Germline Mutation Carriers Research Articles

Endometrial Cancers in BRCA1 or BRCA2 Germline Mutation Carriers: Assessment of Homologous Recombination DNA Repair Defects.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is not considered a component of the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome but can arise in patients with germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) mutations. Biallelic BRCA1/2 alterations are associated with genomic features of homologous recombination DNA repair deficiency (HRD) in cancer. We sought to determine if ECs in gBRCA1/2 mutation carriers harbor biallelic alterations and/or features of HRD. Of 769 patients with EC who underwent germline panel testing, 10 pathogenic gBRCA1/2 mutation carriers were identified, and their tumor- and normal-derived DNA was subjected to massively parallel sequencing targeting at least 410 cancer-related genes. Three gBRCA1/2-associated ECs were identified in 232 ECs subjected to whole-exome sequencing by The Cancer Genome Atlas. Somatic mutations, copy number alterations, loss of heterozygosity, microsatellite instability (MSI), and genomic HRD features were assessed. Of the 13 patients included who had EC, eight harbored pathogenic gBRCA1 mutations and five harbored gBRCA2 mutations. Eight (100%) and two (40%) ECs harbored biallelic BRCA1 and BRCA2 alterations through loss of heterozygosity of the wild-type allele. All ECs harbored somatic TP53 mutations. One monoallelic/sporadic gBRCA2-associated EC had MLH1 promoter methylation and was MSI high. High large-scale state transition scores, a genomic feature of HRD, were found only in ECs with bi- but not monoallelic BRCA1/2 alterations. The Signature Multivariate Analysis HRD signature Sig3 was enriched in biallelic gBRCA1/2 ECs, and the three ECs from The Cancer Genome Atlas with BRCA1 biallelic alterations subjected to whole-exome sequencing displayed a dominant HRD-related mutational signature 3. A subset of gBRCA1/2-associated ECs harbor biallelic BRCA1/2 alterations and genomic features of HRD, which may benefit from homologous recombination-directed treatment regimens. ECs in BRCA2 mutation carriers might be sporadic and even MSI high, and may potentially benefit from immune-checkpoint inhibition.

AN INTEGRATIVE GENOMIC APPROACH TO EXAMINE MUTATIONS AND BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH HAEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCY DEVELOPMENT IN DDX41 MUTATED FAMILIES

DEAD-Box helicase 41 (DDX41) is the most commonly reported familial haematological malignancy (HM) gene first reported in 2015. Mutated, it predisposes to both MDS/AML and lymphoma, with HM diagnosis age like that of sporadic malignancies. Individuals with DDX41 mutation or deficiency have generally poor outcome with no effective targeted therapies available. Biological function of DDX41 leading to HM predisposition is poorly understood making risk assessment for asymptomatic carriers difficult. In over 50% of reported affected DDX41 germline mutated individuals, acquired somatic mutations are commonly identified on the other DDX41 allele. Through an integrative combinatorial genomics approach of whole exome sequencing, leukemic panel sequencing and RNA-sequencing, we comprehensively assessed six independent DDX41 germline mutated families. Each family presented varying penetrance of HM with affected and unaffected carriers as well as wildtype individuals assessed. Blood and bone marrow samples were assessed for the identification of somatic alterations in leukaemia associated genes in both malignant and pre-leukemic states. Interestingly, in both affected and unaffected DDX41 germline mutation carriers a minimal fingerprint of acquired somatic alterations was observed, potentially indicating a mechanism of leukaemia development unique to DDX41 mutations. Analysis of RNA-seq data through splicing and gene expression analysis to elucidate biological pathways which may be altered in DDX41 malignancy progression is ongoing. This integrative genomic approach to evaluate both mutations and biological pathways affected in DDX41 mutated malignancies will provide biological insight facilitating an advancement in diagnosis, risk assessment, monitoring and personalised treatment.

