7063 Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (SqCCL) is the second most common type of lung cancer. There are currently no established targeted therapies that take advantage of SqCCL-specific genetic abnormalities. Amplification of the fibroblast growth factor receptor type 1 gene (FGFR1) has been identified as a driver event in breast cancers and in SqCCL. The demographic characteristics and prognosis of patients with these tumors remains to be defined. Methods: DNA from 123 surgically resected, fresh frozen, and clinically annotated SqCCLs was extracted using a resin-based or phenol-based methodology. DNA quantity and quality was assessed using the Quantifiler kit (ABI). Specimen histology was validated, and the proportion of tumor cells was >60%. Copy number variation (CNV) analysis was performed using quantitative PCR with primers specific for exons 12 and 16 of FGFR1 and data analysis using CopyCaller (ABI). Samples with a predicted CNV of at 2 or greater in at least one exon were scored as amplified. Chi-squared tests were used to examine clinical and demographic differences between patients with and without amplification of FGFR1. Survival differences were examined by Kaplan Meier and Cox regression models. Results: Men comprised the majority of the population (n=91, 74%) and most cases were pathological stage I (n=75, 61%) or stage II (n=32, 26%). Thirty (24.4%) tumors showed amplification of FGFR1. There was no association between amplification and sex (p=0.18) or stage (p=0.37). The majority of the patients were white (n=114, 92.7%), but the proportion of tumors that were amplified was higher among non-whites (5/9, 55.5%) than whites (25/114, 21.9%, p=0.02). Overall, median survival was 32.2 months. In univariate survival analysis, amplification was associated with an increased hazard of death (HR=1.55, Wilcoxon p=0.03). Tumor stage at diagnosis was also associated with increased risk of death (HR=1.67, p=0.0009). Only stage remained a significant predictor of death in the multivariate survival models (HR=1.65, p=0.004). Conclusions: Somatic amplification of FGFR1 is a relatively common event in SqCCL and may be associated with race and overall survival.