Comprehensive Genomic Characterization in Ovarian Low-Grade and chemosensitive and chemoresistant High-Grade Serous Carcinomas.

INTRODUCTION: Genomic characterization of serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC), which includes low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC) and high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), remains necessary to improve efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy. The aim was to investigate the genomic variations in these SOC groups, also in relation to chemoresponse. METHODS: 45 samples SOC were retrospectively analyzed by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) on DNA/RNA extracts from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples obtained at diagnosis. HGSCs were classified as platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive. RESULTS: In the LGSC group, 44% of the carcinomas had mutually exclusive variants in the RAS/RAF pathway, while additional likely oncogenic variants in the CDKN2A, SMARCA4 and YAP1 genes were observed in the remaining LGSCs. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) was significantly lower in the intrinsically chemoresistant LGSC group than in the HGSC group. In the HGSC cohort, TP53 variants were found in 90% and homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway variants in 41% of the neoplasms. HGSCs of the chemoresistant group without classic mutations in the HRR pathway were characterized by additional variants in FGFR2 and with a FGFR3::TACC3 fusion. In addition, HGSCs showed MYC, CCNE1 and AKT2 gains that were almost exclusively observed in the chemosensitive HGSC group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that very low TMB and MYC, CCNE1 and AKT2 gains in SOC patients may be biomarkers related to platinum treatment efficacy. Thorough genomic characterization of SOCs prior to treatment might lead to more specific platinum-based chemotherapy therapy strategies.

The Role of New Technologies in the Diagnosis and Surveillance of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Carcinoma: A Prospective, Double-Blinded, Monocentric Study of the XPERT© Bladder Cancer Monitor and Narrow Band Imaging© Cystoscopy.

Follow-up is essential for the early detection of recurrent non-muscle invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC). This study investigates the clinical relevance of new diagnostic tools such as an mRNA-based urine test (XPERT© Bladder Cancer Monitor, XBCM) and Narrow Band Imaging© (NBI) and compares them with the established follow-up diagnostics (white-light cystoscopy (WLC) and urine cytology). This was a prospective, double-blind, single-center study that involved patients undergoing NMIBC screening at a tertiary care center. Enrollment occurred between January 2018 and March 2020. In addition to standard care (WLC, cytology, and ultrasound), patients underwent XBCM urine testing and NBI cystoscopy. In total, 301 WLCs were performed; through this, 49 patients demonstrated NMIBC recurrence. NBI cystoscopy was congruent with WLC in all patients. Cytology showed a sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) of 27% and 97% (PPV: 65%; NPV 87%), respectively, whereas XBCM showed SE and SP of 58% and 89%, respectively (PPV: 51%; NPV: 92%; AUC: 0.79 (0.716-0.871)). Subgroup analysis showed improved SE and similar SP (PPV, NPV) for high grade (HG) recurrence, with a SE of 74% and SP of 89% (39%, 97%). NBI cystoscopy does not necessarily provide additional benefit over standard WLC. However, the XBCM may provide better SE and a diagnostic advantage in instances of HG disease recurrence.

Multi-laboratory proficiency testing of clinical cancer genomic profiling by next-generation sequencing.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) enables parallel analysis of multiple genomic targets. The increasing demand for NGS-based multiplexed molecular diagnostics requires standardized protocols and recommendations to ensure reproducibility and accuracy of test results for routine clinical decision making. However, the lack of clinical NGS data from multi-laboratory tests and the absence of inter-laboratory comparisons have hampered the establishment of instructive clinical NGS standards. To fill the gap, we set up Proficiency Testing (PT) for inter-laboratory comparison, in which formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from eight lung and eight colon cancers were analyzed by 15 European molecular diagnostic laboratories on three different platforms using multiple target enrichment systems. We first performed platform, test, and informatics pipeline validation and conducted sensitivity and specificity analysis by random in silico down-sampling. We then implemented a multi-level filtering strategy based on performance tests of base substitution, replicate runs, and Sanger sequencing verified variants. We finally applied the filter criteria to the NGS data from the respective PT participants and obtained high inter-laboratory agreement. We demonstrated accuracy, scalability, and robustness of NGS by means of PT, serving as a benchmark for detecting clinically actionable molecular alterations in research and diagnostic laboratories. In conclusion, this study strongly highlights the importance of establishing standards for NGS-based testing, particularly when the test results impact on clinical decisions, and systematically provides data sets from multiple different labs to infer such standards.

Molecular characterization of commonly used cell lines for bone tumor research: a trans-European EuroBoNet effort.

Usage of cancer cell lines has repeatedly generated conflicting results provoked by differences among subclones or contamination with mycoplasm or other immortal mammalian cells. To overcome these limitations, we decided within the EuroBoNeT consortium to characterize a common set of cell lines including osteosarcomas (OS), Ewing sarcomas (ES), and chondrosarcomas (CS). DNA fingerprinting was used to guarantee the identity of all of the cell lines and to distinguish subclones of osteosarcoma cell line HOS. Screening for homozygous loss of 38 tumor suppressor genes by MLPA revealed deletion of CDKN2A as the most common event (15/36), strictly associated with absence of the CDKN2A (p16) protein. Ten cell lines showed missense mutations of the TP53 gene while another set of nine cell lines showed mutations resulting in truncation of the TP53 protein. Cells harboring missense mutations expressed high levels of nuclear TP53, while cell lines with nonsense mutations showed weak/absent staining for TP53. TP53(wt) cell lines usually expressed the protein in 2-10% of the cells. However, seven TP53(wt) osteosarcomas were negative for both mRNA and protein expression. Our analyses shed light on the correlation between immunohistochemical and genetic data for CDKN2A and TP53, and confirm the importance of these signaling pathways. The characterization of a substantial number of cell lines represents an important step to supply research groups with proven models for further advanced studies on tumor biology and may help to make results from different laboratories more comparable.

RNA extraction from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue: a comparison of manual, semiautomated, and fully automated purification methods.

BACKGROUND: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor material represents a valuable resource for the analysis of RNA-based biomarkers, both in research laboratories and in routine clinical testing. A robust and automated RNA-extraction method with a high sample throughput is required. METHODS: We evaluated extraction performance for 4 silica-based RNA-extraction protocols: (a) a fully automated, bead-based RNA-isolation procedure; (b) its manual counterpart; (c) a semiautomated bead-based extraction system; and (d) a manual column-based extraction kit. RNA from 360 sections (90 sections per extraction method) of 30 FFPE tumor blocks up to 20 years of age was purified and analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR for ESR1 (estrogen receptor 1), PGR (progesterone receptor), ERBB2 [v-erb-b2 erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2, neuro/glioblastoma derived oncogene homolog (avian)], and RPL37A (ribosomal protein L37a). RESULTS: The semiautomated protocol gave the best yield. The 3 bead-based methods showed good across-method correlations in both yield and relative mRNA amounts (r = 0.86-0.95 and 0.98, respectively). In contrast, correlations between any of the bead-based methods and the manual column-based method were worse (r = 0.77-0.95 and 0.96, respectively). The fully automated method showed the lowest variation from section to section (root mean square error, 0.32-0.35 Cq, where Cq is the quantification cycle) and required the least hands-on time (1 h). CONCLUSIONS: The fully automated RNA-purification method showed the best reproducibility in gene expression analyses of neighboring sections of tissue blocks between 3 and 20 years of age and required the least overall and hands-on times. This method appears well suited for high-throughput RNA analyses in both routine clinical testing and translational research studies with archived FFPE material.