Transcriptomic convergence despite genomic divergence drive field cancerization in synchronous squamous tumors.

Introduction: Field cancerization is suggested to arise from imbalanced differentiation in individual basal progenitor cells leading to clonal expansion of mutant cells that eventually replace the epithelium, although without evidence.

Methods: We performed deep sequencing analyses to characterize the genomic and transcriptomic landscapes of field change in two patients with synchronous aerodigestive tract tumors.

Results: Our data support the emergence of numerous genetic alterations in cancer-associated genes but refutes the hypothesis that founder mutation(s) underpin this phenomenon.