3331 results for "ovarian cancer"

in 13.50 milliseconds.

• High-resolution lung adenocarcinoma expression subtypes identify tumors with dependencies on MET, CDK4, CDK6, and PD-L1

  Lung adenocarcinoma is one of the most common cancer types with various treatment modalities. However, better biomarkers to predict therapeutic response are still needed to improve precision medicine. We utilized a consensus hierarchical clustering approach on 509 LUAD cases from TCGA to identify five robust LUAD expression subtypes. We then integrated genomic (patient and cell line) and proteomic data to help define biomarkers of response to targeted therapies and immunotherapies. This approach defined subtypes with unique proteogenomic and dependency profiles.

  Study EGAS00001006461

• Investigating the Role of Neddylation in the Repair of Topoisomerase I-Mediated DNA Damage in Colorectal Cancer

  Colorectal cancer is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. First-line chemotherapy for metastatic CRC (mCRC) entails a combination of irinotecan with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFIRI). Irinotecan is a prodrug that is converted within the cell to its active metabolite SN38, a potent TOP1 inhibitor. TOP1 relieves DNA torsional strain arising from DNA metabolism by cleaving one strand of the DNA duplex and forming an enzyme-DNA covalent intermediate that can be trapped by inhibitors. The resulting TOP1 DNA-protein crosslinks (TOP1-DPCs) interfere with replication and transcription and induce cell death if left unrepaired. I have established the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in TOP1-DPC repair, but it remains unknown how ubiquitylation is activated. One possibility is that collision between advancing replication forks and the DPCs triggers a specific ubiquitin ligase to target DPCs for degradation. The DDB1-CUL4 (Cullin 4)-RBX1 (CRL4) ubiquitin ligase complex performs a salient role in both replication and DNA repair upon its activation by auto-NEDD8 modification (neddylation), but it is unknown whether it plays a role for TOP1-DPC repair. We plan to define the role of neddylation for TOP1-DPC repair during replication and examine irinotecan plus pevonedistat (PEV), a NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor in multiple clinical trials, in CRC patient-derived preclinical models including 3D organoids. The three in-house organoids, from which samples have been submitted to dbGaP, were sequenced as a means of verifying their identity as colon cancer organoids, to allow us to investigate the combination of TOP1 inhibitors and PEV and the molecular mechanisms underlying this drug combination in these organoids.

  Study phs003257

• Clinical and Molecular Features of Acquired Resistance to Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

  PD-(L)1 blockade has been shown to promote durable responses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and has been rapidly incorporated into the treatment regimens for many with advanced disease. Despite this, mechanisms of acquired resistance (AR) to PD-(L)1 have not been well understood. To address the clinical and molecular landscape of AR to PD-(L)1 blockade in NSCLC patients, a large clinical cohort of AR to PD-(L)1 blockade in lung cancer was examined. In conjunction, a systematic genomic and transcriptomic analysis in a subset of patients (n = 29) with available tissue samples was conducted. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of AR to PD-1 blockade from pre- and/or post-treatment tumors, microarray-based whole transcriptome expression data for 29 tumor samples, and whole exome sequencing (WES) data from 34 tumor samples was generated from this subset. Microarray data was uploaded to the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Most AR tumors showed retained or increased inflammatory characteristics with significant upregulation of IFNγ which was suggestive of persistent albeit insufficient anti-tumor immune response. This finding expounds upon the prior pre-clinical and translational data supporting the intricate role of IFNγ in sensitivity and resistance to immunotherapy. Whereas initial IFNγ exposure may be fundamental to T cell activation (a hallmark of immune response), persistent IFNγ related effects and upregulation may potentially signal immune dysfunction and IFNγ insensitivity in contrast. The inflammatory phenotypes identified have implications for future rational development of new immunotherapy strategies for patients with AR.

