EORTC-SPECTA RP1759 study focuses on cancers in adolescent and young adult (AYA), age 12 to 29 years. This study explicitly recruited AYA patients and therefore collected empirical data to bridge the molecular gap between pediatric and adult oncology. The initial pilot study, activated in February 2019 across Europe, aimed to recruit 100 AYA patients (aged 12-29 years) with newly diagnosed or relapsed high-grade gliomas and high-grade bone and soft tissue sarcomas. The primary objective of the pilot is to determine feasibility and recruitment rates. Here we submit the data from patients with newly diagnosed, recurrent intermediate or high-grade sarcoma that were collected and analyzed during the study. More specifically, we submit raw FASTQ files obtained from whole exome sequencing (WES) of matching tumor and blood samples, tumor RNA sequencing and DNA methylation profiling.
Defining the transition from benign to malignant tissue is fundamental to improve early diagnosis of cancer. Here, we use a systematic approach to study spatial genome integrity in situ and describe previously unidentified clonal relationships. We employed spatially resolved transcriptomics to infer spatial copy number variations in >120,000 regions across multiple organs, in benign and malignant tissues. We demonstrate that genome-wide copy number variation reveals distinct clonal patterns within tumours and in nearby benign tissue using an organ-wide approach focused on the prostate. Our results suggest a model for how genomic instability arises in histologically benign tissue that may represent early events in cancer evolution. We highlight the power of capturing the molecular and spatial continuums in a tissue context and challenge the rationale for treatment paradigms, including focal therapy.
When locally advanced breast cancer is treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the recurrence risk is significantly higher if no complete pathologic response is achieved. Identification of the underlying resistance mechanisms is essential to select treatments with maximal efficacy and minimal toxicity. Here we employed gene expression profiles derived from 317 HER2-negative treatment-naïve breast cancer biopsies of patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, deep whole exome and RNA-sequencing profiles of 22 matched pre- and post-treatment tumors, and treatment outcome data to identify biomarkers of response and resistance mechanisms. Molecular profiling of treatment-naïve breast cancer samples revealed that expression levels of proliferation, immune response and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization combined predict response to chemotherapy. Triple negative patients with high proliferation, high immune response and low ECM expression had a significantly better treatment response and survival benefit (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.10-0.85; p=0.02), while in ER+ patients the opposite was seen (HR 4.73, 95% CI 1.51-14.8; 0=0.008). The characterization of paired pre-and post-treatment samples revealed that aberrations of known cancer genes were either only present in the pre-treatment sample (CDKN1B) or in the post-treatment sample(TP53, APC, CTNNB1). Proliferation-associated genes were frequently down-regulated in post-treatment ER+ tumors, but not in triple negative tumors. Genes involved in ECM were upregulated in the majority of post-chemotherapy samples. Genomic and transcriptomic differences between pre- and post-chemotherapy samples are common and may reveal potential mechanisms of therapy resistance. Our results show a wide range of distinct, but related mechanisms, with a prominent role for proliferation- and ECM-related genes.
Purpose: Despite extensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling, it remains unknown how signaling pathways are differentially activated and how tumors are differentially sensitized to certain perturbations. Here, we aim to characterize AKT signaling activity and its association with other genomic or immunohistochemistry-based PI3K/AKT pathway biomarkers as well as the clinical activity of ipatasertib (AKT inhibitor) in the FAIRLANE trial. Experimental Design: In FAIRLANE, 151 patients with early triple-negative breast cancer were randomized 1:1 to receive paclitaxel with ipatasertib or placebo for 12 weeks prior to surgery. Adding ipatasertib did not increase pathologic complete response rate and numerically improved overall response rate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We used reverse-phase protein microarrays (RPPA) to examine the total level and/or phosphorylation states of over 100 proteins in various signaling or cell processes including PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling. 125 baseline and 127 on-treatment samples were evaluable by RPPA, with 110 paired samples at both time points. Results: Tumors with genomic/protein alterations in PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN were associated with higher levels of AKT phosphorylation. In addition, phosphorylated(p)AKT levels exhibited a significant association with enriched clinical benefit of ipatasertib, and identified patients who received benefit in the absence of PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations. Ipatasertib treatment led to a down-regulation of AKT/mTORC1 signaling, which was more pronounced among the tumors with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations or among the responders to the treatment. Conclusions: We showed that the high baseline pAKT levels are associated with the alterations of PI3K/AKT pathway components and enriched benefit of ipatasertib in TNBC.
