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Glembocki AI, Somers GR. Prognostic and predictive biomarkers in paediatric solid tumours. Pathology 2024; 56:283-296. [PMID: 38216399 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Characterisation of histological, immunohistochemical and molecular prognostic and predictive biomarkers has contributed significantly to precision medicine and better outcomes in the management of paediatric solid tumours. Prognostic biomarkers allow predictions to be made regarding a tumour's aggressiveness and clinical course, whereas predictive biomarkers help determine responses to a specific treatment. This review summarises prognostic biomarkers currently used in the more common paediatric solid tumours, with a brief commentary on the most relevant less common predictive biomarkers. MYCN amplification is the most important genetic alteration in neuroblastoma prognosis, and the histological classification devised by Shimada in 1999 is still used in routine diagnosis. Moreover, a new subgrouping of unfavourable histology neuroblastoma enables immunohistochemical characterisation of tumours with markedly different genetic features and prognosis. The predominant histology and commonly observed cytogenetic abnormalities are recognised outcome predictors in Wilms tumour. Evaluation for anaplasia, which is tightly associated with TP53 gene mutations and poor outcomes, is central in both the International Society of Paediatric Oncology and the Children's Oncology Group approaches to disease classification. Characterisation of distinct genotype-phenotype subclasses and critical mutations has expanded overall understanding of hepatoblastoma outcomes. The C1 subclass hepatoblastoma and CTNNB1 mutations are associated with good prognosis. In contrast, the C2 subclass, NFE2L2 mutations, TERT promoter mutations and high expression of oncofetal proteins and stem cell markers are associated with poor outcomes. Risk stratification in sarcomas is highly variable depending on the entity. The prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, for example, primarily depends on histological and molecular characteristics. Advances in our understanding of clinically significant biomarkers will translate into more precise diagnoses, improved risk stratification and more effective and less toxic treatment in this challenging group of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida I Glembocki
- Division of Pathology, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gino R Somers
- Division of Pathology, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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2
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Pire A, Hirsch TZ, Morcrette G, Imbeaud S, Gupta B, Pilet J, Cornet M, Fabre M, Guettier C, Branchereau S, Brugières L, Guerin F, Laithier V, Coze C, Nagae G, Hiyama E, Laurent-Puig P, Rebouissou S, Sarnacki S, Chardot C, Capito C, Faure-Conter C, Aerts I, Taque S, Fresneau B, Zucman-Rossi J. Mutational signature, cancer driver genes mutations and transcriptomic subgroups predict hepatoblastoma survival. Eur J Cancer 2024; 200:113583. [PMID: 38330765 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2024.113583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatoblastoma is the most frequent pediatric liver cancer. The current treatments lead to 80% of survival rate at 5 years. In this study, we evaluated the clinical relevance of molecular features to identify patients at risk of chemoresistance, relapse and death of disease. METHODS All the clinical data of 86 children with hepatoblastoma were retrospectively collected. Pathological slides were reviewed, tumor DNA sequencing (by whole exome, whole genome or target) and transcriptomic profiling with RNAseq or 300-genes panel were performed. Associations between the clinical, pathological, mutational and transcriptomic data were investigated. RESULTS High-risk patients represented 44% of our series and the median age at diagnosis was 21.9 months (range: 0-208). Alterations of the WNT/ß-catenin pathway and of the 11p15.5 imprinted locus were identified in 98% and 74% of the tumors, respectively. Other cancer driver genes mutations were only found in less than 11% of tumors. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, disease-specific survival and poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy were associated with 'Liver Progenitor' (p = 0.00049, p < 0.0001) and 'Immune Cold' (p = 0.0011, p < 0.0001) transcriptomic tumor subtypes, SBS35 cisplatin mutational signature (p = 0.018, p = 0.001), mutations in rare cancer driver genes (p = 0.0039, p = 0.0017) and embryonal predominant histological type (p = 0.0013, p = 0.0077), respectively. Integration of the clinical and molecular features revealed a cluster of molecular markers associated with resistance to chemotherapy and survival, enlightening transcriptomic 'Immune Cold' and Liver Progenitor' as a predictor of survival independent of the clinical features. CONCLUSIONS Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and survival in children treated for hepatoblastoma are associated with genomic and pathological features independently of the clinical features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Pire
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France; Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Theo Z Hirsch
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Morcrette
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France; Pathology Department, AP-HP Necker Enfants Malades Hospital, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Imbeaud
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Barkha Gupta
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Jill Pilet
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Marianna Cornet
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Monique Fabre
- Pathology Department, AP-HP Necker Enfants Malades Hospital, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Catherine Guettier
- Department of Pathology, AP-HP Bicêtre Hospital, F-94270 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Sophie Branchereau
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, AP-HP Bicêtre Hospital, F-94270 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Laurence Brugières
- Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Department of Children and Adolescents Oncology, Villejuif F-94805, France
| | - Florent Guerin
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, AP-HP Bicêtre Hospital, F-94270 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | | | - Carole Coze
- Department of Pediatric and Oncology, Hopital de La Timone, Aix Marseille University, F-13005 Marseille, France
| | - Genta Nagae
- Genome Science Laboratory, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eiso Hiyama
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan; Department of Biomedical Science, Natural Science Center for Basic Research and Development (N-BARD), Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Pierre Laurent-Puig
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Sandra Rebouissou
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Sabine Sarnacki
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, AP-HP Necker Enfants Malades Hospital, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Christophe Chardot
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, AP-HP Necker Enfants Malades Hospital, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Carmen Capito
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, AP-HP Necker Enfants Malades Hospital, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Cécile Faure-Conter
- Institut d'hématologie et d'oncologie pédiatrique de Lyon, F-69008 Lyon, France
| | - Isabelle Aerts
- Institut Curie, Oncology Center SIREDO, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Sophie Taque
- Pediatric Department hemato-oncology, CHU Rennes, F-35033 Rennes, France
| | - Brice Fresneau
- Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Department of Children and Adolescents Oncology, Villejuif F-94805, France; Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, UVSQ, CESP, Cancer and Radiation Team, F-94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Jessica Zucman-Rossi
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, F-75006 Paris, France; Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Labex Onco-Immunology, Institute du Cancer Paris CARPEM, AP-HP, F-75015 Paris, France; AP-HP, Department of Oncology, Hopital Européen Georges Pompidou, F-75015 Paris, France.