  Study phs002834

• Sequencing of 3D Organoids Derived From Colorectal Cancer Patients

  This study focuses on the whole-exome sequencing (WES) of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) established from colorectal cancer (CRC) tumors collected at Columbia University. CRC remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality due to its metastatic progression and resistance to therapy. To model CRC at the patient level, we generated 3D organoid cultures from primary and metastatic tumors, preserving their genetic and phenotypic characteristics. The study cohort consists of 9 CRC patients with microsatellite-stable adenocarcinomas from the ascending, transverse, and descending colon, as well as the rectum, with differentiation statuses ranging from well to moderate and moderate-poor. Notably, for one patient, we generated organoids from both the primary tumor and matched liver metastases, allowing for a comparative analysis of tumor evolution. PDOs were derived from these tumors and subjected to WES at early passage to profile somatic mutations, copy number variations, and other genomic alterations to identify mutational signatures. Mutations identified in the PDOs were cross-referenced and confirmed with mutational data from the Columbia Solid Tumor Panel, which was conducted on all tumor tissues prior to organoid establishment. Molecular technologies employed include next-generation sequencing (NGS) for WES, enabling high-resolution characterization of the genomic landscape of CRC PDOs. WES of PDOs allowed us to classify tumor samples based on oncogenic mutations and mutation types, with a specific focus on PIK3CA. Notably, the efficacy of PI3Kα-specific pharmacologic inhibitors in suppressing organoid growth was dependent on the mutational status of KRAS and PIK3CA, underscoring the importance of genomic context in therapeutic response. The dataset available through dbGaP includes raw WES data from CRC PDOs.

  Study phs003965

• Single-cell Transcriptome Profiling of Treatment-naïve and Post-treatment Colorectal Cancer: Insights into Putative Mechanisms of Chemoresistance

  Drug resistance remains a major clinical challenge in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) with conventional chemotherapy. Investigation of cancer cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) following chemotherapy is critical for unraveling the mechanisms of resistance. In this study, we analyzed scRNA-Seq data from 56 CRCs including treatment-naïve tumors (25 microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors and 7 tumors with microsatellite instability (MSI)); and tumors treated with standard chemotherapy with the known response status (18 responders and 6 progressors). We observed in treatment-naïve MSS CRC that right-sided tumors are more immunogenic with higher numbers of B cells and CD8+ T memory effector cells than left-sided tumors. MSI CRC were even more immunogenic then MSS CRC and were characterized by elevated Tregs in their TME. In the post-treatment CRC there was a high prevalence of dendritic cells (DC) in the TME in the response group. The DC-derived signature was associated with better survival in a large CRC cohort from the TCGA. We also observed two fibroblast subtypes in CRC, one of which was enriched in progressors and was associated with poor survival in a CRC-TCGA cohort. Progressors also showed elevated exhausted CD8+ T memory cells and monocytes suggesting a pro-inflammatory TME. In tumor cells in progressor group we identified specific expression of chemo-protective markers MTRNR2L1 and CDX1; and their co-expression with stemness-related marker CD24. In summary, scRNA-Seq provides a valuable information for the discovery of prognostic markers, and reveals distinct features of CRC based on location, metastasis status, MSI status and treatment response status.

  Study EGAS50000000830

• Dynamics of genomic clones in breast cancer patient xenografts at single cell resolution

  Human cancers, including breast cancers, are comprised of clones differing in mutation content that evolve dynamically in space and time following principles of Darwinian evolution, underpinning important emergent features such as drug resistance and metastasis. Human breast cancer xenoengraftment is used as a means of capturing and studying tumour biology, and breast tumour xenografts are generally assumed to be reasonable models of the originating tumours. However the consequences and reproducibility of engraftment and propagation on the genomic clonal architecture of tumours has not been systematically examined at single cell resolution. Here we show by both deep genome and single cell sequencing methods, the clonal dynamics of initial engraftment and subsequent serial propagation of primary and metastatic human breast cancers in immunodeficient mice. In all cases examined, clonal selection on engraftment was observed in both primary and metastatic breast tumours, varying in degree from extreme selective engraftment of minor (<5% of starting population) clones to moderate, polyclonal engraftment. Furthermore, ongoing clonal dynamics during serial passaging is a feature of tumours experiencing modest initial selection. Through single cell sequencing, we show that major mutation clusters estimated from tumour population sequencing relate predictably to the most abundant clonal genotypes, even in clonally complex and rapidly evolving cases. Finally, we show that similar clonal expansion patterns can emerge in independent grafts of the same starting tumour population, indicating that genomic aberrations can be reproducible determinants of evolutionary trajectories. Our results show that measurement of genomically defined clonal population dynamics will be highly informative for functional studies utilizing patient-derived breast cancer xenoengraftment.

