFR4 on Treg cells was evaluated by immunostaining and flow cytometry. The Cancer Genome Atlas cBioPortal and Gene Expression Omnibus microarray databases were accessed to support these results.

resultsHigh FGFR4 expression was associated with histological type and venous invasion and predominantly detected in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and Epstein-Barr virus-positive GC. Bioinformatics data suggested that FGF19-FGFR4 signaling was activated in GC, and cellular experiments showed that lenvatinib reduced FGFR4 and PD-L1 expression in GC cells. Results of integrating various analyses suggested that FGFR4 did not seem to be enough expressed on Treg cells in GC.

conclusionsThe FGF19-FGFR4 signaling has a pivotal role in gastric tumorigenesis and may be involved in immunosuppression through PD-L1 modification. But, lenvatinib may not regulate immune editing by directly inhibiting FGFR4 on Treg cells.

Indexed as

Fibroblast Growth FactorsPhenylurea CompoundsQuinolinesReceptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 4Stomach NeoplasmsAgedAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedCell Line, TumorFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSignal TransductionT-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryTumor MicroenvironmentAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedFGF19 protein, humanFGFR4 protein, humanFibroblast Growth FactorslenvatinibpembrolizumabPhenylurea CompoundsQuinolinesReceptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 4FGF19FGFR4Gastric cancerLenvatinibPD-L1PembrolizumabTreg

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.