Clinical, environmental and histological distribution of BRAF, NRAS and TERT promoter mutations among patients with cutaneous melanoma: a retrospective study of 563 patients

Genetic trio of BRAF and TERT alterations and rs2853669TT in papillary thyroid cancer aggressiveness

BACKGROUND

BRAF V600E and TERT promoter alterations are core components in current genetics-based risk assessment for precision management of papillary thyroid cancer. It remains unknown whether this approach could achieve even better precision through a widely recognized prognostic single-nucleotide variation (SNV, formerly SNP), rs2853669T>C, in the TERT promoter.

METHODS

The genetic status of alterations and SNV were examined by sequencing genomic DNA from papillary thyroid cancer in 608 patients (427 women and 181 men) aged 47 years (interquartile range = 37-57), with a median follow-up time of 75 months (interquartile range = 36-123), and their relationship with clinical outcomes was analyzed. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to examine TERT promoter activities.

RESULTS

TERT promoter alterations showed a strong association with papillary thyroid cancer recurrence in the presence of genotype TT of rs2853669 (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10 to 4.12) but not TC/CC (adjusted HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.56 to 2.41). TERT and BRAF alterations commonly coexisted and synergistically promoted papillary thyroid cancer recurrence. With this genetic duet, TT of rs2853669 showed a robustly higher disease recurrence than TC/CC (adjusted HR = 14.26, 95% CI = 2.86 to 71.25). Patients with the genetic trio of BRAF V600E, TERT alteration, and TT of rs2853669 had a recurrence of 76.5% vs recurrence of 8.4% with neither variation and with TC/CC (HR = 13.48, 95% CI = 6.44 to 28.21). T allele of rs2853669 strongly increased TERT promoter activities, particularly the variant promoters.

CONCLUSIONS

The SNV rs2853669T>C dramatically refines the prognostic power of BRAF V600E and TERT promoter alterations to a higher precision, suggesting the need for including this SNV in the current genetics-based risk prognostication of papillary thyroid cancer.

Clinical, histological, and molecular differences in melanoma due to different TERT promoter mutations subtypes. A retrospective cross-sectional study in 684 melanoma patients

Differences in survival according to the pTERT mutation subtypes (-124C > T, -146C > T, and tandem -138_139CC > TT) have been observed. The present study aimed to describe the clinical as the histopathological and molecular cutaneous melanoma features according to the presence of the three most prevalent pTERT mutation subtypes (-124C > T, -146C > T, and tandem -138_139CC > TT). A retrospective cross-sectional study including 684 patients was designed, and a Partial Least-Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was performed. After the PSL-DA, it was observed that the tandem -138_139CC > TT subtype differs from the other subtypes. The model demonstrated that the -124C > T and the -138_139 CC > TT subtypes were associated with fast-growing melanomas (OR 0.5, CI 0.29-0.86, p = .012) and with Breslow >2 mm (OR 0.6, CI 0.37-0.97, p = .037), compared to the -146C > T mutation. Finally, the -124C > T appeared to be more associated with the presence of TILs (non-brisk) than the -146C > T (OR 0.6, CI 0.40-1.01, p = .05). These findings confirmed that the -124C > T and the tandem -138_139 CC > TT subtypes are both highly associated with the presence of features of aggressiveness; however, only the -124C > T was highly associated with TILs. This difference could explain the worse survival rate associated with the tandem -138_139CC > TT mutations.

BRAF mutations and concurrent alterations in patients with soft tissue sarcoma

BRAF alterations, including V600E and non-V600E mutations and fusions, in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) have been identified in a limited case series. Here, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of BRAF mutations and concurrent alterations in STS to understand their therapeutic action. In this retrospective analysis, we included data from 1964 patients with advanced STS who underwent comprehensive genomic profiling tests at hospitals in Japan between June 2019 and March 2023. The prevalence of BRAF and recurrent concurrent gene alterations were also investigated. BRAF mutations were detected in 24 (1.2%) of 1964 STS patients, with a median age of 47 (range 1-69) years. BRAF V600E was detected in 11 (0.6%) of the 1964 patients with STS, BRAF non-V600E mutations in 9 (4.6%), and BRAF fusions were detected in 4 (0.2%). BRAF V600E was identified in 4 (0.2%) cases of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. The most common concurrent alteration was CDKN2A (11 cases, 45.8%), and the frequency was equivalent to that of the BRAF V600E (5/11 cases, 45.5%) and non-V600E (5/9 cases, 55.6%) groups. Recurrent concurrent alterations, such as TERT promoter mutations (7 cases, 29.2%), were detected at the same frequency in the V600E and non-V600E groups. In contrast, TP53 alterations (4/9 cases, 44.4%) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-activating genes, including NF1, GNAQ, and GNA11 (3/9 cases, 33.3%), were identified as relatively higher in the non-V600E group than in the V600E group (each 1/11 case, 9.1%). We identified BRAF alterations at a rate of 1.2% in all patients with advanced STS. Among them, BRAF V600E and BRAF fusions account for 45.8% and 16.7%, respectively. Collectively, our findings support the clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies for patients with BRAF-altered advanced STS.

