Cancer treatment re-shapes the somatic mutational landscape of normal esophagus - 0.25mm punches targeted

Ageing epithelial tissues, including the esophagus, are progressively colonized by somatic mutant clones, some carrying mutations linked to cancer. However, whether normal epithelial mutational landscapes that evolve over decades can be altered by short term interventions such as cancer treatment is not known. Here we sequenced normal esophageal epithelium removed from patients after 5-8 weeks of therapy for esophageal cancer. Some patients had no prior treatment (NT), while others had 8 weeks of 5 Fluorouracil (5-FU) containing chemotherapy (FLOT) or 4 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation directed at the tumor (CROSS). Despite the brief duration of therapy, we observed treatment specific differences in the selection of mutant clones. The median size of mutant TP53 and PPM1D clones in the CROSS group was double that in the other groups. Mutants of the tumor suppressor SPOP were selected in CROSS but not FLOT or NT patients. In FLOT patients we found positive selection of activating MTOR mutations, consistent with the hypothesis that these mutants confer 5-FU resistance. Sequencing densely mutated normal epithelia after cancer reveals treatment specific selection of mutations with potential therapeutic impact.

• 19/07/2023
• 388 samples
• DAC: EGAC00001000000
• Technology: Illumina HiSeq 2500