Melanoma of the central nervous system based on neurocutaneous melanocytosis in childhood: A rare but fatal condition.

BACKGROUND: Melanomas of the central nervous system (CNS) based on neurocutaneous melanocytosis (NCM) are exceptionally rare in childhood and have been described only sporadically. Rapidly progressive disease may represent a major challenge for treating physicians, especially given the limited knowledge about this condition. This analysis aimed to increase knowledge about the occurrence and treatment of these malignancies. PROCEDURE: Data on diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of patients aged 0-18 years with CNS melanoma based on NCM recorded in the German Registry for Rare Pediatric Tumors (STEP registry) were analyzed. Additionally, published case reports on this condition were analyzed. RESULTS: In STEP, five patients with leptomeningeal melanoma based on NCM were identified, with a median age at melanoma diagnosis of 3.7 years. Various multimodal treatments were performed: (partial) resection (n = 4), irradiation (n = 2), trametinib (n = 3), different cytostatics (n = 2), and anti-GD2 immunotherapy (n = 1). All patients died between 0.3 and 0.8 years after diagnosis. Including published case reports, 27 patients were identified with a median age of 2.8 years at melanoma diagnosis (range: 0.2-16.6). Fourteen of 16 cases with reported data had a NRAS alteration (88%), particularly NRAS p.Q61K (85%). In the expanded cohort, no patient survived longer than 1 year after diagnosis despite multimodal therapy (including trametinib; n = 9), with a median survival of 0.4 years (range 0.1-0.9). CONCLUSIONS: CNS melanomas based on NCM in childhood are aggressive malignancies without curative treatment to date. Therapeutic approaches must be individualized. Genetic tumor sequencing is essential to improve understanding of tumorigenesis and potentially identify new therapeutic targets.

Expansion of the complex genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of FGFR2-associated neurocutaneous syndromes.

The fibroblast growth factor receptors comprise a family of related but individually distinct tyrosine kinase receptors. Within this family, FGFR2 is a key regulator in many biological processes, e.g., cell proliferation, tumorigenesis, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Heterozygous activating non-mosaic germline variants in FGFR2 have been linked to numerous autosomal dominantly inherited disorders including several craniosynostoses and skeletal dysplasia syndromes. We report on a girl with cutaneous nevi, ocular malformations, macrocephaly, mild developmental delay, and the initial clinical diagnosis of Schimmelpenning-Feuerstein-Mims syndrome, a very rare mosaic neurocutaneous disorder caused by postzygotic missense variants in HRAS, KRAS, and NRAS. Exome sequencing of blood and affected skin tissue identified the mosaic variant c.1647=/T > G p.(Asn549=/Lys) in FGFR2, upstream of the RAS signaling pathway. The variant is located in the tyrosine kinase domain of FGFR2 in a region that regulates the activity of the receptor and structural mapping and functional characterization revealed that it results in constitutive receptor activation. Overall, our findings indicate FGFR2-associated neurocutaneous syndrome as the accurate clinical-molecular diagnosis for the reported individual, and thereby expand the complex genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of FGFR-associated disorders. We conclude that molecular analysis of FGFR2 should be considered in the genetic workup of individuals with the clinical suspicion of a mosaic neurocutaneous condition, as the knowledge of the molecular cause might have relevant implications for genetic counseling, prognosis, tumor surveillance and potential treatment options.

Missense mutation of NRAS is associated with malignant progression in neurocutaneous melanosis.

Neurocutaneous melanosis (NCM) is a rare congenital neurocutaneous syndrome characterized by congenital melanocytic nevus of skin and abnormal proliferation of leptomeningeal melanocytes. Early acquisition of post-zygotic somatic mutations has been postulated to underlie the pathogenesis of NCM. The pathogenesis of NCM remains to be fully elucidated, and treatment options have not been established. Here, we report for the first time, multiregional genomic analyses in a 3-year-old autopsied girl with leptomeningeal melanomatosis associated with NCM, in which a ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt was inserted for the treatment of hydrocephalus. The patient expired six months after the onset due to respiratory failure caused by abdominal dissemination via VP shunt. We performed multiregional exome sequencing to identify genomic differences among brain and abdominal tumors, nevus, and normal tissues. A total of 87 somatic mutations were found in 71 genes, with a significantly large number of gene mutations found in the tumor site. The genetic alterations detected in the nevus were only few and not shared with other sites. Three mutations, namely GNAQ R183Q, S1PR3 G89S and NRAS G12V, considered pathogenic, were found, although S1PR3 mutations have not been previously reported in melanocytic tumors. GNAQ and S1PR3 mutations were shared in both tumor and normal sites. Moreover, the mutant allele frequencies of the two mutations were markedly higher in tumor sites than in normal sites, with copy-neutral loss-of-heterozygosity (CN-LOH) occurring in tumor. NRAS mutation was found only in the abdominal tumor and was thought to be responsible for malignant progression in the present case. Multiregional comprehensive genetic analysis may lead to discovering novel driver mutations associated with tumorigenesis and targeted therapy.

