3331 results for "ovarian cancer"

in 12.72 milliseconds.

• Whole Genome Association Study of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

  The goal of this collaborative study was to identify new genetic risk factors for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). To do this we conducted a genome-wide scan by combining the resources and expertise from a number of SLE researchers to establish a large sample set comprising 1311 SLE cases and 3340 controls. The SLE case samples were genotyped from the following collections: 338 subjects from the Autoimmune Biomarkers Collaborative Network (ABCoN), an NIH/NIAMS funded repository, 141 subjects from the Multiple Autoimmune Disease Genetics Consortium (MADGC), 613 subjects from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Lupus Genetics, and 335 subjects from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), plus 8 samples collected at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. A total of 3583 control samples were examined in the association analyses. As part of this project, 1861 control samples were selected and then genotyped from the New York Cancer Project (NYCP), based on self-described ethnicity, gender and age. In addition, genotype data from 1722 control samples (all self-described North Americans of European descent) were obtained from the publicly available iControlDB database (http://www.illumina.com/pages.ilmn?ID=231).

  Study phs000122

• Whole Genome Sequencing for Metastatic Mutational Burden in Extraskeletal Myxoid Chondrosarcoma

  Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is an ultra-rare cancer. Though it has a favorable prognosis and an indolent course, it has high rates of local recurrence and metastasis to the lungs. EMC is most often characterized by a translocation involving the NR4A3 gene most often fusing with EWSR1, leading to constitutive expression of NR4A3, the biological significance of which is unknown. Our study presents a case of EMC with case-matched lung and advanced pelvic metastases. We conducted Whole Genome Sequencing to examine differences in the mutational landscape at two different stages of metastasis. This is the first study to our knowledge to analyze mega-base scale structural variants (SVs) in EMC. Our data validates copy number variants (CNVs) found in previous studies. While the primary tumor and lung metastasis had similar somatic variations and CNVs, the pelvic metastasis had more SVs with especially increased mutational burden of SVs in chromosome 2. This suggests that different molecular drivers appear in more advanced, relapsing EMC compared with the primary tumor and early lung metastasis. The sequencing data is available through dbGaP.

  Study phs003305

• Vaccine-Expanded Plasmablast-like B Cells Are Associated with Response to Dendritic Cell Therapy in Metastatic Melanoma

  Dendritic cells (DCs), either monocyte-derived (moDCs) or naturally circulating, have been employed in cancer treatment across both metastatic and adjuvant settings. DC vaccines (DC Vax) are capable of inducing tumor-specific immune responses, yet clinical outcomes have thus far fallen short of expectations. Here, we performed a multi-omics analysis of the apheresis product, including CD14⁺ monocytes, and the final DCVax formulation. Among all the components analyzed, the most striking finding was the unexpected presence of CD19⁺ B cells within the DC Vax formulation, which distinguished Responders from Non-Responders to moDC vaccination in metastatic melanoma. The abundance of B cells in DC Vax correlated with their peripheral frequency; however, within the vaccine, these cells acquired a CD20lowCD27hiCD38hi plasmablast-like phenotype, distinct from their autologous circulating B-cell precursors. Notably, a parallel observation was made in Responders, whose pre-treatment lesions were enriched in B cells organized as Tertiary Lymphoid Structures. These results underscore the importance of B cells in both baseline immunity and DCVax formulation, hinting at unexplored mechanisms by which they may influence vaccine effectiveness.

  Study EGAS50000001177

• A Therapeutic Vaccine for Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma

  Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC) is a rare form of liver cancer affecting 33 children and young adults that is driven by a chimeric protein, DNAJ-PKAc. We conducted a phase 1 clinical trial of a therapeutic vaccine targeting DNAJ-PKAc 38 (FLC-Vac), in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab, in children and adults with advanced FLC. Among 16 patients enrolled, 12 completed the vaccine priming phase and were evaluable for both immunological and clinical endpoints. Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events were reported by six patients (37.5%). DNAJ43 PKAc-specific T cell responses were detected in 9/12 patients after treatment. In the subset of patients who completed the initial priming phase the disease control rate (DCR) was 75% (9/12), with three partial responses (25%). All patients with clinical responses also had DNAJ-PKAc specific T cell responses, from which we identified multiple class II-restricted T cell receptors (TCRs) with specificity for DNAJ-PKAc. Correlates of response included both functional neoantigen reactivity and changes in TCR repertoire features over time. Immune escape in two patients corresponded with immune exhaustion rather than neoantigen escape or HLA loss.