  Study EGAS00001000952

• Whole exome sequencing of small cell neuroendocrine cancer of the cervix

  In order to improve treatment selection for high grade neuroendocrine carcinomas of the cervix (NECC), we performed a comparative genomic analysis between this rare tumor type and other cervical cancer types, as well as extra-cervical neuroendocrine small cell carcinomas of the lung and bladder. We performed whole exome sequencing on fresh-frozen tissue from 15 NECCs and matched normal tissue. We then identified mutations and copy number variants using standard analysis pipelines. Published mutation tables from cervical cancers and extra-cervical small cell carcinomas were used for comparative analysis. Descriptive statistical methods were used and a two-sided threshold of P < .05 was used for significance. In the NECC cohort, we detected a median of 1.7 somatic mutations per megabase (range 1.0-20.9). PIK3CA p.E545K mutations were the most frequency observed oncogenic mutation (4/15 tumors, 27%). Activating MAPK pathway mutations in KRAS (p.G12D) and GNAS (p.R201C) co-occurred in two tumors (13%). In total we identified PI3-kinase or MAPK pathway activating mutations in 67% of NECC. When compared to NECC, lung and bladder small cell carcinomas exhibited a statistically significant higher rate of coding mutations (P < .001 for lung; P = .001 for bladder). Mutation of TP53 was uncommon in NECC (13%) and was more frequent in both lung (103 of 110 tumors [94%], P < .001) and bladder (18 of 19 tumors [95%], P < .001) small cell carcinoma. These comparative genomics data suggest that NECC may be genetically more similar to common cervical cancer subtypes than to extra-cervical small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung and bladder. These results may have implications for the selection of cytotoxic and targeted therapy regimens for this rare disease.

  Study EGAS00001003142

• Persistence of circulating tumor DNA in breast cancer patients during neoadjuvant treatment is a significant predictor of poor tumor response

  Purpose:Accurate assessment of response during neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) poses a major clinical challenge. Therefore, a minimally-invasive assessment of tumor response based on cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may be beneficial to guide treatment decisions.Experimental Design: We profiled 93 genes in tissue from 193 early breast cancer patients. Patient-specific assays were designed to track ctDNA during NST from 145 patients with available plasma. ctDNA presence and levels were correlated with complete pathological response (pCR) and residual cancer burden (RCB) as well as with clinicopathologic characteristics of the tumor to identify potential proxies for ctDNA release. Moreover, we tested the predictive value of driver events identified in the tumor.Results:At baseline, ctDNA could be detected in 63/145 (43.4%) patients and persisted in 25/63 (39.7%) patients at mid-therapy (MT) and 15/63 (23.8%) patients at the end of treatment. ctDNA detection at MT was significantly associated with higher RCB (OR 0.062, 95% CI 0.01-0.48, P=0.0077). Out of 31 patients with detectable ctDNA at MT, 30 patients (96.8%) were non-responders (RCB II, n=8; RCB III, n=22) and only one patient responded to the treatment (RCB I). Considering all 145 patients with baseline (BL) plasma, none of the patients with RCB 0 and only 6.7% of patients with RCB I had ctDNA detectable at MT, while 30.6% and 29.6% of patients with RCB II/III, respectively, had a positive ctDNA result. Conclusion:Overall, our results demonstrate that the detection and persistence of ctDNA at mid-therapy may have the potential to negatively predict response to neoadjuvant treatment and identify patients who will not achieve pCR or be classified with RCB II/III.