Next generation sequencing aids diagnosis and management in a case of encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis.

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) is a rare neurocutaneous disorder caused by somatic FGFR1 and KRAS variants. It shares significant phenotypic overlap with several closely related disorders caused by mutations in the RAS-MAPK pathway (mosaic RASopathies). We report a diagnostically challenging case of ECCL in which next-generation sequencing of affected tissue identified a pathologic FGFR1 p.K656E variant, thereby establishing a molecular diagnosis. Patients with FGFR1-associated ECCL carry a risk of developing malignant brain tumors; thus, genetic testing of patients with suspected ECCL has important management implications.

GNAQ/GNA11 Mosaicism Is Associated with Abnormal Serum Calcium Indices and Microvascular Neurocalcification.

Mosaic mutations in genes GNAQ or GNA11 lead to a spectrum of diseases including Sturge-Weber syndrome and phakomatosis pigmentovascularis with dermal melanocytosis. The pathognomonic finding of localized "tramlining" on plain skull radiography, representing medium-sized neurovascular calcification and associated with postnatal neurological deterioration, led us to study calcium metabolism in a cohort of 42 children. In this study, we find that 74% of patients had at least one abnormal measurement of calcium metabolism, the commonest being moderately low serum ionized calcium (41%) or high parathyroid hormone (17%). Lower levels of ionized calcium even within the normal range were significantly associated with seizures, and with specific antiepileptics despite normal vitamin D levels. Successive measurements documented substantial intrapersonal fluctuation in indices over time, and DEXA scans were normal in patients with hypocalcemia. Neurohistology from epilepsy surgery in five patients revealed not only intravascular, but perivascular and intraparenchymal mineral deposition and intraparenchymal microvascular disease in addition to previously reported findings. Neuroradiology review clearly demonstrated progressive calcium deposition in individuals over time. These findings and those of the adjoining paper suggest that calcium deposition in the brain of patients with GNAQ/GNA11 mosaicism may not be a nonspecific sign of damage as was previously thought, but may instead reflect the central postnatal pathological process in this disease spectrum.

PTPN11 Mosaicism Causes a Spectrum of Pigmentary and Vascular Neurocutaneous Disorders and Predisposes to Melanoma.

Phakomatosis pigmentovascularis is a diagnosis that denotes the coexistence of pigmentary and vascular birthmarks of specific types, accompanied by variable multisystem involvement, including CNS disease, asymmetrical growth, and a predisposition to malignancy. Using a tight phenotypic group and high-depth next-generation sequencing of affected tissues, we discover here clonal mosaic variants in gene PTPN11 encoding SHP2 phosphatase as a cause of phakomatosis pigmentovascularis type III or spilorosea. Within an individual, the same variant is found in distinct pigmentary and vascular birthmarks and is undetectable in blood. We go on to show that the same variants can cause either the pigmentary or vascular phenotypes alone, and drive melanoma development within pigmentary lesions. Protein structure modeling highlights that although variants lead to loss of function at the level of the phosphatase domain, resultant conformational changes promote longer ligand binding. In vitro modeling of the missense variants confirms downstream MAPK pathway overactivation and widespread disruption of human endothelial cell angiogenesis. Importantly, patients with PTPN11 mosaicism theoretically risk passing on the variant to their children as the germline RASopathy Noonan syndrome with lentigines. These findings improve our understanding of the pathogenesis and biology of nevus spilus and capillary malformation syndromes, paving the way for better clinical management.

Phacomatosis spilosebacea: A new name for a distinctive binary genodermatosis.