The overall goal of this study is to uncover contributors to inherited cancer through analysis of individuals and families with, or at risk of, a hereditary cancer syndrome. In addition, we hope to elucidate novel mechanisms of tumourigenesis in hereditary cancer patients. This specific report highlights a rare case of VHL mosaicism and shows the value of tissue testing in VHL variant negative cases.
To elucidate the timing and mechanism of the clonal expansion of somatic mutations in cancer-associated genes in the normal endometrium, we conducted target sequencing of 112 genes for 1,298 endometrial glands and matched blood samples from 36 women. By collecting endometrial glands from different parts of the endometrium, we showed that multiple glands with the same somatic mutations occupied substantial areas of the endometrium. The 112 genes are as follows: ABCC1, ACRC, ANK3, ARHGAP35, ARID1A, ARID5B, ATCAY, ATM, ATR, BARD1, BCOR, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRD4, BRIP1, CAMTA1, CDC23, CDYL, CFAP54, CHD4, CHEK1, CHEK2, CTCF, CTNNB1, CUX1, DGKA, DISP2, DYNC2H1, EMSY, FAAP24, FAM135B, FAM175A, FAM65C, FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCI, FANCL, FANCM, FAT1, FAT3, FBN2, FBXW7, FGFR2, FRG1, GPR50, HEATR1, HIST1H4B, HNRNPCL1, HOOK3, KIAA1109, KIF26A, KMT2B, KMT2C, KRAS, LAMA2, LRP1B, MLH1, MON2, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, MTOR, NBN, PALB2, PHEX, PIK3CA, PIK3R1, PLXNB2, PLXND1, PMS2, POLE, POLR3B, PPP2R1A, PTEN, PTPN13, RAD50, RAD51, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD52, RAD54B, RAD54L, RICTOR, SACS, SIGLEC9, SLC19A1, SLX4, SPEG, STT3A, TAF1, TAF2, TAS2R31, TFAP2C, TNC, TONSL, TP53, TTC6, UBA7, VNN1, WT1, XIRP2, ZBED6, ZC3H13, ZFHX3, ZFHX4, ZMYM4.
Genomic determination for Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) by shallow Whole Genome Sequencing (sWGS) with shallowHRD (PMID : 32315385) on 55 triple-negative breast cancer Patient Derived-Xenograft (PDX) treated with platinum.
The gut microbiome is a key player in the immunomodulatory and pro-tumorigenic microenvironment in colorectal cancer (CRC). It is well established that Fusobacterium’s virulence factors are responsible for its pro-tumorigenic properties, however the role of its metabolic cross-talk with the tumor remains unexplored. Here we use in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods to describe a novel microbe-host interaction keystone: formate. Omics data reveals molecular signatures, linking a metabolically driven CRC phenotype with Fusobacteria. We observed a metabolic shift towards increased F. nucleatum formate secretion in gut-on-chip model co-cultures with patient-derived CRC cells, along with an accelerated cancer glutamine metabolism. We show that high formate levels trigger AhR signaling, increase cancer stemness and cellular invasion. Finally, we observed an expansion of Th17 cells accompanying F. nucleatum-induced tumorigenesis. Moving beyond observational studies, we applied new experimental approaches for gaining ecosystem-level mechanistic understanding of F. nucleatum’s role in cancer pathogenesis.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer with poor prognosis. We report a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis of bone-marrow biopsies from 252 uniformly treated AML patients to elucidate the molecular pathophysiology of AML in order to inform future diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In addition to in-depth quantitative proteomics, our analysis includes cytogenetic profiling and DNA/RNA sequencing. We identify five proteomic AML subtypes, each reflecting specific biological features spanning genomic boundaries. Two of these proteomic subtypes correlate with patient outcome, but none are exclusively associated with specific genomic aberrations. Remarkably, one subtype (Mito-AML), which is only captured in the proteome, is characterized by high expression of mitochondrial proteins and confers poor outcome, with reduced remission rate and shorter overall survival upon treatment with intensive induction chemotherapy. Functional analyses reveal that Mito-AML is metabolically wired towards stronger complex I dependent respiration and is more responsive to treatment with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax.