  Study EGAS00001005798

• Matching of actionable mutations with therapies in cancer patients: comparison of three commercial decision support platforms

  Purpose: In oncology, precision medicine centers on tailoring the most appropriate therapy to a patient according to their tumor molecular profile. We addressed the question whether there is a consensus in the classification of actionability of somatic variants and their alignment to treatment recommendations. To this end, we evaluated three commercial clinical decision support tools to assess their variant classification and drug matching strategies.Methods: In this two centers study 48 patients with metastatic breast (n=12), colorectal (n=17) or non-small cell lung cancer (n=19) were recruited based on circulating tumor DNA levels in peripheral blood. In individual patients’ plasma samples, we established somatic copy number alterations and somatic mutations across a 77 cancer-associated gene panel and exposed the obtained molecular profiles to the decision support packages NAVIFY Mutation Profiler (NMP; Roche), Qiagen Clinical Insight (QCI) Interpret (Qiagen) and CureMatch Bionov (CureMatch).Results: In the plasma samples, altogether 492 somatic alterations were assessed. Each decision support platform varied in their format of data input, mode of variant classification and strategies for identifying druggable targets and clinical trials, which resulted in discrepancies in tier classification as well as designations of actionability. The frequency of concordant actionable events for tier I-A or tier I-B classifications, i.e. those with the strongest clinical evidence, was only 4.3%, 9.5% and 28.4% when comparing NMP with QCI, NMP with CureMatch, and CureMatch with QCI, respectively. As a consequence, the obtained treatment recommendations differed drastically, and alignment of treatment recommendations was limited to established predictive markers.Conclusions: The lack of standards for the extraction of treatment recommendations from comprehensive tumor molecular profiling data challenge the promising concepts of precision oncology.

  Study EGAS00001004383

• T-cell receptor sequencing of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in breast cancer

  The spatial distribution of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) predicts breast cancer outcome and response to systemic therapy, highlighting the importance of an intact tissue structure for characterizing patients’ tumors. Here, we present ST-FFPE, a spatial transcriptomics method for the analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, which opens the possibility of interrogating widely available archival tissue. The method involves extraction, exome capture and sequencing of RNA from different tumor compartments microdissected by laser-capture, and can be used to study the cellular composition of various tumor environments. Focusing on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), we characterized T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells in both stromal and intra-epithelial compartments. We found a highly variable spatial distribution of immune cell subsets among tumors. This analysis revealed that the immune repertoires of intra-epithelial T and B cells were consistently less diverse than those of stromal T and B cells. T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing confirmed a reduced diversity and revealed higher clonality of intra-epithelial T cells relative to the corresponding stromal T cells. Analysis of the top ten dominant clonotypes in the two compartments showed a majority of shared but also some unique clonotypes both in stromal and intra-epithelial T cells. Hyperexpanded clonotypes were more abundant among intra-epithelial than stromal T cells. These findings validate the ST-FFPE method and suggest an accumulation of antigen-specific T cells within tumor core. Because ST-FFPE is readily applicable for analysis of previously collected tissue samples, it could be useful for rapid assessment of intratumoral cellular heterogeneity in multiple disease and treatment settings.

  Study EGAS00001007125

• RNA sequencing of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and adjacent normal tissue

  RNA sequencing was performed on 108 NSCLC tumor samples and their paired adjacent normal tissues (n=21) to identify associations with clinical and immune characteristics.

  Study EGAS50000000246

• Identification of the genes associated with EGFR-mutant lung cancer

  To gain an insight into the genetic factors underlying the carcinogenesis of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma, we sequenced the exomes in peripheral-blood DNA from the patients.