Chemotherapy Toxicity in BRCA Mutation Carriers Undergoing First-Line Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

BRCA mutations are the most frequent mutations causing homologous recombination defects in epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC). Germline mutation carriers are heterozygous for the mutation and harbor one defective allele in all cells. This has been hypothesized to cause increased susceptibility to DNA damage in healthy cells as well as neoplastic ones. Our objective was to assess chemotherapy-associated toxicities in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer with and without a germline BRCA mutation. A retrospective cohort study of patients with EOC receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy at a single center between 2006 and 2016. Indices of chemotoxicity, including blood counts, transfusion requirements, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (gCSF) prescriptions, episodes of febrile neutropenia, and treatment delays were compared for BRCA mutation carriers and noncarriers. A total of 90 women met the inclusion criteria, including 31 BRCA mutation carriers (34%) and 59 noncarriers (66%). Mean hemoglobin, neutrophil count, and platelet counts during treatment were comparable for the two patient groups. There was a trend toward a higher frequency of hematological events in BRCA mutation carriers (neutropenia <1500 per mL: 6% vs. 0%, p = .12; thrombocytopenia <100,000 per mL: 23% vs. 9%, p = .07), but these differences were not statistically significant. Similarly, no significant differences were found in surrogates of bone marrow toxicity such as blood transfusions, use of gCSF, episodes of febrile neutropenia, or treatment delays. BRCA mutation carriers and noncarriers receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy for EOC have similar hematologic toxicity profiles. Clinicians treating these patients can be reassured that chemotherapy dosing or schedule do not require adjustment in patients carrying BRCA mutations. Patients with ovarian cancer carrying BRCA mutations are more likely to have serous tumors and present with higher CA125 levels. Germline BRCA mutation status is not associated with increased frequency of adverse hematologic events among patients with ovarian cancer being treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Germline BRCA mutations are also not associated with more treatment delays or a lower number of courses completed in this patient population. These findings should reassure practitioners engaged in care for patients with ovarian cancer that BRCA mutation status most likely will not affect chemotherapy dosing or schedule.

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: cancer risk and the personal cost of preventive surgery

Germline CDH1 mutation carriers are at risk for early-onset diffuse gastric cancer (DGC) and female carriers have an additional risk of lobular breast cancer. The reported literature GC risk of 70% has led to the recommendation for germline mutation carriers to undergo prophylactic total gastrectomy (PTG). The objective of this research was to examine post-surgical clinical outcomes and to identify which of the domains/symptoms from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) were determinants of overall quality of life (QOL) in individuals undergoing PTG. Participants were recruited through multiple sources. Postsurgical clinical outcomes were obtained from hospital records. Participants completed validated questionnaires measuring generic and condition specific QOL (PROMIS, EORTC and SF 36v.II) at a single point in time. The mean QOL in this cohort was 70.6 (SD = 25.6), which is better than reference values from the general populations in USA and Canada Role and social function plus the symptoms anxiety, pain, taste, dyspnea and diarrhea were significant predictor variables for QOL (p < 0.05). Although this study reveals good overall QOL for individuals after PTG, attention should be given to managing symptoms as part of long term care to further enhance QOL. The function/symptom scores were associated with worse overall health and global health status and thus may mark a real need for more attentive post-surgical care.

Pediatric Evans syndrome is associated with a high frequency of potentially damaging variants in immune genes