pTERT C250T mutation: A potential biomarker of poor prognosis in metastatic melanoma

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer and the leading cause of death from cutaneous tumors. Several studies have associated alterations in the TERT promoter region (pTERT) with gene overexpression, aggressiveness and poor prognosis of the disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of pTERT molecular status in paired samples of primary melanoma and metastasis using tissue and plasma to establish a correlation with disease progression and survival. A total of 88 FFPE tissue samples from 53 patients with advanced melanoma were analyzed. Of these, 35 had paired samples. We also examined cfDNA samples from plasma of 25 patients. We detected a good correlation between primary tumors and metastases in pTERT mutation and methylation status. We were also able to identify pTERT mutations in plasma samples that correlated with mutational status in tissue samples. Interestingly, the C250T mutation was associated with worse survival and higher TERT mRNA expression, compared to the other most common mutation: C228T. In addition, hyper-methylation of the promoter region seems to be related to the progression of pTERT wild type (WT) patients. These results suggest that TERT gene alterations plays an important role during tumor progression, with the detection of the C250T mutation in tissue and plasma as a potential biomarker of poor prognosis in patients with advanced melanoma.

Clinical and pathological characteristics of familial melanoma with germline TERT promoter variants

Around 10% of melanoma occur in patients with a suspected familial predisposition. TERT promoter mutations are the most common somatic hotspot mutations in human cancers. However, only two families with germline mutations have been identified to date. We present detailed histological, clinical and molecular pathologic analyses of affected patients and details of newly identified individuals in one of these previously reported families. TERT (NM_198253.3) Chr.5:1,295,161T>C (c.-57 T>C) promoter variants were detected in all melanoma-affected (n=18) and one non-diseased family member. Median age at diagnosis was 30 years (n=18, range 16-46 years, 2 unknown). While most primary melanoma arose on the upper extremities (n=7, 21%) and were superficial spreading melanoma (SSM, n=8, 24%), many primary melanoma also originated from non UV-exposed mucosal (n=2, 6%) and acral (n=4, 12%) locations. One SSM sample harboured a Chr.5:1,295,228C>T TERT promoter region in addition to the germline Chr.5:1,295,161T>C variant, arguing additional pathway activation can support tumor pathogenesis. Patients treated with BRAF inhibitor and/or immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) showed responses, although of limited duration. One mucosal melanoma harboured both a KIT copy number gain and an activating c.1727 p.Leu576Pro mutation. Following modest response to ICI, subsequent KIT inhibitor (imatinib) therapy demonstrated an ongoing complete pathological response (currently 7 months).

Anchored Multiplex PCR Custom Melanoma Next Generation Sequencing Panel for Analysis of Circulating Tumor DNA

Detection of melanoma mutations using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a potential alternative to using genomic DNA from invasive tissue biopsies. To date, mutations in the GC-rich TERT promoter region, which is commonly mutated in melanoma, have been technically difficult to detect in ctDNA using next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels. In this study, we developed a custom melanoma NGS panel for detection of ctDNA, which encompasses the top 15 gene mutations in melanoma including the TERT promoter. We analyzed 21 stage III and IV melanoma patient samples who were treatment-naïve or on therapy. The overall detection rate of the custom panel, based on BRAF/NRAS/TERT promoter mutations, was 14/21 (67%) patient samples which included a TERT C250T mutation in one BRAF and NRAS mutation negative sample. A BRAF or NRAS mutation was detected in the ctDNA of 13/21 (62%) patients while TERT promoter mutations were detected in 10/21 (48%) patients. Co-occurrence of TERT promoter mutations with BRAF or NRAS mutations was found in 9/10 (90%) patients. The custom ctDNA panel showed a concordance of 16/21 (76%) with tissue based-detection and included 12 BRAF/NRAS mutation positive and 4 BRAF/NRAS mutation negative patients. The ctDNA mutation detection rate for stage IV was 12/16 (75%) and for stage III was 1/5 (20%). Based on BRAF, NRAS and TERT promoter mutations, the custom melanoma panel displayed a limit of detection of ~0.2% mutant allele frequency and showed significant correlation with droplet digital PCR. For one patient, a novel MAP2K1 H119Y mutation was detected in an NRAS/BRAF/TERT promoter mutation negative background. To increase the detection rate to >90% for stage IV melanoma patients, we plan to expand our custom panel to 50 genes. This study represents one of the first to successfully detect TERT promoter mutations in ctDNA from cutaneous melanoma patients using a targeted NGS panel.

