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Sato K, Nishiyama K, Taguchi K, Jiromaru R, Yamamoto H, Matsunaga A, Nagata R, Rikimaru F, Toh S, Higaki Y, Oda S, Nakagawa T, Masuda M. Genetic and transcriptomic analyses in a rare case of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma combined with small-cell carcinoma. Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud 2021; 7:mcs.a006102. [PMID: 34462366 PMCID: PMC8559619 DOI: 10.1101/mcs.a006102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal small-cell carcinoma (OPSmCC) is a rare malignancy with aggressive behavior, whereas HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma (OPSqCC) displays a favorable prognosis. Notably, these two malignancies occasionally arise in an identical tumor. In this case study, we explored the molecular characteristics that distinguishes these two carcinomas using a rare case of HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) with the combined histology of SmCC and SqCC. Immunohistochemical analysis and HPV-RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) suggested that both SmCC and SqCC were HPV-related malignancies. Targeted exome sequencing revealed that SmCC and SqCC had no significant difference in mutations of known driver genes. In contrast, RNA sequencing followed by bioinformatic analyses suggested that aberrant transcriptional programs may be responsible for the neuroendocrine differentiation of HPV-related OPC. Compared to SqCC, genes up-regulated in SmCC were functionally enriched in inflammatory and immune responses (e.g., arachidonic acid metabolism). We then developed a SmCC-like gene module (top 10 up-regulated genes) and found that OPC patients with high module activity showed poor prognosis in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE65858 cohort. Gene set enrichment analysis of the SmCC-like gene module suggested its link to MYC proto-oncogene in the TCGA data set. Taken together, these findings suggest that the SmCC-like gene module may contribute to acquisition of aggressive phenotypes and tumor heterogeneity of HPV-related OPC. The present case study is the first report of genetic and transcriptomic aberrations in HPV-related OPSmCC combined with SqCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuniaki Sato
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Kazuo Nishiyama
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Kenichi Taguchi
- Department of Pathology, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Rina Jiromaru
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 860-8556, Japan.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 860-8556, Japan
| | - Hidetaka Yamamoto
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 860-8556, Japan
| | - Akihide Matsunaga
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Ryozaburo Nagata
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Fumihide Rikimaru
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Satoshi Toh
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Higaki
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Shinya Oda
- Clinical Research Institute, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
| | - Takashi Nakagawa
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 860-8556, Japan
| | - Muneyuki Masuda
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cancer Center 3-1-1 Minami-ku, Notame, Fukuoka, 874-0838, Japan
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