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Brown LM, Ekert PG, Fleuren EDG. Biological and clinical implications of FGFR aberrations in paediatric and young adult cancers. Oncogene 2023:10.1038/s41388-023-02705-7. [PMID: 37130917 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02705-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Rare but recurrent mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) pathways, most commonly in one of the four FGFR receptor tyrosine kinase genes, can potentially be targeted with broad-spectrum multi-kinase or FGFR selective inhibitors. The complete spectrum of these mutations in paediatric cancers is emerging as precision medicine programs perform comprehensive sequencing of individual tumours. Identification of patients most likely to benefit from FGFR inhibition currently rests on identifying activating FGFR mutations, gene fusions, or gene amplification events. However, the expanding use of transcriptome sequencing (RNAseq) has identified that many tumours overexpress FGFRs, in the absence of any genomic aberration. The challenge now presented is to determine when this indicates true FGFR oncogenic activity. Under-appreciated mechanisms of FGFR pathway activation, including alternate FGFR transcript expression and concomitant FGFR and FGF ligand expression, may mark those tumours where FGFR overexpression is indicative of a dependence on FGFR signalling. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and mechanistic overview of FGFR pathway aberrations and their functional consequences in paediatric cancer. We explore how FGFR over expression might be associated with true receptor activation. Further, we discuss the therapeutic implications of these aberrations in the paediatric setting and outline current and emerging therapeutic strategies to treat paediatric patients with FGFR-driven cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Brown
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul G Ekert
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Emmy D G Fleuren
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Tran TH, Tasian SK. Has Ph-like ALL Superseded Ph+ ALL as the Least Favorable Subtype? Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2021; 34:101331. [PMID: 34865703 DOI: 10.1016/j.beha.2021.101331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) is a subset of high-risk B-ALL associated with high relapse risk and inferior clinical outcomes across the pediatric-to-adult age spectrum. Ph-like ALL is characterized by frequent IKZF1 alterations and a kinase-activated gene expression profile similar to that of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) ALL, yet lacks the canonical BCR-ABL1 rearrangement. Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies during the past decade have unraveled the genomic landscape of Ph-like ALL, revealing a diverse array of kinase-activating translocations and mutations that may be amenable to targeted therapies that have set a remarkable precision medicine paradigm for patients with Ph + ALL. Collaborative scientific efforts to identify and characterise Ph-like ALL during the past decade has directly informed current precision medicine trials investigating the therapeutic potential of tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based therapies for children, adolescents, and adults with Ph-like ALL, although the most optimal treatment paradigm for this high-risk group of patients has yet to be established. Herein, we describe the epidemiology, clinical features, and biology of Ph-like ALL, highlight challenges in implementing pragmatic and cost-effective diagnostic algorithms in the clinic, and describe the milieu of treatment strategies under active investigation that strive to decrease relapse risk and improve long-term survival for patients with Ph-like ALL as has been successfully achieved for those with Ph + ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thai Hoa Tran
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Charles-Bruneau Cancer Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sarah K Tasian
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Nita A, Abraham SP, Krejci P, Bosakova M. Oncogenic FGFR Fusions Produce Centrosome and Cilia Defects by Ectopic Signaling. Cells 2021; 10:1445. [PMID: 34207779 PMCID: PMC8227969 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A single primary cilium projects from most vertebrate cells to guide cell fate decisions. A growing list of signaling molecules is found to function through cilia and control ciliogenesis, including the fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR). Aberrant FGFR activity produces abnormal cilia with deregulated signaling, which contributes to pathogenesis of the FGFR-mediated genetic disorders. FGFR lesions are also found in cancer, raising a possibility of cilia involvement in the neoplastic transformation and tumor progression. Here, we focus on FGFR gene fusions, and discuss the possible mechanisms by which they function as oncogenic drivers. We show that a substantial portion of the FGFR fusion partners are proteins associated with the centrosome cycle, including organization of the mitotic spindle and ciliogenesis. The functions of centrosome proteins are often lost with the gene fusion, leading to haploinsufficiency that induces cilia loss and deregulated cell division. We speculate that this complements the ectopic FGFR activity and drives the FGFR fusion cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Nita
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
| | - Sara P. Abraham
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
| | - Pavel Krejci
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, 65691 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Bosakova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, 65691 Brno, Czech Republic
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