  Study JGAS000129

• Myeloma_Targeted_Follow_up_Study

  390 samples, perform WGA, and send the WGA’d DNA to core for pre-capture library and tagging, pulldown with ELID 631172 (16 samples per reaction tube), and sequencing (24 samples per lane)

  Study EGAS00001000880

• Sequencing_of_patient_samples_who_received_immune_checkpoint_inhibition___WES___NKI

  DNA and RNA isolated from FFPE blocks of patients who received immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) are sequenced with the aim to identify therapeutically tractable vulnerabilities in tumors to prevent ICI resistance.

  Study EGAS00001003154

• Role_of_HPV_and_Interferon_in_APOBEC_mutational_signature

  The aim of this project is to test whether HPV oncogenes and /or interferon induce the APOBEC mutational signature in vitro, and to test the role of APOBEC3A in this process.

  Study EGAS00001002988

• Targeted_NanoSeq_Sperm

  Targeted NanoSeq in sperm samples provided by healthy patients. A custom-designed panel of ~200 genes will be used to achieve high depth coverage (aiming for ~1000X at panel sites).

  Study EGAS00001005920

• Bulk RNA-seq of stromal cells from multiple cancer types

  We sorted CD45-CD44+CD90+ stromal cells from multiple tumor types and performed bulk RNA-seq. The data allows to infer CAF programs active across indications.

