Research Papers:
Mutational profiles in triplenegative breast cancer defined by ultradeep multigene sequencing show high rates of PI3K pathway alterations and clinically relevant entity subgroup specific differences
PDF | Full Text | How to cite
Metrics: PDF 3852 views | Full Text 4578 views
Mark Kriegsmann1, Volker Endris1,2, Thomas Wolf1, Nicole Pfarr1, Albrecht Stenzinger1, Sibylle Loibl3, Carsten Denkert4,6, Andreas Schneeweiss5,6, Jan Budczies4,6, Peter Sinn1 and Wilko Weichert1,5,6
1 Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
2 German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
3 German Breast Group, Neu-Isenburg, Germany
4 Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Charité Berlin, Germany
5 National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany
6 German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Germany
Correspondence:
Mark Kriegsmann, email:
Keywords: triple-negative breast cancer, next generation sequencing, immunohistochemistry, mutation profiling
Received: July 09, 2014 Accepted: September 15, 2014 Published: September 16, 2014
Abstract
Mutational profiling of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by whole exome sequencing (WES) yielded a landscape of genomic alterations in this tumor entity. However, the clinical significance of these findings remains enigmatic. Further, integration of WES in routine diagnostics using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) material is currently not feasible.
Therefore, we designed and validated a breast cancer specific gene panel for semiconductor-based sequencing comprising 137 amplicons covering mutational hotspots in 44 genes and applied this panel on a cohort of 104 well-characterized FFPE TNBC with complete clinical follow-up.
TP53 mutations were present in more than 80% of cases. PI3K pathway alterations (29.8%) comprising mainly PIK3CA mutations (22.1%) but also mutations and/or amplifications/deletions in other PI3K-associated genes (7.7%) were far more frequently observed, when compared to WES data. Alterations in MAPK signaling genes (8.7%) and cell-cycle regulators (14.4%) were also frequent. Mutational profiles were linked to TNBC subgroups defined by morphology and immunohistochemistry. Alterations in cell-cycle pathway regulators were linked with better overall (p=0.053) but not disease free survival.
Taken together, we could demonstrate that breast cancer targeted hotspot sequencing is feasible in a routine setting and yields reliable and clinically meaningful results. Mutational spectra were linked to clinical and immunohistochemically defined parameters.