High sensitivity of FISH analysis in detecting homozygous SMARCB1 deletions in poorly differentiated chordoma: A clinicopathologic and molecular study of nine cases Journal Article


Authors: Owosho, A. A.; Zhang, L.; Rosenblum, M. K.; Antonescu, C. R.
Article Title: High sensitivity of FISH analysis in detecting homozygous SMARCB1 deletions in poorly differentiated chordoma: A clinicopathologic and molecular study of nine cases
Abstract: Poorly differentiated chordomas (PDCs) represent a rare subset of notochordal neoplasms, affecting primarily children and associated with an aggressive outcome. In contrast to conventional chordomas, PDC show solid growth and increased cellularity, cytologic atypia, and mitotic activity. Recent studies have shown that PDCs are characterized by recurrent deletions encompassing the SMARCB1 locus, resulting in consistent loss of nuclear SMARCB1 expression. Thus PDC joined the expanding family of SMARCB1-deficient tumors characterized by various SMARCB1 structural abnormalities, ranging from large homozygous deletions to small intragenic mutations. In the present study, we investigate the SMARCB1 abnormalities in a group of nine well-characterized PDCs and to establish the sensitivity of the FISH method in detecting these changes in the clinical setting. We further assessed the pathologic features and clinical behavior of this cohort managed at our referral center over a 20-year period. The mean age at diagnosis was 10 years-of-age. All except one case occurred in the cranial region. All demonstrated strong nuclear expression of brachyury and loss of SMARCB1 expression. FISH identified homozygous SMARCB1 deletions in all except one case; additionally two cases revealed a heterozygous EWSR1 locus co-deletion. Clinical follow-up information was available in five patients. Two patients presented with distant metastases at initial diagnosis. Two of the three remaining patients with primary disease failed both locally and distantly after multimodality therapy. We conclude that PDCs are highly aggressive tumors and the dominant mechanism of loss of SMARCB1 expression is through large, homozygous SMARCB1 deletions that can be readily detected by FISH. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Journal Title: Genes Chromosomes and Cancer
Volume: 57
Issue: 2
ISSN: 1045-2257
Publisher: Wiley Periodicals, Inc  
Date Published: 2018-02-01
Start Page: 89
End Page: 95
Language: English
DOI: 10.1002/gcc.22511
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC5732052
PUBMED: 29119645
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 6 February 2018 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Cristina R Antonescu
    897 Antonescu
  2. Marc Rosenblum
    424 Rosenblum
  3. Lei Zhang
    194 Zhang
  4. Adepitan Adedamola Owosho
    29 Owosho