  Study EGAS00001006497

• Genome-Wide Association Study of HCC in Non-Asian USA Population

  This GWAS of HCC relied on existing biological and data resources from 7 USA sites and one Canadian site which allows for the integration of genetic and environmental data. Total of 2199 case patients and 1103 non cancer controls were genotyped. Case patients are defined as patients with pathological or radiological diagnosis of HCC with and without chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Study was restricted to Caucasian population without prior infection with chronic HBV infection. All DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood. Study population of the participated sites are: Site-1: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center A hospital based-case-control study was initiated at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2000 and approved by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Study design was previously described in detailed (1-3). Written informed consent for an interview and for a biological sample was obtained from each participant. At time of diagnosis prior to treatment exposure. Case patients were recruited from the population of patients with newly diagnosed HCC who were evaluated and treated at the institution's gastrointestinal medical and surgical oncology outpatient clinics. Inclusion criteria were as follows: a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of HCC, U.S. residency, and the ability to communicate in English. Patients with concurrent or past history of other types of cancers were excluded. Control subjects were healthy spouses of patients with cancers other than liver, gastrointestinal, lung, or head and neck (smoking-related cancers) undergoing treatment at our institution. Eligibility criteria for control subjects were the same as those for patients, except that control subjects could not have ever had cancer. A short, structured questionnaire was used to screen potential control subjects on the basis of eligibility criteria. Control subjects and patients were recruited simultaneously. Case patients and control subjects were interviewed by well-trained interviewers who followed a written protocol to guide ascertainment and reduce surveillance, interviewer, and recall bias. No proxy interviews were conducted. The interviewers used a structured and validated questionnaire to collect information about demographic characteristics and potential risk factors for HCC such as personal smoking history, alcohol use, medical history, occupational history, and family history of cancer. Blood samples from cases and controls were tested for HBV and HCV. HCV antibodies, hepatitis B surface antigen, and antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen were detected by use of a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL). Important clinical information were retrieved from patients' medical records. Total of 1188 case patients and 278 controls from MD Anderson study were genotyped. Site-2: Mayo Clinic Case patients and controls included in the study from Mayo clinic were recruited as part of Mayo International Hepatobiliary Neoplasia Register and Biorepository. Only USA patients and controls were participated. All cases and controls signed informed consent indicating their willingness to participate in genetic studies. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected from participants and retrieved from medical records. Total of 522 HCC case patients and 182 controls were genotyped in this study. Site-3: Toronto University Molecular Epidemiology of Hepatobiliary Tumors (HBT study, CAPCR 09-0289) is a hospital-based study that includes 1710 patients diagnosed with liver, bile duct or gallbladder adenocarcinoma (Hepatocellular carcinoma - HCC; cholangiocarcinoma - CCA; and gall bladder adenocarcinoma -GBCa) recruited at University Health Network (UHN) between 2009 and 2018. HBT study is a prospective study of cancer patients that collects self-reported demographic and epidemiological data, medical records/clinical information and blood samples for research purposes. Eligible patients recruited between 2009 and March 15 2016 were selected to participate in the Genome-Wide Association Study in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (GWAS in HCC, CAPCR 15-9943-CE), a sub-study of the HBT study. Eligible prospective patients recruited after March 15 2016 signed the Addendum to the HBT consent form and became eligible to participate in the GWAS in HCC study. Total of 271 cases and 21 controls were genotyped from Toronto University Site-4: University of Pittsburgh The design of the study has been described previously (4-6). Briefly, this population-based study enrolled 120 HCC patients and 230 matched controls from black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white residents of Los Angeles County who were between 18 and 74 years of age at diagnosis from January 1995 through December 2001. HCC Cases were identified through the Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program. We sought to recruit up to two control subjects per case from the neighborhoods where HCC patients resided at the time of diagnosis, who were matched to the index case by sex, age (within 5 years), and race (Hispanic white, non-Hispanic white, black). Blood samples (plasma and buffy coat), medical and lifestyle factors were collected from all consenting participants. Total of 65 cases and 60 controls were genotyped in this study Site-5: South Western Dallas Under IRB approval, HCC Cases and controls were prospectively collected since 2015 from the outpatient Liver clinics from Parkland Health and Hospital System and UT Southwestern Medical Center, two large health systems in Dallas TX. A Total of 31 cases and 29 controls were genotyped from site 5. Site-6: Columbia University HCC patients from Columbia are those recruited as part of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center Database Shared Resource which seeks to recruit all cancer patients for potential future studies. The PI is Dr. Katherine Crew AAAL5871. This resource collects sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical data on patients as well as a blood sample. Those who indicated on their consent form that they would participate in genetic studies were included. Total of 79 case patients with HCC were genotyped from Columbia University. Site-7: University of Michigan The study population included from University of Michigan were included from a prospective study of with chronic HCV infection recruited in Ann Arbor Patients who had under- gone liver transplantation, known coinfection with HIV, life expectancy <12 months due to extra-hepatic illnesses, or were receiving HCV treatment at enrolment, were excluded. Protocol, surveys, and data forms were developed where each enrolled patient completed the same questionnaire All patients provided written informed consent before enrolment in the study. The study was approved by the institutional review board or ethics committee at the University of Michigan. Detailed study description was previously published (7). Total of 44 cases and 347 controls were genotyped Site-8: Veteran Administration Medical Center in Houston This research including written informed consent form was jointly approved by Institutional Review Boards for the Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Study details have been previously published (8). Briefly, we prospectively recruited consecutive HCV-infected veterans prior to their previously scheduled HCV clinic visit at a large tertiary care VA medical center between May 1, 2009 and December 31, 2012. Patients completed a research assistant (RA) administered survey interrogating medical and risk factor history including lifetime alcohol use, had anthropometric measurements taken, and completed a fasting venipuncture for performance of the FibroSure-ActiTest as a measure of hepatic pathology. We restricted our current analysis to individuals who were: (1) White male veterans between 18 and 70 years; (2) had no history of HCC, liver transplant, decompensated liver disease including ascites, dementia, or psychosis; (3) were serologically-confirmed to have chronic HCV and to be negative for both HIV and active HBV infection; (4) were not currently receiving anti-HCV pharmacotherapy; and (5) had FibroSURE testing shown F3/F4 fibrosis consistent with cirrhosis.

