Urinary Androgens Provide Additional Evidence Related to Metabolism and Are Correlated With Serum Androgens in Girls.

Context: Androgen levels are generally measured in serum samples, but urine may be a more feasible option, especially in children, as it is a noninvasive alternative.

Objective: To assess the correlations of 10 urinary androgen metabolites with 4 serum androgens [dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), androstenedione, and total and free testosterone] and assess if their correlations differ by participant characteristics.

Methods: Our study consisted of 44 girls, ages 6-13, who participated in the New York site of the LEGACY Girls Study and had both serum and urine samples collected at the same visit.

A phase 2 trial of buparlisib in patients with platinum-resistant metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Background: The phosphatidyl 3-inositol kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway frequently is activated in patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC). In the current study, the authors performed a phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy of the pan-isoform class I PI3K inhibitor buparlisib in patients with platinum-refractory metastatic UC.

Methods: Two cohorts were recruited: an initial genetically unselected cohort and a subsequent expansion cohort of patients with PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway-altered tumors.

The repertoire of genetic alterations in salivary duct carcinoma including a novel HNRNPH3-ALK rearrangement.

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a rare, aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options and poor outcome. Twenty-nine primary resected SDC, including 15 SDC de novo (SDCDN), and 14 SDC ex pleomorphic adenoma (SDCXPA) were subjected to the massive parallel sequencing assay (MSK-IMPACT) targeting 287 to 468 cancer-related genes. TP53 was the most frequently altered gene (69%).

The genetic landscape of endometrial clear cell carcinomas.

Clear cell carcinoma of the endometrium is a rare type of endometrial cancer that is generally associated with an aggressive clinical behaviour. Here, we sought to define the repertoire of somatic genetic alterations in endometrial clear cell carcinomas (ECCs), and whether ECCs could be classified into the molecular subtypes described for endometrial endometrioid and serous carcinomas. We performed a rigorous histopathological review, immunohistochemical analysis and massively parallel sequencing targeting 300 cancer-related genes of 32 pure ECCs.

Next-generation sequencing of urine specimens: A novel platform for genomic analysis in patients with non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma treated with bacille Calmette-Guérin.

Background: Biopsies from patients with high-risk (HR) non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (NMIUC), especially flat urothelial carcinoma in situ, frequently contain scant diagnostic material or denuded mucosa only, and this precludes further extensive genomic analysis. This study evaluated the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of urine cytology material from patients with HR NMIUC in an attempt to identify genetic alterations that might correlate with clinical features and responses to bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment.

Methods: Forty-one cytology slides from patients with HR NMIUC treated with intravesical BCG were selected for this study.

Genomic characterization of response to chemoradiation in urothelial bladder cancer.

Background: The authors characterized the genetic landscape of chemoradiation-treated urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) with the objective of identifying potential correlates of response.

Methods: Primary tumors with (n = 8) or without (n = 40) matched recurrent tumors from 48 patients who had non-metastatic, high-grade UCB and received treatment primarily with chemoradiation were analyzed using a next-generation sequencing assay enriched for cancer-related and canonical DNA damage response (DDR) genes. Protein expression of meiotic recombination 11 homolog (MRE11), a previously suggested biomarker, was assessed in 44 patients.

The oncocytic subtype is genetically distinct from other pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm subtypes.

In 2010, the World Health Organization reclassified the entity originally described as intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasm as the 'oncocytic subtype' of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Although several key molecular alterations of other intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm subtypes have been discovered, including common mutations in KRAS, GNAS, and RNF3, those of oncocytic subtype have not been well characterized. We analyzed 11 pancreatic 'oncocytic subtype' of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.

Frequent somatic CDH1 loss-of-function mutations in plasmacytoid variant bladder cancer.

Plasmacytoid bladder cancer is an aggressive histologic variant with a high risk of disease-specific mortality. Using whole-exome and targeted sequencing, we find that truncating somatic alterations in the CDH1 gene occur in 84% of plasmacytoid carcinomas and are specific to this histologic variant. Consistent with the aggressive clinical behavior of plasmacytoid carcinomas, which frequently recur locally, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of CDH1 in bladder cancer cells enhanced cell migration.

Genomic Biomarkers for the Prediction of Stage and Prognosis of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Purpose: Genomic characterization of radical nephroureterectomy specimens in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma may allow for thoughtful integration of systemic and targeted therapies. We sought to determine whether genomic alterations in upper tract urothelial carcinoma are associated with adverse pathological and clinical outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Next generation exon capture sequencing of 300 cancer associated genes was performed in 83 patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Targeted exome sequencing profiles genetic alterations in leiomyosarcoma.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) belongs to the class of genetically complex sarcomas and shows numerous, often non-recurrent chromosomal imbalances and aberrations. We investigated a group of LMS using NGS platform to identify recurrent genetic abnormalities and possible therapeutic targets. Targeted exome sequencing of 230 cancer-associated genes was performed on 35 primary soft tissue and visceral (extra-uterine) LMS.

Alternative transcription initiation leads to expression of a novel ALK isoform in cancer.

Activation of oncogenes by mechanisms other than genetic aberrations such as mutations, translocations, or amplifications is largely undefined. Here we report a novel isoform of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) that is expressed in ∼11% of melanomas and sporadically in other human cancer types, but not in normal tissues. The novel ALK transcript initiates from a de novo alternative transcription initiation (ATI) site in ALK intron 19, and was termed ALK(ATI).

Targeting Mutant BRAF in Relapsed or Refractory Hairy-Cell Leukemia.