AbstractEvans syndrome (ES) is a rare severe autoimmune disorder characterized by the combination of autoimmune hemolytic anemia and immune thrombocytopenia. In most cases, the underlying cause is unknown. We sought to identify genetic defects in pediatric ES (pES), based on a hypothesis of strong genetic determinism. In a national, prospective cohort of 203 patients with early-onset ES (median [range] age at last follow-up: 16.3 years ([1.2-41.0 years]) initiated in 2004, 80 nonselected consecutive individuals underwent genetic testing. The clinical data were analyzed as a function of the genetic findings. Fifty-two patients (65%) received a genetic diagnosis (the M+ group): 49 carried germline mutations and 3 carried somatic variants. Thirty-two (40%) had pathogenic mutations in 1 of 9 genes known to be involved in primary immunodeficiencies (TNFRSF6, CTLA4, STAT3, PIK3CD, CBL, ADAR1, LRBA, RAG1, and KRAS), whereas 20 patients (25%) carried probable pathogenic variants in 16 genes that had not previously been reported in the context of autoimmune disease. Lastly, no genetic abnormalities were found in the remaining 28 patients (35%, the M− group). The M+ group displayed more severe disease than the M− group, with a greater frequency of additional immunopathologic manifestations and a greater median number of lines of treatment. Six patients (all from the M+ group) died during the study. In conclusion, pES was potentially genetically determined in at least 65% of cases. Systematic, wide-ranging genetic screening should be offered in pES; the genetic findings have prognostic significance and may guide the choice of a targeted treatment.

Identification of Novel Biomarkers of Homologous Recombination Defect in DNA Repair to Predict Sensitivity of Prostate Cancer Cells to PARP-Inhibitors.

One of the most common malignancies in men is prostate cancer, for which androgen deprivation is the standard therapy. However, prostate cancer cells become insensitive to anti-androgen treatment and proceed to a castration-resistant state with limited therapeutic options. Therefore, besides the androgen deprivation approach, novel biomarkers are urgently required for specific targeting in this deadly disease. Recently, germline or somatic mutations in the homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair genes have been identified in at least 20–25% of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPC). Defects in genes involved in HR DNA repair can sensitize cancer cells to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, a class of drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for breast and ovarian cancer carrying germline mutations in BRCA1/2 genes. For advanced prostate cancer carrying Breast cancer1/2 (BRCA1/2) or ataxia telengiectasia mutated (ATM) mutations, preclinical studies and clinical trials support the use of PARP-inhibitors, which received breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA. Based on these assumptions, several trials including DNA damage response and repair (DDR) targeting have been launched and are ongoing for prostate cancer. Here, we review the state-of-the-art potential biomarkers that could be predictive of cancer cell synthetic lethality with PARP inhibitors. The identification of key molecules that are affected in prostate cancer could be assayed in future clinical studies to better stratify prostate cancer patients who might benefit from target therapy.

Prevalence and clinical impact of TP53 germline mutations in Chinese women with breast cancer.

The prevalence and clinical relevance of TP53 germline mutations in a large unselected breast cancer series are largely unknown. Here, we determined TP53 germline mutations in a large cohort of 10,053 unselected breast cancer patients through multigene panel-based next-generation and/or Sanger sequencing assays. We found that 0.5% of patients (50 cases) carried a pathogenic TP53 germline mutation in this large series of 10,053 unselected breast cancer patients, and the prevalence of TP53 germline mutation was 3.8% in very early onset breast cancer (age ≤30 years) in this large cohort. TP53 mutation carriers were significantly more likely to have early onset cancer (p < 0.001) and bilateral breast cancer (p = 0.03), they and were significantly more likely to respond to carboplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared to anthracycline- or taxane-based regimen in terms of pathologic complete response (50% vs. 0%, p = 0.006). At the median follow-up of 54 months, TP53 mutation was an independent unfavorable factor for recurrence-free survival (RFS), distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS), and overall survival (OS) (RFS, adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-4.33, p = 0.02; DRFS, adjusted HR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.41-5.30, p = 0.003; OS, adjusted HR: 4.60, 95% CI: 2.26-9.41, p < 0.001) in multivariate analyses. Our study suggested that TP53 germline mutations occur more frequently in very early onset unselected breast cancer patients; and TP53 germline mutation carriers have a very poor survival and may benefit from carboplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in unselected breast cancer patients.

Evaluation of confocal endoscopic microscopy for detection of early-stage gastric cancer in hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) syndrome.