2-methoxyestradiol inhibits melanoma cell growth by activating adaptive immunity

Background: The overall survival of melanoma patients remains poor despite advancements in surgical treatment and targeted therapies. Therefore, there is a need to develop new therapeutic strategies for melanoma. 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) is a major metabolite of estrogen that has been shown to have anti-tumor effects against many malignancies. However, the effects and mechanisms of action of 2-ME against melanoma remain unclear.Materials and methods: Melanoma cells (B16) were treated with 2-ME in vitro. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 and clone formation, transwell was carried out to measure the migration of B16 cells with or without 2-ME. Flow cytometry was performed to measure the apoptosis and cell cycle. C57BL/6 mice were used for tumor-bearing of B16 cells, tumor volumes were measured once a day, and sacrificed after it was over 2000 mm3, then immunofluorescence was implemented to examine the marker of CD3, CD8 and PD-L1.Results: In our study, we found that 2-ME significantly affected the proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and cell cycle of melanoma in vitro. Our results also showed that 2-ME had strong anti-tumor effects against melanoma in vivo and increased the infiltration of tumor-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Besides, PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was significantly higher in the 2-ME-treated group than in the control group, indicating that 2-ME could exhibit stronger anti-tumor effects against melanoma if combined with PD-1 blockade therapy.Conclusion: 2-ME suppresses melanoma in vivo and in vitro and is a promising synergistic enhancer of PD-1 blockade immunotherapy.

The frequency and clinicopathological significance of NRAS mutations in primary cutaneous nodular melanoma in Indonesia

BACKGROUND

Melanoma is a lethal skin malignancy with a high risk of metastasis, which prompts a need for research on treatment targets and prognostic factors. Recent studies show that the presence of neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS) mutation can influence cell growth in melanomas. The NRAS mutation, which stimulates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, is associated with a lower survival rate. However, evidence from Indonesia population is still very rare. Further understanding of the role of NRAS mutations in Indonesian melanoma cases will be crucial in developing new management strategies for melanoma patients with NRAS mutations.

AIMS

To explore the frequency of NRAS mutations and their clinicopathological associations in patients with primary nodular cutaneous melanoma in Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Fifty-one paraffin-embedded tissue samples were collected from primary nodular skin melanoma cases between 2011 and 2019 from the two largest referral hospitals in Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. The NRAS mutation status was evaluated using qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The association of NRAS mutation was analyzed with the following: age, gender, location, lymph node metastasis, ulceration, mitotic index, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), necrosis, tumor thickness, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and tumor size. NRAS mutations were detected in 10 (19.6%) samples and predominantly observed (60%) in exon 2 (G12). These mutations were significantly correlated with lymph node metastases (p = .000); however, they were not associated with other variables analyzed in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of NRAS mutations in primary nodular cutaneous melanoma cases from Indonesia is consistent with previous studies and is significantly associated with increased lymph node metastases. However, the predominant mutation detected in exon 2 (G12) is different from previous studies conducted in other countries. This suggests that melanoma cases in Javanese people have different characteristics from other ethnicities.

TERT promoter mutations are associated with longer progression-free and overall survival in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma receiving BRAF and MEK inhibitor therapy

BACKGROUND

Around 50% of cutaneous melanomas harbour therapeutically targetable BRAF V600 mutations. Reliable clinical biomarkers predicting duration of response to BRAF-targeted therapies are still lacking. Recent in vitro studies demonstrated that BRAF-MEK inhibitor therapy response is associated with tumour TERT promoter mutation status. We assessed this potential association in a clinical setting.

METHODS

The study cohort comprised 232 patients with metastatic or unresectable BRAF V600-mutated melanoma receiving combined BRAF/MEK inhibitor treatment, including a single-centre retrospective discovery cohort (N = 120) and a prospectively collected multicenter validation cohort (N = 112). Patients were excluded if they received BRAF or MEK inhibitors in an adjuvant setting, as monotherapy, or in combination with immunotherapy. Kaplan-Meier and univariate/multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed as appropriate.