Phacomatosis pigmentokeratotica (PPK) is defined by the association of papular nevus spilus arranged in a flag-like pattern and sebaceous nevus following Blaschko's lines. A systematic search of the worldwide literature retrieved 95 well-established PPK cases. An additional 30 cases were excluded for a number of reasons. Based on this study, we propose to rename PPK phacomatosis spilosebacea (PSS). Mosaic mutations of the HRAS gene are the only proven cause of PSS. The extracutaneous abnormalities of PSS result from various degrees of intermingling of Schimmelpenning syndrome and papular nevus spilus syndrome. PSS seems to be a condition at particularly high risk of developing basal cell carcinoma, urogenital malignancies, and vitamin D-resistant hypophosphatemic rickets. Extracutaneous abnormalities were detected in approximately 75% of PSS cases.

Hemangioma Genetics and Associated Syndromes.

This article explores what is known regarding infantile hemangioma (IH) genetics. Despite a great deal of research on this topic, the relationship between IH genetics and pathogenesis has yet to be understood. This article also outlines the appropriate work-up and management of syndromes associated with specific presentations of IH.

Multidisciplinary neurocutaneous syndrome clinics: a systematic review and institutional experience.

OBJECTIVE: Neurocutaneous syndromes have variable multisystem involvement. The multiorgan involvement, potential pathologies, and various treatment options necessitate collaboration and open discussion to ensure optimal treatment in any given patient. These disorders provide quintessential examples of chronic medical conditions that require a lifelong, multidisciplinary approach. The objectives of this study were to 1) perform a systematic review, thoroughly assessing different multidisciplinary clinic layouts utilized in centers worldwide; and 2) characterize an institutional experience with the management of these conditions, focusing on the patient demographics, clinical presentation, complications, and therapeutic strategies seen in a patient population. METHODS: A systematic review of studies involving multidisciplinary clinics and their reported structure was performed according to PRISMA guidelines using the PubMed database. Then a retrospective chart review of patients enrolled in the Oklahoma Children's Hospital Neurocutaneous Syndromes Clinic was conducted. RESULTS: A search of the PubMed database yielded 251 unique results. Of these, 15 papers were included in the analysis, which identified 16 clinics that treated more than 2000 patients worldwide. The majority of these clinics treated patients with neurofibromatosis (13/16). The remaining clinics treated patients with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (n = 1), tuberous sclerosis complex (n = 1), and multiple neurocutaneous syndromes (n = 1). The most commonly represented subspecialties in these clinics were genetics (15/16) and neurology (13/16). Five clinics (31%) solely saw pediatric patients, 10 clinics saw a combination of children and adults, and the final clinic had separate pediatric and adult clinics. The retrospective chart review of the Neurocutaneous Syndromes Clinic demonstrated that 164 patients were enrolled and seen in the clinic from April 2013 to December 2021. Diagnoses were made based on clinical findings or results of genetic testing; 115 (70%) had neurofibromatosis type 1, 9 (5.5%) had neurofibromatosis type 2, 35 (21%) had tuberous sclerosis complex, 2 (1%) had von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, 2 (1%) had Gorlin syndrome, and the remaining patient (0.6%) had Aarskog-Scott syndrome. Patient demographics, clinical presentation, complications, and therapeutic strategies are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first detailed description of a comprehensive pediatric neurocutaneous clinic in the US that serves patients with multiple syndromes. There is currently heterogeneity between described multidisciplinary clinic structures and practices. More detailed accounts of clinic compositions and practices along with patient data and outcomes are needed in order to establish the most comprehensive and efficient multidisciplinary approach for neurocutaneous syndromes.

Toward clinical and molecular dissection of frontonasal dysplasia with facial skin polyps: From Pai syndrome to differential diagnosis through a series of 27 patients.