Background: BRAF V600E is the genetic lesion underlying hairy-cell leukemia. We assessed the safety and activity of the oral BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib in patients with hairy-cell leukemia that had relapsed after treatment with a purine analogue or who had disease that was refractory to purine analogues.

Methods: We conducted two phase 2, single-group, multicenter studies of vemurafenib (at a dose of 960 mg twice daily)--one in Italy and one in the United States.

Genomic Characterization of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Background: Despite a similar histologic appearance, upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) tumors have distinct epidemiologic and clinicopathologic differences.

Objective: To investigate whether the differences between UTUC and UCB result from intrinsic biological diversity.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Tumor and germline DNA from patients with UTUC (n=83) and UCB (n=102) were analyzed using a custom next-generation sequencing assay to identify somatic mutations and copy number alterations in 300 cancer-associated genes.

NF1 Mutations Are Common in Desmoplastic Melanoma.

Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) is a rare variant of melanoma with distinct clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical features. Clinically, DM differs from conventional melanoma by a higher propensity for local recurrence and less frequent metastatic spread to regional lymph nodes. In its pure form, DM has a distinct appearance displaying a low density of fusiform melanocytes in a collagen-rich matrix.

Cutaneous squamous and neuroendocrine carcinoma: genetically and immunohistochemically different from Merkel cell carcinoma.

Cutaneous neuroendocrine (Merkel cell) carcinoma most often arises de novo in the background of a clonally integrated virus, the Merkel cell polyomavirus, and is notable for positive expression of retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) protein and low expression of p53 compared with the rare Merkel cell polyomavirus-negative Merkel cell carcinomas. Combined squamous and Merkel cell tumors are consistently negative for Merkel cell polyomavirus. Little is known about their immunophenotypic or molecular profile.

GNAS and KRAS Mutations Define Separate Progression Pathways in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm-Associated Carcinoma.

Background: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) are being increasingly recognized as important precursors to pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Elucidation of the genetic changes underlying IPMN carcinogenesis may improve the diagnosis and management of IPMN. We sought to determine whether different histologic subtypes of IPMN would exhibit different frequencies of specific genetic mutations.

Memorial Sloan Kettering-Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (MSK-IMPACT): A Hybridization Capture-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Clinical Assay for Solid Tumor Molecular Oncology.

The identification of specific genetic alterations as key oncogenic drivers and the development of targeted therapies are together transforming clinical oncology and creating a pressing need for increased breadth and throughput of clinical genotyping. Next-generation sequencing assays allow the efficient and unbiased detection of clinically actionable mutations. To enable precision oncology in patients with solid tumors, we developed Memorial Sloan Kettering-Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (MSK-IMPACT), a hybridization capture-based next-generation sequencing assay for targeted deep sequencing of all exons and selected introns of 341 key cancer genes in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumors.

Comprehensive mutation profiling by next-generation sequencing of effusion fluids from patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.

Background: Mutation analysis for personalized treatment has become increasingly important in the management of different types of cancer. The advent of new DNA extraction protocols and sequencing platforms with reduced DNA input requirements might allow the use of cytology specimens for high-throughput mutation analysis. In this study, the authors evaluated the use of effusion fluid for next-generation sequencing-based, multigene mutation profiling.

Comparative sequencing analysis reveals high genomic concordance between matched primary and metastatic colorectal cancer lesions.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with over 50,000 deaths estimated in 2014. Molecular profiling for somatic mutations that predict absence of response to anti-EGFR therapy has become standard practice in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer; however, the quantity and type of tissue available for testing is frequently limited. Further, the degree to which the primary tumor is a faithful representation of metastatic disease has been questioned.

Genomic predictors of survival in patients with high-grade urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Unlabelled: Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) is genomically heterogeneous, with frequent alterations in genes regulating chromatin state, cell cycle control, and receptor kinase signaling. To identify prognostic genomic markers in high-grade UCB, we used capture-based massively parallel sequencing to analyze 109 tumors. Mutations were detected in 240 genes, with 23 genes mutated in ≥5% of cases.

Synthetic lethality in ATM-deficient RAD50-mutant tumors underlies outlier response to cancer therapy.

Unlabelled: Metastatic solid tumors are almost invariably fatal. Patients with disseminated small-cell cancers have a particularly unfavorable prognosis, with most succumbing to their disease within two years. Here, we report on the genetic and functional analysis of an outlier curative response of a patient with metastatic small-cell cancer to combined checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) inhibition and DNA-damaging chemotherapy.

Recurrent SMARCA4 mutations in small cell carcinoma of the ovary.

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) is a rare, highly aggressive form of ovarian cancer primarily diagnosed in young women. We identified inactivating biallelic SMARCA4 mutations in 100% of the 12 SCCOHT tumors examined. Protein studies confirmed loss of SMARCA4 expression, suggesting a key role for the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex in SCCOHT.

Tumor genetic analyses of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and extended benefit from mTOR inhibitor therapy.

Purpose: Rapalogs are allosteric mTOR inhibitors and approved agents for advanced kidney cancer. Reports of clonal heterogeneity in this disease challenge the concept of targeted monotherapy, yet a small subset of patients derives extended benefit. Our aim was to analyze such outliers and explore the genomic background of extreme rapalog sensitivity in the context of intratumor heterogeneity.

Detecting somatic genetic alterations in tumor specimens by exon capture and massively parallel sequencing.

Efforts to detect and investigate key oncogenic mutations have proven valuable to facilitate the appropriate treatment for cancer patients. The establishment of high-throughput, massively parallel "next-generation" sequencing has aided the discovery of many such mutations. To enhance the clinical and translational utility of this technology, platforms must be high-throughput, cost-effective, and compatible with formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue samples that may yield small amounts of degraded or damaged DNA.