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) syndrome results most often from a mutation in the CDH1 tumor suppressor gene and confers a 56-70% lifetime risk of gastric cancer. In asymptomatic carriers HDGC is characterized by multiple foci of signet ring cancer cells (SRCC) throughout the gastric mucosa. Because SRCC foci are less than 1 mm in diameter, and often make up less than 2% of the gastric mucosa, they are undetectable on standard screening endoscopy. International consensus guidelines recommend thorough white light endoscopic gastric mapping with a systematic method for gastric biopsies. Despite a painstaking approach to gastric mapping, retrospective analyses have demonstrated a low rate of detection and poor sensitivity of standard white light endoscopy for detecting occult cancer cells. Therefore, a more sensitive cancer screening tool is needed for these high-risk patients. Confocal endoscopic microscopy (CEM) allows for real-time, in vivo histologic imaging of gastrointestinal mucosa during upper endoscopy. Clinical application has demonstrated the ability of CEM to differentiate normal mucosal cells and cancer cells. A phase II clinical trial is currently underway to compare CEM to standard endoscopic gastric mapping in an effort to reduce the false negative detection rate of SRCC in patients diagnosed with HDGC. After an upper endoscopy with gastric mapping is performed, patients will undergo probe-based CEM. The endoscopist will scan the anatomic zones of the stomach in a similar fashion to the systematic gastric mapping approach. Any abnormal areas visualized with the CEM probe will be biopsied and sent for permanent pathologic analysis. The primary endpoint is to determine if CEM affords a higher sensitivity for detection of SRCC in CDH1 germline mutation carriers compared to white light endoscopy with gastric mapping. This novel screening technique is expected to provide greater sensitivity for detecting occult cancer in patients with HDGC, thereby improving cancer risk-assessment and overall cancer care. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03648879 (registration date: August 28, 2018, clinicaltrials.gov).

Endometrial cancers in BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutations carriers

Endometrial cancers in BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutations carriers

First-positive surveillance screening in an asymptomatic SDHA germline mutation carrier

SummaryAt least 40% of phaeochromocytomas and paraganglioma’s (PPGLs) are associated with an underlying genetic mutation. The understanding of the genetic landscape of these tumours has rapidly evolved, with 18 associated genes now identified. Among these, mutations in the subunits of succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDH) are the most common, causing around half of familial PPGL cases. Occurrence of PPGLs in carriers of SDHB, SDHC and SDHD subunit mutations has been long reported, but it is only recently that variants in the SDHA subunit have been linked to PPGL formation. Previously documented cases have, to our knowledge, only been found in isolated cases where pathogenic SDHA variants were identified retrospectively. We report the case of an asymptomatic suspected carotid body tumour found during surveillance screening in a 72-year-old female who is a known carrier of a germline SDHA pathogenic variant. To our knowledge, this is the first screen that detected PPGL found in a previously identified SDHA pathogenic variant carrier, during surveillance imaging. This finding supports the use of cascade genetic testing and surveillance screening in all carriers of a pathogenic SDHA variant.Learning points: SDH mutations are important causes of PPGL disease. SDHA is much rarer compared to SDHB and SDHD mutations.Pathogenicity and penetrance are yet to be fully determined in cases of SDHA-related PPGL.Surveillance screening should be used for SDHA PPGL cases to identify recurrence, metastasis or metachronous disease.Surveillance screening for SDH-related disease should be performed in identified carriers of a pathogenic SDHA variant.

Endometrial cancers in BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutations carriers

Objectives: Bi-allelic alterations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) are associated with genomic features of homologous recombination DNA (HRD) repair deficiency. We aimed to determine if endometrial cancers (ECs) arising in BRCA1/2 germline mutation carriers harbor bi-allelic alterations and/or features of HR deficiency.

Effect of germline ATM mutations on clonal hematopoiesis.

