The impact of germline alterations in appendiceal adenocarcinoma Journal Article


Authors: Foote, M. B.; Walch, H.; Kemel, Y.; Vakiani, E.; Johannet, P.; Sheehan, M.; Chatila, W.; Chung, S.; Nash, G. M.; Maio, A.; Shia, J.; Mandelker, D.; Berger, M.; Schultz, N.; Diaz, L. A.; Cercek, A.; Stadler, Z. K.
Article Title: The impact of germline alterations in appendiceal adenocarcinoma
Abstract: PURPOSE: More than 10% of assessed patients with appendiceal adenocarcinoma have a pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) germline variant, including genes implicated in heritable gastrointestinal cancer syndromes, such as Lynch syndrome. We defined the clinical and molecular impact of heritable alterations in appendiceal adenocarcinoma to evaluate the need for dedicated appendiceal screening and prevention strategies in patients with LP/P germline variants. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed an integrated germline and somatic molecular analysis for patients with confirmed appendiceal adenocarcinoma. Patients underwent paired tumor-normal sequencing for up to 90 hereditary cancer risk genes and 505 genes for somatic mutation profiling. We defined the cooccurrence of LP/P germline variants and second-hit pathogenic somatic alterations. The associations between germline variants and patient clinicopathologic features were also evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-five of 237 patients (10.5%) carried pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline variants in cancer susceptibility genes. Clinicopathologic characteristics and appendiceal adenocarcinoma-specific survival were similar in patients with or without germline variants. Most (92%, N = 23/25) patients with germline variants demonstrated no second-hit somatic alterations, including loss of heterozygosity. Two patients with a germline APC I1307K low-penetrance founder variant exhibited secondary somatic pathogenic alterations in APC. However, only one patient tumor exhibited APC-mediated WNT signaling dysregulation: a plausible consequence of multiple somatic APC mutations with no germline variant contribution. Four patients had germline variants in PMS2 or MSH2 associated with Lynch syndrome, yet their cancers were microsatellite-stable. CONCLUSIONS: Germline variants are likely incidental without a contributory driver role in appendiceal adenocarcinoma. Appendiceal adenocarcinoma screening in patients with germline variants is not clearly merited. ©2023 American Association for Cancer Research.
Keywords: genetics; adenocarcinoma; genetic predisposition to disease; genetic predisposition; colorectal neoplasms, hereditary nonpolyposis; germ-line mutation; hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer; appendix tumor; appendiceal neoplasms; neoplastic syndromes, hereditary; germline mutation; humans; human; hereditary tumor syndrome
Journal Title: Clinical Cancer Research
Volume: 29
Issue: 14
ISSN: 1078-0432
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research  
Date Published: 2023-07-15
Start Page: 2631
End Page: 2637
Language: English
DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.Ccr-22-3956
PUBMED: 37289003
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC10642170
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Zsofia Kinga Stadler
    387 Stadler
  2. Jinru Shia
    714 Shia
  3. Garrett Nash
    261 Nash
  4. Michael Forman Berger
    764 Berger
  5. Efsevia Vakiani
    261 Vakiani
  6. Nikolaus D Schultz
    486 Schultz
  7. Yelena Kemel
    103 Kemel
  8. Margaret Rebecca Graham Sheehan
    45 Sheehan
  9. Diana Lauren Mandelker
    178 Mandelker
  10. Luis Alberto Diaz
    148 Diaz
  11. Walid Khaled Chatila
    102 Chatila
  12. Henry Stuart Walch
    100 Walch
  13. Michael Bonner Foote
    41 Foote
  14. Anna Maio
    35 Maio
  15. Sebastian King Yin Chung
    12 Chung