  Study phs001744

• METABRIC

  The elucidation of breast cancer subgroups and their molecular drivers requires integrated views of the genome and transcriptome from representative numbers of patients. We present an integrated analysis of copy number and gene expression in a discovery and validation set of 997 and 995 primary breast tumours, respectively, with long-term clinical follow-up. Inherited variants (CNVs, SNPs) and acquired somatic copy number aberrations (CNAs) were associated with expression in 40% of genes, although the landscape was dominated by cis and trans-acting CNAs. By delineating expression outlier genes driven in cis by CNAs, we identified putative cancer genes, including deletions in PPP2R2A, MTAP, and MAP2K4. Unsupervised analysis of paired DNA/RNA profiles revealed novel subgroups with distinct clinical outcomes, which reproduced in the validation cohort. These include a high-risk, ER-positive 11q13/14 cis-acting subgroup and a favourable prognosis subgroup devoid of CNAs. Trans-acting aberration 0152hotspots were found to modulate subgroup-specific gene networks, including a TCR deletion-mediated adaptive immune response in the 0152CNA-devoid sub-group and a Basal-specific chromosome 5 deletion-driven mitotic network. Our results provide a novel molecular stratification of the breast cancer population, derived from the impact of somatic copy number aberrations on the transcriptome.

  Study EGAS00000000083

• Gene expression-based prediction of pazopanib efficacy in sarcoma (HIPO, H021)

  The multi-receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor pazopanib is approved for the treatment of advanced non-adipocytic soft-tissue sarcoma and has also shown activity in other sarcoma subtypes. However, its clinical efficacy is highly variable, and no reliable predictors exist to date to select patients who are most likely to benefit from this drug. We analyzed the molecular profiles and clinical outcomes of pazopanib-treated sarcoma patients enrolled in a prospective observational study by the German Cancer Consortium, DKTK MASTER, that employs whole-genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) and transcriptome sequencing to inform the care of adults with advanced cancer across histologies who are younger than 51 and patients with rare tumors, including rare subtypes of more common entities, regardless of age.​ Among a total of 109 patients with available WGS/WES data, there was no correlation between clinical parameters, specific genetic alterations, or mutational signatures and clinical outcome. In contrast, analysis of a subcohort of 62 patients who underwent molecular analysis before pazopanib treatment and had transcriptome sequencing data available showed that mRNA levels of NTRK3 (hazard ratio [HR]=0.53, p=0.021), IGF1R (HR=1.82, p=0.027), and KDR (HR=0.50, p=0.011) were independently associated with progression-free survival (PFS). Based on the expression of these RTK genes, i.e., the features NTRK3-high, IGF1R-low, and KDR-high, we developed a pazopanib efficacy predictor (PEP) that stratified patients into three groups with significantly different PFS (p<0.0001). Application of the PEP to an independent cohort of pazopanib-treated sarcoma patients from DKTK MASTER (n=43) confirmed its potential to separate patient groups with significantly different PFS (p=0.02), whereas no such association was observed in sarcoma patients from DKTK MASTER (n=77) or The Cancer Genome Atlas sarcoma cohort (n=256) who were not treated with pazopanib. A score based on the combined expression of NTRK3, IGF1R, and KDR allows identification of sarcoma patients with good, intermediate, and poor outcome following pazopanib therapy and warrants investigation as a predictive tool in prospective studies to optimize the use of this drug in the clinic.

  Study EGAS00001005836

• Improved detection of colibactin-induced mutations by genotoxic E. coli in organoids and colorectal cancer

  Co-culture of intestinal organoids with a colibactin-producing pks+ E. coli strain (EcC) revealed mutational signatures also found in colorectal cancer (CRC). E. coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) remains a commonly used probiotic, despite harboring the pks operon and inducing double strand DNA breaks. We determine the mutagenicity of EcN and three CRC-derived pks+ E. coli strains with an analytical framework based on sequence characteristic of colibactin-induced mutations. All strains, including EcN, display varying levels of mutagenic activity. Furthermore, a machine learning approach attributing individual mutations to colibactin reveals that patients with colibactin-induced mutations are diagnosed at a younger age and that colibactin can induce a specific APC mutation. These approaches allow the sensitive detection of colibactin-induced mutations in ~12% of CRC genomes and even in whole exome sequencing data, representing a crucial step towards pinpointing the mutagenic activity of distinct pks+ E. coli strains.