  Study phs003970

• Dynamics of checkpoint receptors in γδ T cell subsets are associated with clinical responses during anti-PD-1 immunotherapies

  Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are innate-like lymphocytes with potent anti-tumor properties. Herein, we show that immune checkpoint receptors (ICRs) display differential expression and regulation by the JAK-STAT pathway in Vδ1 and Vδ2 cells and identify constitutive (e.g. TIGIT, PD-1) and inducible (e.g. TIM-3, LAG-3, CTLA-4) ICRs. In melanoma, all γδ T cell subsets downregulated AP-1 transcription factors, but Vδ1 cells specifically expressed high levels of ICR, TOX and inhibitory killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) transcripts, reminiscent of exhaustion. However, patient-derived cells were functionally competent, although induction of LAG-3 and CTLA-4 was impaired. During anti-PD-1 monotherapy, Vδ1 cells specifically bound high levels of therapeutic antibody but only in patients who responded to treatment, revealing a potential new prognostic marker for evaluating the efficacy of IC blockade (ICB) therapy. Finally, expression of KIR genes in Vδ1 cells was downregulated in response to successful ICB therapy. Collectively, our data indicate an intricate relationship between ICRs and γδ T cells and reveal novel approaches by which these cells can be harnessed in order to discern or improve cancer immunotherapy.

  Study EGAS50000001270

• Distinct portrayal of lesions in synchronous multifocal lung adenocarcinoma revealed by genome sequencing

  Distinguishing multiple primary lung cancers in the synchronous multifocal intrapulmonary lesions has important significance on clinical staging and therapeutic decision. To investigate genomic aberration profiles, we applied whole genome and whole exome sequencing, and microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization on 15 intrapulmonary tumors derived from six patients with synchronous multifocal lung cancers having similar histological diagnosis. Any pair of intrapulmonary tumors in a single patient, which shared the identical genetic background and environment, showed an extinctive heterogeneity between each other. Phylogenetic relationship analysis indicated an independently branched evolution among all the tumors, suggesting they were multiple primary lung cancers. EGFR or KRAS mutations were found in 7 or 3 out of the 15 tumors, from 3 or 2 patients, respectively. Somatic mutational heterogeneity of these two genes in a single patient was also observed. Our analysis indicates genomic aberration profiling is valuable for identification of multiple primary lung cancer, especially when high histopathological concordance was observed between lesions. We also suggest a thoroughly molecular diagnosis against therapeutic target genes should be taken for each accessible nodule before making a plan for adjuvant therapy.

  Study EGAS00001001572

• Onco-exaptation of an Endogenous Retroviral LTR Drives IRF5 Expression in Hodgkin Lymphoma

  The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) is upregulated in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a key regulator of the aberrant transcriptome characteristic of this disease. Here we show that IRF5 upregulation in HL is driven by transcriptional activation of a normally dormant endogenous retroviral LOR1a long terminal repeat (LTR) upstream of IRF5. Specifically, through screening of RNA-seq libraries, we detected LTR-IRF5 chimeric transcripts in multiple HL cell lines but not in normal B-cell controls. In HL, the LTR was in an open and hypomethylated epigenetic state and we further show the LTR is the site of transcriptional initiation. Among HL cell lines, usage of the LTR promoter strongly correlates with overall levels of IRF5 mRNA and protein, indicating that LTR transcriptional awakening is a major contributor to IRF5 upregulation in HL. Taken together, oncogenic IRF5 overexpression in HL is the result of a specific LTR transcriptional activation. We propose that such LTR derepression is a distinct mechanism of oncogene activation (“onco-exaptation”) and that such a mechanism warrants further investigation in molecular and cancer research.