Unique or multiple congenital facial skin polyps are features of several rare syndromes, from the most well-known Pai syndrome (PS), to the less recognized oculoauriculofrontonasal syndrome (OAFNS), encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL), or Sakoda complex (SC). We set up a research project aiming to identify the molecular bases of PS. We reviewed 27 individuals presenting with a syndromic frontonasal polyp and initially referred for PS. Based on strict clinical classification criteria, we could confirm only nine (33%) typical and two (7%) atypical PS individuals. The remaining ones were either OAFNS (11/27-41%) or presenting with an overlapping syndrome (5/27-19%). Because of the phenotypic overlap between these entities, OAFNS, ECCL, and SC can be either considered as differential diagnosis of PS or part of the same spectrum. Exome and/or genome sequencing from blood DNA in 12 patients and from affected tissue in one patient failed to identify any replication in candidate genes. Taken together, our data suggest that conventional approaches routinely utilized for the identification of molecular etiologies responsible for Mendelian disorders are inconclusive. Future studies on affected tissues and multiomics studies will thus be required in order to address either the contribution of mosaic or noncoding variation in these diseases.

The genetics and diagnosis of pediatric neurocutaneous disorders: Neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis complex.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are the two most common neurocutaneous disorders, both transmitted as autosomal dominant or, in the case of NF, also as a mosaic condition. The causative genetic mutations in these neurocutaneous disorders can lead to benign skin changes or uninhibited growth and proliferation in multiple organ systems due to the loss of tumor suppression in mitogen-activated protein kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathways. Common clinical features in NF include pigmented lesions, known as café au lait patches, neurofibromas, intertriginous freckles (Crowe's sign), and benign fibrous growths, such as hamartomas in multiple organ systems. Common clinical features in TSC include hypopigmented macules, known as ash leaf spots, in addition to neurologic sequelae, such as autism, seizures, and developmental delays. Advances in genetic sequencing technologies have allowed an exponential expansion in the understanding of NF and TSC. Consensus criteria have been established for both diagnoses that can be confirmed in most cases through gene testing. Once diagnosed, the clinical and diagnostic value of disease-specific surveillance include early identification of benign and malignant tumors. Genetic counseling is important for informed reproductive decision-making for patients and at-risk family members. The improvement in understanding of pathways of pathogenic disease development and oncogenesis in both conditions have produced a new series of therapeutic options that can be used to control seizures and tumor growth. Tremendous advances in life expectancy and quality of life are now a reality due to early introduction of seizure control and novel medications. While we lack cures, early institution of interventions, such as seizure control in tuberous sclerosis, appears to be disease-modifying and holds immense promise to offer patients better lives.

Expending the Phenotypic Spectrum of Encephalocraniocutaneous Lipomatosis: About a Prenatal Case With Complete Autopsy.

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) or Haberland syndrome (MIM #613001) is a rare congenital neurocutaneous disorder. It is characterized by unilateral ocular, cutaneous and central nervous system anomalies. Key clinical features include hairless fatty tissue nevus of the scalp, choristoma of the eye and intraspinal and intracerebral lipomas. We report one of the first cases diagnosed after termination of pregnancy at 35 WG, including antenatal and post-mortem imaging, complete autopsy and genetic analysis. Prenatal ultrasound and MRI of the third trimester showed multifocal spinal lesions and left lateral cerebral ventriculomegaly with cerebral atrophy. Diagnosis of ECCL was suggested at complete autopsy which revealed nevus psiloliparus of the scalp, facial hamartomas and intracranial and spinal lipomas. In addition, our case also exhibited a cardiac rhabdomyoma and a multicystic dysplastic kidney, both never reported to date in this syndrome. ECCL was confirmed by the identification of a postzygotic FGFR1 mutation. We reviewed the literature and discuss the pathogenesis of this syndrome.

Generation and Characterization of a CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated SNAP29 Knockout in Human Fibroblasts.

Loss-of-function mutations in the synaptosomal-associated protein 29 (SNAP29) lead to the rare autosomal recessive neurocutaneous cerebral dysgenesis, neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratoderma (CEDNIK) syndrome. SNAP29 is a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein. So far, it has been shown to be involved in membrane fusion, epidermal differentiation, formation of primary cilia, and autophagy. Recently, we reported the successful generation of two mouse models for the human CEDNIK syndrome. The aim of this investigation was the generation of a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SNAP29 knockout (KO) in an immortalized human cell line to further investigate the role of SNAP29 in cellular homeostasis and signaling in humans independently of animal models. Comparison of different methods of delivery for CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids into the cell revealed that lentiviral transduction is more efficient than transfection methods. Here, we reported to the best of our knowledge the first successful generation of a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SNAP29 KO in immortalized human MRC5Vi fibroblasts (c.169_196delinsTTCGT) via lentiviral transduction.