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Sergi CM, Kehar M, Jimenez-Rivera C. Liver Biopsy Handling of Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD): the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario grossing protocol. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab 2024; 15:20420188241227766. [PMID: 38322111 PMCID: PMC10846056 DOI: 10.1177/20420188241227766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic-(non-alcoholic) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD/NAFLD) has increasingly become a worldwide epidemic. It has been suggested that renaming NAFLD to MAFLD is critical in identifying patients with advanced fibrosis and poor cardiovascular outcomes. There are concerns that the progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may become a constant drive in the future healthcare of children and adolescents. There is a necessity to tackle the emerging risk factors for NASH-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this narrative review, we present the current protocol of liver biopsy separated between pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical handling. Genetic association investigations have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms implicated in the progression of MAFLD-HCC, many of which seem to belong to the lipid metabolism pathways. PNPLA3 rs738409 variant, TM6SF2 rs58542926 variant, MBOAT7 rs641738 variant, and GCKR variants seem to be significantly associated with NAFLD disease susceptibility. In disclosing the current comprehensive protocol performed at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada, we support the most recent Kulkarni-Sarin's pledge to rename NAFLD to MAFLD. Grossing of the liver biopsy is key to identifying histologic, immunophenotypical, and ultrastructure data and properly preserving tissue for molecular genomics data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Consolato M. Sergi
- Division of Anatomic Pathology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, 401 Smyth Road Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1m, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Stollery Children’s Hospital, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Mohit Kehar
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Carolina Jimenez-Rivera
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Chen Y, Froelich MF, Tharmaseelan H, Jiang H, Wang Y, Li H, Tao M, Gao Y, Wang J, Liu J, Schoenberg SO, Feng S, Weis M. Computed tomography imaging phenotypes of hepatoblastoma identified from radiomics signatures are associated with the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Pediatr Radiol 2024; 54:58-67. [PMID: 37982901 PMCID: PMC10776468 DOI: 10.1007/s00247-023-05793-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been widely used in the treatment of hepatoblastoma, there still lacks an effective way to predict its effect. OBJECTIVE To characterize hepatoblastoma based on radiomics image features and identify radiomics-based lesion phenotypes by unsupervised machine learning, intended to build a classifier to predict the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this retrospective study, we segmented the arterial phase images of 137 cases of pediatric hepatoblastoma and extracted the radiomics features using PyRadiomics. Then unsupervised k-means clustering was applied to cluster the tumors, whose result was verified by t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used for feature selection, and the clusters were visually analyzed by radiologists. The correlations between the clusters, clinical and pathological parameters, and qualitative radiological features were analyzed. RESULTS Hepatoblastoma was clustered into three phenotypes (homogenous type, heterogenous type, and nodulated type) based on radiomics features. The clustering results had a high correlation with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.02). The epithelial ratio and cystic components in radiological features were also associated with the clusters (P=0.029 and 0.008, respectively). CONCLUSIONS This radiomics-based cluster system may have the potential to facilitate the precise treatment of hepatoblastoma. In addition, this study further demonstrated the feasibility of using unsupervised machine learning in a disease without a proper imaging classification system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqian Chen
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Matthias F Froelich
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Hishan Tharmaseelan
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Hong Jiang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanqi Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingyao Tao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Gao
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jifei Wang
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Juncheng Liu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Stefan O Schoenberg
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Shiting Feng
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Lu, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Meike Weis
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany.
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Gour KS, Patkar S, Qureshi SS. Unrelenting Hepatoblastoma with Progression on Chemotherapy Presenting with Acute Abdominal Compartment Syndrome. J Gastrointest Surg 2023; 27:2006-2008. [PMID: 37127771 DOI: 10.1007/s11605-023-05679-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaustubha S Gour
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute Mumbai, Dr. Ernest Borges Road, Parel East, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400012, India
| | - Shraddha Patkar
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute Mumbai, Dr. Ernest Borges Road, Parel East, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400012, India
| | - Sajid S Qureshi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute Mumbai, Dr. Ernest Borges Road, Parel East, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400012, India.
- Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India.
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de Krijger RR, Stahlschmidt J. [When pediatric and adult tumors meet]. Ann Pathol 2023:S0242-6498(23)00116-5. [PMID: 37268546 DOI: 10.1016/j.annpat.2023.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ronald R de Krijger
- Princess Maxima Center for pediatric oncology, Heidelberglaan 25, 3584 CS Utrecht, Pays-Bas.
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Wilhelm AB, Cunningham AG, Kassab C, Fitz EC, Dong J, Radhakrishnan RS, Ranganathan S, Tan D, Stevenson HL. Pediatric combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) with neuroendocrine features: distinguishing genetic alterations detected by chromosomal microarray. Diagn Pathol 2023; 18:20. [PMID: 36782322 PMCID: PMC9926826 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-023-01305-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liver tumors exhibiting hepatocellular, cholangiocarcinoma, and neuroendocrine features are extremely rare, with only five cases reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION We present an unusual case of a combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) with neuroendocrine features in a pediatric patient. A 16-year-old presented with abdominal pain and a 21.0 cm mass in the right hepatic lobe with extension into the left lobe. Histology showed a poorly differentiated tumor with a solid, tubuloglandular, and microcystic architecture. Immunohistochemistry results were negative for hepatic markers, positive for markers of biliary differentiation, and positive for neuroendocrine differentiation. The neoplasm was reviewed at several institutions with differing diagnoses. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chromosomal microarray (CMA) showed large deletions within chromosomes 6q and 13q in both the hepatocellular-like areas and the cholangiocarcinoma-like areas, with additional large deletions in the cholangiocarcinoma-like areas, supporting origin from hepatocellular carcinoma. The final diagnosis was a cHCC-CC with neuroendocrine features. CONCLUSIONS Diagnosis of cHCC-CCs relies predominately on histomorphology, as per the 2018 International Consensus Group on the nomenclature of cHCC-CC. These findings in this case support that the pathological classification of these lesions be based on molecular data, which could better direct treatment. Further classification of cHCC-CCs and determination of their clinicopathological relevance will require more interobserver consistency and continued molecular profiling of these lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyeesha B Wilhelm
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Arwyn G Cunningham
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Cynthia Kassab
- Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Eric C Fitz
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jianli Dong
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Ravi S Radhakrishnan
- Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | | | - Dongfeng Tan
- Department of Pathology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Heather L Stevenson
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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Auld FM, Sergi CM, Leng R, Shen F. The Role of N6-Methyladenosine in the Promotion of Hepatoblastoma: A Critical Review. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091516. [PMID: 35563821 PMCID: PMC9101889 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatoblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric tumor of the liver. Unlike hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which has been associated with hepatitis B virus infection or cirrhosis, the etiology of hepatoblastoma remains vague. Genetic syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), and trisomy 18 syndrome, have been associated with hepatoblastoma. BWS is an overgrowth syndrome which exhibits an alteration of genomic imprinting on chromosome 11p15.5. N6-Methyladenosine (M6A) is an RNA modification with rampant involvement in the metabolism of cells and malignant diseases. It has been observed to impact the development of various cancers via its governance of gene expression. Here, we explore the role of m6A and its genetic associates in promoting HB, and the impact this may have on our future management of the disease. Abstract Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare primary malignancy of the developing fetal liver. Its course is profoundly influenced by genetics, in the context of sporadic mutation or genetic syndromes. Conventionally, subtypes of HB are histologically determined based on the tissue type that is recapitulated by the tumor and the direction of its differentiation. This classification is being reevaluated based on advances on molecular pathology. The therapeutic approach comprises surgical intervention, chemotherapy (in a neoadjuvant or post-operative capacity), and in some cases, liver transplantation. Although diagnostic modalities and treatment options are evolving, some patients experience complications, including relapse, metastatic spread, and suboptimal response to chemotherapy. As yet, there is no consistent framework with which such outcomes can be predicted. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an RNA modification with rampant involvement in the normal processing of cell metabolism and neoplasia. It has been observed to impact the development of a variety of cancers via its governance of gene expression. M6A-associated genes appear prominently in HB. Literature data seem to underscore the role of m6A in promotion and clinical course of HB. Illuminating the pathogenetic mechanisms that drive HB are promising additions to the understanding of the clinically aggressive tumor behavior, given its potential to predict disease course and response to therapy. Implicated genes may also act as targets to facilitate the evolving personalized cancer therapy. Here, we explore the role of m6A and its genetic associates in the promotion of HB, and the impact this may have on the management of this neoplastic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Finn Morgan Auld
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada;
| | - Consolato M. Sergi
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada;
- Correspondence: (C.M.S.); (F.S.)
| | - Roger Leng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada;
| | - Fan Shen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada;
- Correspondence: (C.M.S.); (F.S.)
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