*Review* **Fibroblast Growth Factor Family in the Progression of Prostate Cancer**

### **Jun Teishima \*, Tetsutaro Hayashi, Hirotaka Nagamatsu, Koichi Shoji, Hiroyuki Shikuma, Ryoken Yamanaka, Yohei Sekino, Keisuke Goto, Shogo Inoue and Akio Matsubara**

Department of Urology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan; tetsutaro.hayashi@gmail.com (T.H.), k717171k@yahoo.co.jp (H.N.), urokshoji@yahoo.co.jp (K.S.), himuro.49.1026@gmail.com (H.S.), yamanaka\_ryouken@hiro-hosp.jp (R.Y.), akikosekino@gmail.com (Y.S.), keigoto@hiroshima-u.ac.jp (K.G.), inosyogo@hiroshima-u.ac.jp (S.I.), matsua@hiroshima-u.ac.jp (A.M.) **\*** Correspondence: teishima@hiroshima-u.ac.jp; Tel.: +81-82-257-5242

Received: 10 January 2019; Accepted: 31 January 2019; Published: 4 February 2019

**Abstract:** Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and FGF receptors (FGFRs) play an important role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and the development and differentiation of prostate tissue through epithelial-stromal interactions. Aberrations of this signaling are linked to the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). The FGF family includes two subfamilies, paracrine FGFs and endocrine FGFs. Paracrine FGFs directly bind the extracellular domain of FGFRs and act as a growth factor through the activation of tyrosine kinase signaling. Endocrine FGFs have a low affinity of heparin/heparan sulfate and are easy to circulate in serum. Their biological function is exerted as both a growth factor binding FGFRs with co-receptors and as an endocrine molecule. Many studies have demonstrated the significance of these FGFs and FGFRs in the development and progression of PCa. Herein, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the role of FGFs and FGFRs—including paracrine FGFs, endocrine FGFs, and FGFRs—in the development and progression of PCa, focusing on the representative molecules in each subfamily.

**Keywords:** fibroblast growth factor; fibroblast growth factor receptor; prostate cancer