RESULTS

median age at first diagnosis was 54 years (range 16-84 years). The majority of patients were men 147/232 (63.4%). Most tumours harboured TERT promoter mutations (72%, N = 167). A survival advantage was observed in both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with TERT promoter-mutant versus wild-type tumours in both the discovery cohort (mPFS of 9.6 months [N = 87] vs 5.0 months [N = 33]; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.56 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.33-0.96] and mOS of 33.6 months vs 15.0 months; HR = 0.47 [95%CI 0.32-0.70]) as well as the validation cohort (mPFS of 7.3 months [N = 80] vs 5.8 months [N = 32]; HR = 0.67 [95%CI 0.41-1.10] and mOS of 51.1 months vs 15.0 months; HR = 0.33 [95%CI 0.18-0.63]). In the pooled cohort of TERT promoter-mutant (N = 167) versus wild-type (N = 65) tumours, respectively, PFS was 8.9 versus 5.5 months, (HR = 0.62; 95%CI 0.45-0.87; P = 0.004), and OS was 33.6 versus 17.0 months, (HR = 0.51; 95%CI 0.35-0.75, P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with melanoma receiving BRAF/MEK-targeted therapies, TERT promoter mutations are associated with longer survival. If validated in larger studies, TERT promoter mutation status should be included as a predictive biomarker in treatment algorithms for advanced melanoma.

TERT Promoter Mutational Status in the Management of Cutaneous Melanoma: Comparison with Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

BACKGROUND

While BRAF mutations seem important for early melanomagenesis, mutations in the TERT promoter (TERTp) are related to metastasis. Yet, in conventional melanoma management, risk stratification does not depend on molecular biomarkers that can indicate the stage of progression, but rather on clinical, pathological, sentinel lymph node (SLN), and radiologic evaluation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the frequency and prognostic impact of TERTp mutations, comparing their predictive value to those of conventional procedures in melanoma management.

METHODS

Mutational analysis of a series of 91 cases was performed. The correlations between TERTp and BRAF mutational status and clinicopathological features were assessed.

RESULTS

The mutation rate was 33% for TERTp and 30% for BRAF. There was 68% concordance between primary and metastatic samples for TERTp mutations and 92% for BRAF mutations. TERTp mutations are significantly associated with the presence of BRAF mutations, features of worse prognosis, and a reduced disease-free survival. Also, TERTp mutational status was similar to SLN biopsy as a predictive factor of cutaneous melanoma recurrence and metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

The predictive value of TERTp mutations may be similar to that of SLN biopsy and its integration in the management algorithm of melanoma patients should be considered.

Clinical Application of TERT Promoter Mutations in Urothelial Carcinoma

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a common urological malignancy with a high rate of disease recurrence. Telomerase activity, a hallmark of cancer characterized by overcoming the replicative senescence, is upregulated in over 90% of patients with UC. Somatic mutations in the promoter region of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) are frequently detected in UC, and drive telomerase activity. Recent studies have demonstrated a strong association between TERT promoter mutation and tumorigenesis of UC. Also, TERT promoter mutation has great potential for diagnosis, as well as prognosis in UC treatment, and this is also applicable for the liquid biopsy techniques. In this review, we discuss the progress in these areas and highlight the challenges, clinical potential, and future direction for developing UC treatment methods.

Occurrence, functionality and abundance of the TERT promoter mutations

Telomere shortening at chromosomal ends due to the constraints of the DNA replication process acts as a tumor suppressor by restricting the replicative potential in primary cells. Cancers evade that limitation primarily through the reactivation of telomerase via different mechanisms. Mutations within the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene represent a definite mechanism for the ribonucleic enzyme regeneration predominantly in cancers that arise from tissues with low rates of self-renewal. The promoter mutations cause a moderate increase in TERT transcription and consequent telomerase upregulation to the levels sufficient to delay replicative senescence but not prevent bulk telomere shortening and genomic instability. Since the discovery, a staggering number of studies have resolved the discrete aspects, effects and clinical relevance of the TERT promoter mutations. The promoter mutations link transcription of TERT with oncogenic pathways, associate with markers of poor outcome and define patients with reduced survivals in several cancers. In this review, we discuss the occurrence and impact of the promoter mutations and highlight the mechanism of TERT activation. We further deliberate on the foundational question of the abundance of the TERT promoter mutations and a general dearth of functional mutations within noncoding sequences, as evident from pan-cancer analysis of the whole-genomes. We posit that the favorable genomic constellation within the TERT promoter may be less than a common occurrence in other noncoding functional elements. Besides, the evolutionary constraints limit the functional fraction within the human genome, hence the lack of abundant mutations outside the coding sequences.

Rosacea Treatment: Review and Update

Rosacea is a chronic and inflammatory skin disease characterized by flushing, nontransient erythema, papules/pustules, telangiectasia, and phymatous changes. Secondary manifestations, such as itching, burning, or stinging, are often observed in patients with rosacea. In 2017, a phenotype-based approach for diagnosis and classification was recommended. With the update of the diagnosis and classification of rosacea, treatment options for patients with rosacea have attracted the attention of dermatologists. Here, we summarize the latest advances in rosacea treatment, including skin care and cosmetic treatments, topical therapies, oral therapies, laser- and light-based therapies, injection therapies, treatments for specific types of rosacea, treatments for systemic comorbidities, and combination therapies. The impact of the phenotype-based approach on rosacea treatment and future directions are also discussed.