1509 Background: Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in myeloid related-genes is associated with development of primary and secondary leukemia and atherosclerotic disease, as well as, decreased overall survival. Identification of factors beyond age and cytotoxic exposures that predispose to CH may be useful to both recognize individuals at increased risk for CH and to better understand how CH develops. We have previously shown that germline mutations in the DNA repair gene ATM may predispose to CH. We hypothesized here that heterozygous ATM germline mutation carriers would have higher rates of CH in myeloid genes compared to controls. Methods: Germline DNA samples from 34 heterozygous ATM germline mutation carriers (cases) and 22 controls without ATM germline mutations were sequenced on an Illumina 2500 using a custom 79-gene-myeloid-CH-coding-exon-amplicon-based Qiaseq panel. Read depth averaged 130x. Pathogenic and likely pathogenic CH variants (PV) above an allele fraction of 2% were used for analyses. Cases and controls were compared using a rank-sum test. Results: Cases had a higher median age (56 years, range 30-82) than controls (48 years, range 5-72). Cases and controls were similar in solid tumor cancer history and known exposure to cancer cytotoxic therapy; 73.5% vs 86.4%, and 18.1 vs 20.6%, respectively. The number of CH PV was similarly associated with age in both cases and controls (cor = 0.31, p = 0.01). Cases displayed more CH PVs than controls (total 62 vs 3 PVs, median 2 PVs vs 0, p = 10-6). Of note, cases frequently had a concomitant second (n = 10; 29% of cases) or third (n = 4; 11.8% of cases) unique ATM CH PV, whereas no ATM CH PVs were seen in controls. Even after excluding ATM CH PVs, CH PVs were more frequent in cases (p = 0.00003). After ATM CH PVs, the most frequent CH PVs in cases were in NF1 (5 PVs), BCORL1 (4 PVs), and DMNT3A (4 PVs). Conclusions: Our study supports ATM as a strong predisposition locus for myeloid gene CH. CH in ATM germline mutation carriers frequently involved unique low allele fraction PVs in ATM, suggesting ATM germline PVs are driving production of likely bi-allelic ATM inactivation in white blood cells, or complete ATM loss. Complete ATM loss may be a nidus particularly for lymphocytic leukemia, as bi-allelic ATM inactivation is a frequent somatic finding.

Principles of Diagnosis and Personalized Treatment of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer

The most frequent forms of hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes are Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). All the patients with suspicion to these syndromes need precise clinical and genetic diagnostics. Affected patients need personalized program of treatment because standard algorithm cannot be considered sufficiently effective. Identification of a pathogenic mutation in a patient indicates the need for DNA diagnostics in his close relatives and only in this case all the carriers of pathogenic germline mutations can be included in the high-risk group. Algorithms of clinical monitoring and operative treatment for mutation carriers were developed in different countries. However, different populations have their own genetic and clinical features. The aim of this work was to highlight the principles of diagnosis and personalized treatment of patients with hereditary colorectal cancer, taking into account international and Russian recommendations.

Residual glandular tissue (RGT) in BRCA1/2 germline mutation carriers with unilateral and bilateral prophylactic mastectomies

BackgroundProphylactic mastectomy (PME) is increasingly performed in women carrying deleterious BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations. The oncologic risk resulting from residual fibroglandular tissue (RGT) is unknown. MethodsAll women who had received a mastectomy and at least one postoperative breast MRI, between 2006 and 2016 were extracted from the register of the Center for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Cologne (CHBOC). The index MRI was evaluated in terms of basic clinical data and the morphological criteria of RGT. The RGT volume was measured in diameter and was semi-automatically evaluated using software. ResultsWe identified 169 women carrying BRCA1/2 mutations who underwent prophylactic and curative mastectomy: a total of 338 breasts. RGT was found in 128 of the 338 breasts (37.9%). 68 of the 128 breasts (53.1%) were related to bilateral PME, 37 (28.9%) to unilateral PME and 23 (18.0%) to curative mastectomy. RGT was predominantly unifocal and located in the retroareolar breast region. RGT was observed more often after bilateral PME (p < 0.0001). In this subgroup, the nipple-sparing mastectomy dominated (108 of 136, 79.4%), in contrast to 23 standard mastectomies (23 of 94, 24.5%) in the subgroup of curative mastectomy (23%). There was a trend towards higher amounts of RGT in surgical units with fewer mastectomies performed. During follow-up, two breast cancers were detected after bilateral and unilateral PME, respectively. ConclusionsOur results suggest that the indication for surgery and in particular the selected surgical procedure affect the surgical outcome with respect to RGT. Oncological safety should not be neglected, especially in the high-risk group of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.