  Study EGAS00001001205

• Identification of 19 novel loci reveals gene regulatory mechanisms determining susceptibility to testicular germ cell tumour

  Testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) is the most common cancer in young men1,2, and is characterised by strong inherited genetic risk factors3. Here we have undertaken large-scale genome wide association study (GWAS) for TGCT, encompassing ~7,500 cases and ~23,000 controls, through the Oncoarray consortium. We identified 19 novel loci, approximately doubling the number of known TGCT risk loci to 44 (P<5x10-8)4-14 and conduct deep, high-throughput functional annotation of all risk loci. We establish a network of physical interactions for all risk SNPs to candidate casual genes in 3D space, using high-throughput chromosome conformation capture techniques (HiC) in TGCT cells. Firstly, functional evidence reveals widespread disruption of developmental transcriptional regulators, consistent with failed primordial germ cell differentiation as an initiating step in TGCT oncogenesis15. We secondly observe multiple risk loci associated with defective microtubule assembly, compatible with the high level of aneuploidy observed in TGCTs, suggesting gross chromosomal instability. Finally KIT-MAPK signalling features as a recurrently dysregulated pathway. In summary our findings substantially increase the number of known TGCT risk alleles, and provides a functional basis for disease susceptibility.

  Study EGAS00001001836

• Whole genome sequencing of Ewings Sarcoma

  Sarcomas are cancers of the bone and soft tissue often defined by their gene fusions. However, the timing, context, and processes by which these pathogenic fusions arise are unknown. We explored this in Ewing sarcoma, a cancer driven by EWSR1-ETS fusions, with very few cooperating mutations. Combining whole-genome sequencing with enhanced informatics, we found that the EWSR1-ETS fusion arose from striking rearrangement clusters in 42% of cases (52/124). Notably, these were organized in loops that universally contained the fusion at their center, while also weaving up to 18 genes together with it. We found the same pattern of rearrangements in three additional types of sarcoma. From these data, we define a new signature for sarcoma fusions that precedes other somatic changes, in the earliest replicating DNA of the genome. This dramatic, sudden process impinges on many genes – generating multiple coding changes that profoundly affect the transcriptome, with the disease-defining gene fusion at its core. These rearrangement loops emerge in an early ES clone from which both the primary tumor and the lethal relapse emerged, and then evolved in parallel until clinically detected.

  Study EGAS00001003385

• Comprehensive characterization of cell-free tumor DNA in plasma and urine of patients with renal tumors

  Cell-free tumour-derived DNA (ctDNA) allows non-invasive monitoring of various cancers but its utility in renal cell cancer (RCC) has not been well established. A combination of untargeted and targeted sequencing methods, applied to two independent cohorts of patients (n=90) with various renal tumour subtypes, were used to determine ctDNA content in plasma and urine. Our data revealed lower plasma ctDNA levels in RCC relative to other cancers, with untargeted detection of ~33% for both cohorts. A highly sensitive personalised approach, applied to plasma and urine from select patients (n=22), improved detection to ~50%, including in patients with early stage and even benign lesions. A machine-learning based model, applied to untargeted data, predicted this detection, potentially offering a means of triaging patient samples for personalised analysis. We observed that plasma, and for the first time, urine ctDNA may better represent tumour heterogeneity than a single tissue biopsy. Longitudinal sampling of >200 plasma samples revealed that ctDNA can track disease course. These data highlight low ctDNA levels in RCC but indicate potential clinical utility provided improvement in isolation and detection approaches.

  Study EGAS00001003530

• Phosphoproteomics adds value to treatment recommendations in molecular tumor boards

  Precision oncology approaches employing genomics-guided targeted therapies for individual patients have provided significant survival benefits in several cancer types. However, low response rates in most solid malignancies, many patients without actionable genomic lesions, and increasing evidence that non-genomic mechanisms may play an important role in tumors indicate that genomics alone is often insufficient to inform and guide the clinical care of patients. Here, we show for the first time that comprehensive (phospho)proteome profiling is feasible and informative in a real-world prospective precision oncology setting. We developed a novel tumor pathway activity (TUPAC) scoring methodology that provides a holistic perspective on dysregulated receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling in individual patients. Based on 919 tumor tissue profiles of patients enrolled in the national NCT/DKTK MASTER study and the INFORM registry trial, we illustrate how TUPAC scoring can be used to uncover individual tumor biology in rare cancers and demonstrate that TUPAC methodology identifies EGFR-driven sarcomas despite the absence of genetic EGFR alterations. Overall, our work demonstrates the utility of the additional phosphoproteome data layer to enhance therapeutic recommendations in molecular tumor boards.

