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The spatial organization of intratumor heterogeneity andevolutionary trajectories of metastases in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has one of the poorest survival amongst cancers. Using multi-regional sampling of nine resected HCC with different etiologies, we find that phylogenetic relationships of these sectors show diverse levels of genetic sharing spanning early to late diversification. Unlike the variegated pattern found in colorectal cancers, a large proportion of HCC display a clear Isolation-By-Distance pattern where spatially closer sectors are genetically more similar. Two resected intra-hepatic metastases showed genetic divergence occurring before and after primary tumor diversification respectively. Interestingly, metastatic tumors had much higher variability than their primary tumors, suggesting that intra-hepatic metastasis is accompanied by rapid diversification at the distant location. The presence of co-existing mutations offers the possibility of drug repositioning for HCC treatment. Taken together, these insights into intra-tumor heterogeneity allow for a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary trajectories of HCC and suggest novel avenues for personalized therapy.

Click on a Dataset ID in the table below to learn more, and to find out who to contact about access to these data

Dataset ID Description Technology Samples
EGAD00001003138 Illumina HiSeq 2500 54
Publications Citations
The spatial organization of intra-tumour heterogeneity and evolutionary trajectories of metastases in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Nat Commun 8: 2017 4565
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