The Landscape of Somatic Genetic Alterations in Breast Cancers from CHEK2 Germline Mutation Carriers.

Pathogenic germline variants in checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2), which plays pivotal roles in DNA damage response and cell cycle regulation, confer an increased breast cancer (BC) risk. Here, we investigated the phenotypic and genomic characteristics of 33 BCs from CHEK2 germline mutation carriers (16 high-risk variants and 17 low-risk p.Ile157Thr variants). CHEK2-associated BCs from patients with high-risk germline variants were largely hormone receptor-positive (87%, 13/15), and 81% (13/16) exhibited loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the CHEK2 wild-type allele. Conversely, CHEK2-associated BCs from patients with the low-risk p.Ile157Thr variant displayed less-frequent loss of heterozygosity (5/17, 29%) and higher levels of CHEK2 protein expression than those with high-risk germline variants. CHEK2-associated BCs lacked a dominant mutational signature 3, a genomics feature of homologous recombination DNA repair deficiency (HRD). Our findings indicate that CHEK2-associated BCs are generally hormone receptor-positive and lack HRD-related mutational signatures, recapitulating the features of ATM-associated BCs. Specific CHEK2 germline variants may have a distinct impact on tumor biology.

SAT-315 SDHC Germline Mutation Carrier with Primary Paraganglioma of the Thyroid Gland

Background Thyroid paragangliomas(PGLs) are less than 0.1% of all thyroid neoplasms. They represent a subset of inferior laryngeal PGL and can be located adjacent to or inside the gland. About 30% of paragangliomas are genetically determined, and 40% of those are succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) related. SDHD and SDHB are more frequently detected than SDHC and SDHA [1]. To date, thyroid paraganglioma has been reported in SDHA and B germline mutation carriers, but there is no case reported with thyroid paraganglioma related to SDHC and D mutations[2]. Clinical case A 50 year old female self-detected a nodularity on her neck. Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the nodule was suspicious for thyroid cancer. She had total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine treatment. Five years after treatment, surgical specimen of thyroid slides were reviewed again upon relocation. Surprisingly, distinct pathologic changes of nodule with characteristic nesting pattern (zellaballen) was noted. On immunohistochemistry study, the cells of the lesion were positive for synaptophysin, chromogranin and S-100, and negative for keratin, CEA, thyroglobulin, TTF-1, calcitonin, EMA and Congo red stain. Based on the histologic feature and immunohistochemistry finding, right lobe paraganglioma was diagnosed retrospectively. When she was 67 years old, she developed symptoms of intermittent flushing, diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea. Her chromogranin A increased from 210 ng/mL to 3413 ng/mL in 6 months. Further pertinent laboratory work-up results included but not all: cortisol 15 mcg/dL, ACTH 35.7pg/mL(7.2-63.3 pg/mL), 24 hour urine free cortisol 17mcg (ref. range <= 176 mcg/24hr), dopamine 133pg/mL (0-20pg/mL), norepinephrine 725 pg/mL (80-520 pg/mL), epinephrine 48 pg/mL (10-200 pg/mL), normetanephrine 0.82 nmol/L (0.00-0.89 nmol/L). This was suggestive of functioning paraganglioma. The patient was evaluated by medical genetics, and a heterozygous germline pathologic variant, NM_003001.3(SDHC):c.43C>T (p.Arg15Ter) was identified. Galium-68-Dotatate scan showed a glomus tumor jugulare. Due to the location of the tumor, the patient was referred for radiation therapy (not yet completed). She was started on monthly octreotide injection and symptoms improved. Her chromogranin A decreased to 70 ng/mL ( 0-95 ng/mL) and dopamine reduced to 76 pg/mL( 0-20pg/mL). Conclusion This is the first case report of a primary paraganglioma of the thyroid gland in an SDHC mutation carrier. The Endocrine Society Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee recommends all patients with PPGLs to be engaged in shared decision making for germline genetic testing. This information can be important for future cancer screening for the patient and family cascade testing and counseling. Reference 1.Hereditary paraganlioma-Pheochromocytoma syndrome, GeneReviews, L Fishbein et al.2.Endocr Relat Cancer. 2015 Apr;22(2):191-204