  Study EGAS00001007891

• The DNA methylation landscape of glioblastoma disease progression shows extensive heterogeneity in time and space

  Glioblastoma is characterized by widespread genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity, yet little is known about the role of the epigenome in glioblastoma disease progression. Here, we present genome-scale maps of DNA methylation in matched primary and recurring glioblastoma tumors, using data from a highly annotated clinical cohort that was selected through a national patient registry. We demonstrate the feasibility of DNA methylation mapping in a large set of routinely collected FFPE samples, and we validate bisulfite sequencing as a multipurpose assay that allowed us to infer a range of different genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptional characteristics of the profiled tumor samples. On the basis of these data, we identified subtle differences between primary and recurring tumors, links between DNA methylation and the tumor microenvironment, and an association of epigenetic tumor heterogeneity with patient survival. In summary, this study establishes an open resource for dissecting DNA methylation heterogeneity in a genetically diverse and heterogeneous cancer, and it demonstrates the feasibility of integrating epigenomics, radiology, and digital pathology for a national cohort, thereby leveraging existing samples and data collected as part of routine clinical practice.

  Study EGAS00001002538

• Ewings Sarcoma RNA-Seq

  Sarcomas are cancers of the bone and soft tissue often defined by their gene fusions. However, the timing, context, and processes by which these pathogenic fusions arise are unknown. We explored this in Ewing sarcoma, a cancer driven by EWSR1-ETS fusions, with very few cooperating mutations. Combining whole-genome sequencing with enhanced informatics, we found that the EWSR1-ETS fusion arose from striking rearrangement clusters in 42% of cases (52/124). Notably, these were organized in loops that universally contained the fusion at their center, while also weaving up to 18 genes together with it. We found the same pattern of rearrangements in three additional types of sarcoma. From these data, we define a new signature for sarcoma fusions that precedes other somatic changes, in the earliest replicating DNA of the genome. This dramatic, sudden process impinges on many genes – generating multiple coding changes that profoundly affect the transcriptome, with the disease-defining gene fusion at its core. These rearrangement loops emerge in an early ES clone from which both the primary tumor and the lethal relapse emerged, and then evolved in parallel until clinically detected.

  Study EGAS00001003062

• SmMIP-tools:a computational toolset for processing and analysis of single-molecule molecular inversion probes derived data

  Single-molecule molecular inversion probes (smMIPs) provides a modular and cost-effective platform for high-multiplex targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). Nevertheless, translating the raw smMIP-derived sequencing data into accurate and meaningful information currently requires proficient computational skills and a large amount of computational work, prohibiting wide-scale adoption of smMIP-based technologies. To enable easy, efficient, and accurate interrogation of smMIP-derived data, we developed SmMIP-tools, a computational toolset that combines the critical analytic steps for smMIP data interpretation into a single computational pipeline. Here, we describe in detail two major components of the software. The first is a read processing tool that performs quality control steps, generates read-smMIP linkages and retrieves molecular tags. The second is an error-aware variant caller capable of detecting single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and short insertions and deletions (indels). Using a cell-line DNA dilution series and a cohort of blood cancer patients, we benchmarked SmMIP-tools and evaluated its performance against clinical sequencing reports. We anticipate that SmMIP-tools will increase accessibility to smMIP-technology, enabling cost-effective genetic research to push personalized medicine forward.

  Study EGAS00001005359

• Clonal relationships of ductal carcinoma in situ and recurrent invasive breast cancers defined by genomic analysis

  Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) is the most common form of pre-invasive breast cancer and despite treatment a small fraction (5-10%) of DCIS patients present with invasive disease many years later. A fundamental biologic question is whether the invasive disease recurring in the same breast is established by tumor cells in the initial DCIS or represents new unrelated disease. To address this question, we performed genomic analyses on the initial pure DCIS lesion and paired invasive recurrent tumors in 95 patients together with single cell DNA sequencing in a subset of cases. Our data shows that in 75% the invasive recurrence was clonally related to the initial DCIS, suggesting that the tumor cells were not eliminated during the initial treatment with surgery +/- radiotherapy. Surprisingly however, 18% were clonally unrelated to the DCIS, representing new independent lineages, and 7% of cases were ambiguous. Our findings show that although DCIS is often the precursor of invasive recurrence, a significant fraction of invasive recurrences are unrelated to the initial DCIS. This knowledge is essential for accurate risk evaluation of DCIS treatment de-escalation strategies and the identification of predictive biomarkers.