  Study EGAS50000000212

• Somatic mutations of non-malignant T cells

  Somatic mutations in T cells can cause cancer but also have implications for immunological diseases and cell therapies. The mutation spectrum in non-malignant T cells is unclear. Here, we examined somatic mutations in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from 90 patients with hematological and immunological disorders and used T cell receptor (TCR) and single-cell sequencing to link mutations with T cell expansions and phenotypes. CD8+ cells had higher mutation burden than CD4+ cells. Notably, the biggest variant allele frequency (VAF) of non-synonymous variants was higher than synonymous variants in CD8+ T cells, indicating non-random occurrence. The non-synonymous VAF in CD8+ T cells strongly correlated with the TCR frequency, but not age. We identified mutations in pathways essential for T cell function and often affected in lymphoid neoplasia. Single-cell sequencing revealed cytotoxic Temra phenotypes of mutated T cells. Our findings suggest that somatic mutations contribute to CD8+ T cell expansions without malignant transformation.

  Study EGAS50000000237

• Exploiting New Patterns of Genome Damage in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

  Genomic instability, a feature of triple negative breast cancers (TNBC), represents an opportunity for discovery of biologic and clinically relevant subgroups of patients. Owing to TP53 mutation in the majority of cases, DNA repair deficiency through loss of BRCA1 and BRCA2, and by expression features patterning a basal cell of origin, TNBC represents a molecularly and clinically distinct group of breast cancer patients. Unfortunately, targetable molecular features of TNBC remain elusive and TNBC patients suffer the poorest outcomes amongst clinical subgroups. Within TNBC patients, responses to treatment vary and although gene expression patterns within TNBC have been identified, little progress has been made in developing biomarkers; effective stratification as a route to directing patients to more targeted therapy is lacking. In this study, we exploit mutational processes in TNBC as a new opportunity to stratify patients and to understand the evolutionary progression of TNBC cells harboring specific DNA repair properties.

  Study phs003038

• Nasopharynx Cancer Whole Exome Sequencing

  Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive head and neck cancer characterized by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and dense lymphocyte infiltration. The scarcity of NPC genomic data hinders the understanding of NPC biology, disease progression, and rational therapy design. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 111 micro-dissected EBV-positive NPCs, with 15 cases subjected to further whole-genome sequencing (WGS), to determine its mutational landscape. We identified enrichment for genomic aberrations of multiple negative regulators of the NF-kB pathway in a total of 41% of cases including CYLD, TRAF3, NFKBIA and NLRC5. Functional analysis confirmed novel inactivating CYLD mutations as drivers for NPC cell growth. The EBV oncoprotein latent member protein 1 (LMP1) functions to constitutively activate NF-kB signaling, and we observed mutual exclusivity among somatic NF-kB pathway aberrations and LMP1-overexpression, suggesting that NF-kB activation is selected for by both somatic and viral events during NPC pathogenesis.

  Study phs001244

• Integrative Analysis for Multi-Omics Data in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

  We conducted epigenetic and transcriptomic mapping of primary non-small cell lung tumors and non-neoplastic tissues. 20 non-neoplastic lung tissues and 18 non-small cell lung tumors were obtained from Biorepository and Tissue Technology Shared Resource at Moores Cancer Center, UC San Diego. All tumor samples were in pathological stages I and II. 8 pairs of samples were "matched", meaning that the tumor and normal tissues came from the same patient. Microfluidic oscillatory washing–based chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (MOWChIP-seq) was used to profile the binding of H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27ac and H3K27me3. SmartSeq-2 was used to map mRNA expression. We identified a large number of differentially modified regions for both epigenetic and transcriptomic markers between tumors and normal tissues. Deep learning model showed extensive transcription factor network rewiring. Raw sequencing data of the ChIP-seq and RNA-seq libraries are available through this dbGaP submission.

  Study phs003113