Molecular Profiling Reveals Limited Targetable Biomarkers in Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Cervix

<p>Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NEC) is a rare and highly aggressive cervical malignancy. Given that no targeted therapy has been approved specifically to NEC, we investigated the presence of novel, potentially targetable biomarkers in a large cohort of NEC. Sixty-two NEC were molec...

وصف كامل

محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Adela Cimic (14908512) (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Semir Vranic (3353012) (author), David Arguello (3353000) (author), Elma Contreras (16561296) (author), Zoran Gatalica (3353003) (author), Jeffrey Swensen (4760673) (author)
منشور في: 2021
الموضوعات:
الوسوم: إضافة وسم
لا توجد وسوم, كن أول من يضع وسما على هذه التسجيلة!
الوصف
الملخص:<p>Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NEC) is a rare and highly aggressive cervical malignancy. Given that no targeted therapy has been approved specifically to NEC, we investigated the presence of novel, potentially targetable biomarkers in a large cohort of NEC. Sixty-two NEC were molecularly profiled for biomarkers of targeted therapies including antibody-drug conjugates [delta-like canonical notch ligand 3 (DLL3), a trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP-2), and folate receptor 1 (FOLR1)], <em>NTRK1-3</em> gene fusions, and immune checkpoint inhibitors [programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), tumor mutational burden, and microsatellite instability] using immunohistochemistry and DNA/RNA next-generation sequencing assays. A cohort of squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix (n=599) was used for comparison for immune-oncology biomarkers. DLL3 expression was observed in 81% of the cases. DLL3 expression was inversely correlated with commonly observed pathogenic mutations in <em>PIK3CA</em> (17%) (<em>P</em>=0.018) and <em>PTEN</em> (10%) (<em>P</em>=0.006). Other more frequently seen pathogenic mutations (<em>TP53</em> 17%, <em>KRAS</em> 11%, and <em>CTNNB1</em> 5%) were not associated with DLL3 expression. TROP-2 expression was detected in only 1 case and no case expressed FOLR1. Although NTRK protein expression was observed in 21% of the cases, none of these had <em>an NTRK</em> gene fusion. PD-L1 expression (10%) and high tumor mutational burden (3%) were significantly less frequent in NEC compared with the squamous cell carcinoma cohort (79% and 11%, respectively). None of the NEC exhibited high microsatellite instability status. Despite frequent DLL3 expression in NEC, a potential therapeutic benefit of DLL3-targeted drugs remains uncertain given the recent failure of the Rova-T therapeutic trial in small cell lung carcinomas. Small cohorts of NEC enriched in PIK3CA/PTEN/AKT and programmed cell death protein 1/PD-L1 alterations indicate therapeutic roles for their respective inhibitors.</p> <h2>Other Information</h2> <p>Published in: Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology<br> License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/</a><br> See article on publisher's website: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/pai.0000000000000884" target="_blank">http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/pai.0000000000000884</a></p>