  Study EGAS00001005784

• SS18-SSX-mediated hijacking of BAF complexes drives synovial sarcoma

  Synovial sarcoma (SS) is defined by a recurrent t(x;18) chromosomal translocation, which produces the hallmark SS18-SSX oncogenic fusion. Incorporation of SS18-SSX into BAF complexes renders BAF complexes aberrant in two distinct manners: the addition of 78aa of SSX onto SS18, and concomitant loss of BAF47 assembly. However, the importance and functional contributions of each of these perturbations on BAF complex targeting and gene expression regulation remain unclear. Here we use an integrative set of genomic approaches in human cancer cell lines and primary tumor samples to define the mechanistic consequences of the SS18-SSX fusion oncoprotein. We find that SS18-SSX hijacks BAF complexes to broad polycomb domains to activate bivalent genes, driving a unique gene expression program distinct from other loss-of-function BAF complex malignancies. Importantly, restoration of BAF47 rescues enhancer activation but is dispensable for proliferative arrest in cell lines. These results demonstrate that gain-of-function SS18-SSX-mediated BAF complex targeting and gene activation is the driving event in SS, and present a mechanism by which distinct functions of BAF complexes can be co-opted to drive oncogenesis.

  Study EGAS00001002920

• Target gene sequencing for human normal endometrial glands

  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.

  Study EGAS00001005914

• Allele-specific expression of GATA2 due to epigenetic dysregulation in double mutated CEBPA AML

  Transcriptional deregulation is a central event in the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To identify potential disturbances in gene regulation, we conducted an unbiased screen of allele-specific expression (ASE) in 209 AML cases. The gene encoding GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) displayed ASE more often than any other myeloid or cancer-related gene. GATA2 ASE was strongly associated with CEBPA double mutations (CEBPA DM), with 95% of cases presenting GATA2 ASE. In CEBPA DM AML with GATA2 mutations, the mutated allele was preferentially expressed. We found that GATA2 ASE is a somatic event lost in complete remission, supporting the notion that it plays a role in CEBPA DM AML. Acquisition of GATA2 ASE involved silencing of one allele via promoter methylation, compensated by overactivation of the other allele, thereby preserving expression levels. Notably, promoter methylation was also lost in remission together with GATA2 ASE. In summary, we propose that GATA2 ASE is acquired by epigenetic mechanisms and is a prerequisite for the development of AML with CEBPA DM. This finding constitutes a novel example of an epigenetic hit cooperating with a genetic hit in the pathogenesis of AML.

  Study EGAS00001004684

• Clonal relationships of ductal carcinoma in situ and recurrent invasive breast cancers defined by genomic analysis

  Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) is the most common form of pre-invasive breast cancer and despite treatment a small fraction (5-10%) of DCIS patients present with invasive disease many years later. A fundamental biologic question is whether the invasive disease recurring in the same breast is established by tumor cells in the initial DCIS or represents new unrelated disease. To address this question, we performed genomic analyses on the initial pure DCIS lesion and paired invasive recurrent tumors in 95 patients together with single cell DNA sequencing in a subset of cases. Our data shows that in 75% the invasive recurrence was clonally related to the initial DCIS, suggesting that the tumor cells were not eliminated during the initial treatment with surgery +/- radiotherapy. Surprisingly however, 18% were clonally unrelated to the DCIS, representing new independent lineages, and 7% of cases were ambiguous. Our findings show that although DCIS is often the precursor of invasive recurrence, a significant fraction of invasive recurrences are unrelated to the initial DCIS. This knowledge is essential for accurate risk evaluation of DCIS treatment de-escalation strategies and the identification of predictive biomarkers.

  Study EGAS00001006306

• Clonal Evolution and Heterogeneity of Osimertinib Acquired Resistance Mechanisms in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer

  Current understanding of acquired resistance to osimertinib in EGFR-mutant lung cancer is largely based on the use of targeted sequencing platforms and cell-free DNA. In this study we examined the clonal evolution and heterogeneity of acquired resistance mechanisms to osimertinib through whole exome and RNA-sequencing of prospectively collected pre-and post-osimertinib resistant tumors and metastases at rapid autopsy. We enrolled 34 patients with histologically confirmed EGFR mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma in a prospective Phase II clinical trial to evaluate osimertinib treatment and the use of local ablative therapy (LAT) for oligoprogressive disease (NCT02759835) in EGFR mutant NSCLC from April 2016 until data cutoff in September 2019. Patients were not selected based on oligometastatic status, rather 32/34 patients had multiple organ involvement, including lung, liver, adrenal, brain and bone. Biopsies or surgeries were performed pre-osimertinib treatment and at first progression on osimertinib. A subset of patients also underwent biopsies at second progression on osimertinib, and following end of life in-patient hospice and rapid autopsy upon death. 63% (n=15/24) of first-line osimertinib and 50% (n=5/10) of second-line osimertinib treated patients had RECIST defined partial response. Overall, 21 patients had RECIST defined first progression on osimertinib. Two patients on this trial discontinued treatment and were lost to follow up. Of the 21 patients who had RECIST defined progression, 14 patients underwent LAT (8 first-line and 6 second-line). Twelve patients had paired pre- and post-osimertinib resistant tumors and three had post-osimertinib resistant tumors available for analysis. Four patients (LAT002, LAT006, LAT014 and LAT021) consented for a rapid autopsy protocol and underwent rapid autopsy after deatH. To elucidate acquired osimertinib resistance mechanisms, we performed whole-exome (WES), targeted sequencing and RNA-seq on 66 tumors and matched germline DNA from tumor tissue obtained from a total of 15 patients.

  Study phs002001

• Functional Significance of Prostate Cancer Risk-SNPs

  Prostate Cancer (PrCa), the most frequently diagnosed solid tumor in men in the U.S., results in ~192,000 new cases and ~27,000 deaths per year. Although the variation of PrCa incidence is likely to be the result of several factors, there is a large body of literature that strongly implicates a genetic etiology. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have emerged as the most widely used contemporary approach to identify genetic variants (in particular SNPs) that are associated with increased risk of human disease. For PrCa, at least five GWAS have now been performed yielding a substantial number of well-validated SNPs that are associated with an increased risk of PrCa, and that number continues to grow. A significant problem for many of the PrCa risk-SNPs identified so far, however, is that they do not lie within or near a known gene and they have no obvious functional properties. These findings suggest that many (if not most) of these risk-SNPs will be located in regulatory regions that control gene expression rather than in coding regions that may directly affect protein function. Therefore, in order to define the functional role of currently known risk-SNPs, the target genes must first be identified. A promising strategy to address this problem involves the use of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis. Unfortunately, most of the publically available SNP-Transcript eQTL datasets utilize lymphoblastoid cells with only a handful using tissue from target organs. Although useful, these datasets alone are unlikely to be sufficient. Recent studies have demonstrated that gene expression and gene regulation occur in both a tissue-specific and tissue independent fashion and suggest that a complete repertoire of regulatory SNPs can only be uncovered in the context of cell type specificity. To date, such a tissue-specific dataset for normal prostate tissue does not exist. In this study, we have constructed a normal prostate tissue specific eQTL data set.

  Study phs000985

• Genomic Profiling of Pediatric Tumors by Cell Free DNA Sequencing

  BACKGROUND Analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from peripheral blood has been studied extensively for detection and monitoring therapy response in adult cancers, but utility in pediatric tumors is unclear. METHODS We studied 233 children with hematologic, solid and brain tumors. cfDNA was extracted from 1 mL of plasma collected at diagnosis. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in cfDNA was quantified and diverse classes of somatic genomic variants were detected using PeCan-Seq. PeCan-Seq findings were compared with matched tumor whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data. Minimal residual disease (MRD) status was evaluated by cfDNA PeCan-Seq in 14 patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. RESULTS Plasma cfDNA yields at diagnosis were higher for hematologic malignancies than for solid and brain tumors. Patients with hematologic malignancy were 100% ctDNA-positive, the median ctDNA fraction in cfDNA was 0.77. We detected 97% variants that were present in tumors and covered by the capture panel, and 50 subclonal variants that were present in cfDNA only. Our approach enabled detection of sequence and structural variants in B-ALL ctDNA at varying levels of MRD. Nineteen of 38 patients with solid tumors were ctDNA-positive, with high prevalence in Ewing Sarcoma, liver tumors and osteosarcoma. One of 19 brain tumor patients was ct-DNA positive, indicating lack of utility for plasma-derived cfDNA in this disease. Notably, cfDNA analysis of a single plasma sample identified genomic features in ctDNA derived from B-ALL, concurrent primary neuroblastoma, and a later neuroblastoma relapse, indicating that genomic variations from multiple tumors could be detected simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric patients with hematologic malignancy had an abundance of plasma ctDNA at diagnosis. Plasma ctDNA levels varied between different solid tumor types, more studies are needed to determine utility. Panel-based cfDNA sequencing could serve as a non-invasive approach for pediatric cancer diagnosis and disease monitoring.