First paraganglioma identified on surveillance screening in an asymptomatic SDHA germline mutation carrier

First paraganglioma identified on surveillance screening in an asymptomatic SDHA germline mutation carrier

MP30-06 MULTI-PARAMETRIC PROSTATE MRI AS A SCREENING TEST AMONG MALE BRCA CARRIERS

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Male BRCA germline mutation carriers are at high risk for prostate cancer. IMPACT study results support routine PSA screening among BRCA carriers. Guidelines for female ...

Impact of constitutional TET2 haploinsufficiency on molecular and clinical phenotype in humans

Clonal hematopoiesis driven by somatic heterozygous TET2 loss is linked to malignant degeneration via consequent aberrant DNA methylation, and possibly to cardiovascular disease via increased cytokine and chemokine expression as reported in mice. Here, we discover a germline TET2 mutation in a lymphoma family. We observe neither unusual predisposition to atherosclerosis nor abnormal pro-inflammatory cytokine or chemokine expression. The latter finding is confirmed in cells from three additional unrelated TET2 germline mutation carriers. The TET2 defect elevates blood DNA methylation levels, especially at active enhancers and cell-type specific regulatory regions with binding sequences of master transcription factors involved in hematopoiesis. The regions display reduced methylation relative to all open chromatin regions in four DNMT3A germline mutation carriers, potentially due to TET2-mediated oxidation. Our findings provide insight into the interplay between epigenetic modulators and transcription factor activity in hematological neoplasia, but do not confirm the putative role of TET2 in atherosclerosis.

Deleterious Germline Mutations Are a Risk Factor for Neoplastic Progression Among High-Risk Individuals Undergoing Pancreatic Surveillance.

To compare the risk of neoplastic progression by germline mutation status versus family history without a known germline mutation (familial risk) among individuals with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer who are undergoing surveillance. Of 464 high-risk individuals in the Cancer of the Pancreas Screening program at Johns Hopkins Hospital who were undergoing pancreatic surveillance, 119 had a known deleterious germline mutation in a pancreatic cancer susceptibility gene; 345 met family history criteria for pancreatic surveillance but were not known to harbor a germline mutation. We used next-generation sequencing to identify previously unrecognized germline mutations among these 345 individuals. We compared the development of pancreatic cancer, high-grade dysplasia, or clinically worrisome features, adjusting for competing mortality, among all germline mutation carriers with the risk of progression in a cohort without a known germline mutation. Fifteen (4.3%) of 345 individuals classified as having familial risk had a previously unrecognized pancreatic cancer susceptibility gene mutation (nine that involved ATM, two BRCA2, one BRCA1, one PALB2, one TP53, and one CPA1). The cumulative incidence of pancreatic cancer, high-grade dysplasia, or worrisome features on pancreatic imaging was significantly higher in the germline mutation risk group (n = 134) than in the familial risk group (n = 330 [for pancreatic cancer, hazard ratio, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.0 to 8.18; P = .05]). The cumulative incidence of pancreatic cancer is significantly higher among individuals with an identifiable deleterious germline mutation in a pancreatic cancer susceptibility gene than it is among individuals with a strong family history but no identified mutation. Gene testing of individuals who meet criteria for pancreatic surveillance on the basis of their family history may better define those most at risk for neoplastic progression.