  Study EGAS50000000072

• Genomic and Immune Profiling of Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

  Previous work has shown that breast cancer brain metastases (BCBrM) can have unique molecular profiles compared to extracranial tumors (ECTs), resulting in some patients demonstrating subtype switching between primary/extracranial tumors and brain metastases. Description of the biology of BCBrM and associations between biological features and clinical outcomes, particularly between molecular intrinsic subtypes, will facilitate the design of rational therapies for patients with BCBrM. To better characterize the molecular profiles of BCBrM, we conducted whole exome sequencing (WES) and total RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) on BCBrM tissues, regardless of clinical or molecular subtype, obtained from a cohort of 42 patients from Duke University Medical Center. This cohort adds valuable patient samples to the field and enables strengthened investigation of somatic mutations, copy number alterations, gene expression profiles, and immune populations within and between BCBrM patients and other similar cohorts. The Duke BCBrM cohort includes clinical and molecular annotation of the 42 patient specimens and their associated WES and RNA-Seq data. Clinical and molecular (PAM50) intrinsic subtypes in ECTs and brain metastases were largely concordant within patients. There were observed differences in intrinsic subtype calls between frozen and FFPE specimens of the same tissue, with discordance mostly observed with LumB calls. Copy number alterations in chromosomal regions included clinically relevant genes, and somatic alterations were largely conserved within patients across matched samples, with few genes, including TP53, being recurrently altered in the majority of patient specimens. In matched FFPE brain metastasis and ECT samples, we observed differentially expressed genes and pathways that had increased or decreased expression in brain metastasis, including in oxidative phosphorylation and DNA repair. Survival outcomes for patients differed by intrinsic molecular subtypes, with some association between expression of select gene pathways and survival. Data available through dbGaP will be the sequencing data and sample attributes from BCBrM tissues obtained from 42 patients from Duke University Medical Center.

  Study phs003673

• Characterization of genetic intratumor heterogeneity in colorectal cancer and matching patient-derived spheroid cultures.

  Patient-derived in vitro cultures of colorectal cancer (CRC) may help guide treatment strategies prior to patient treatment. However, most previous studies have been performed on a single biopsy per tumor. The purpose of this study was to analyze multiple spatially distinct biopsies from CRCs and see how well intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) was recapitulated in matching patient-derived spheroids. Three to five biopsies were collected from six CRC tumors. Each biopsy was split in two; one half was used for spheroid culturing, the other half was used for direct DNA and RNA purification. For two of the patients, lymph node metastases were analyzed. Somatic mutations were called from whole exome sequencing data. Each tumor contained multiple mutations shared across all biopsies and spheroids, including major CRC drivers such as APC, KRAS, and TP53. At the same time, all tumors exhibited ITH on both mutation and copy number level. The concordance between biopsies and spheroids ranged between 40-70% for coding mutations. For three of the patients the biopsy and spheroid from matching areas clustered together, meaning that the spheroid resembled the area of origin more than the other areas. However, all biopsies and spheroids contained private mutations. Thereby, multiple cultures from spatially distinct sites of the tumor increase the insight into the genetic profile of the entire tumor. RNA sequencing based molecular subtyping was stable and seemed independent of genetic ITH. In conclusion, all examined CRC tumors contained genetic ITH on mutation and copy number level. Spheroid cultures partly reflected this ITH, meaning that multiple cultures from distinct sites of the tumor improved the representation of the different genetic subclones in the primary tumor. This should be taken in to account when establishing patient-derived models for drug screening.

  Study EGAS00001002684

• The chemotherapeutic CX-5461 is extremely mutagenic and may increase cancer risk

  The chemotherapeutic agent CX-5461 or pidnarulex has been fast-tracked by the US FDA for treatment of BRCA1-, BRCA2-, and PALB2-mutated cancers. It is under investigation in Phase I/II clinical trials. Here we find that although CX-5461 exhibits synthetic lethality in BRCA1-/BRCA2-deficient cells, it also causes extensive, non-selective, collateral mutagenesis in all cells, to magnitudes that exceed known environmental carcinogens, raising public health concerns regarding its potential for promoting secondary cancers.

  Study EGAS50000000023