Highlights
- •Significant amount of relevant germline variants is detected by blood-tumour testing.
- •Carriers do not always fulfil clinical criteria for cancer predisposition.
- •Blood–Tumour testing identifies novel links between cancer predisposition genes and cancer types.
- •Family-specific screening strategies are required when cancer predisposition genes are found in atypical tumours.
Abstract
Background
Sequencing of tumour tissue with comprehensive gene panels is increasingly used to
guide treatment in precision oncology. Analysis of tumour–normal pairs allows in contrast
to tumour-only assessment direct discrimination between somatic and germline alterations,
which might have important implications not only for the patients but also their families.
Methods
We performed tumour normal sequencing with a large gene panel in 1048 patients with
advanced cancer to support treatment decision. Sequencing results were correlated
with clinical and family data.
Results
We identified 156 likely pathogenic or pathogenic (LP/P) germline variants in cancer
predisposition genes (CPGs) in 144 cases (13.7%). Of all patients, 8.8% had a LP/P
variant in autosomal-dominant cancer predisposition genes (AD-CPGs), most of them
being genes with high or moderate penetrance (ATM, BRCA2, CHEK2 and BRCA1). In 48 cases, the P/LP variant matched the expected tumour spectrum. A second variant
in tumour tissue was found in 31 patients with AD-CPG variants. Low frequency mutations
in either TP53, ATM or DNMT3A in the normal sample indicated clonal haematopoiesis in five cases.
Conclusions
Tumour–normal testing for personalised treatment identifies germline LP/P variants
in a relevant proportion of patients with cancer. The majority of them would not have
been referred to genetic counselling based on family history. Indirect functional
readouts of tumour–normal sequencing can provide novel links between CPGs and unexpected
cancers. The interpretation of increasingly complex datasets in precision oncology
is challenging and concepts of interdisciplinary personalised cancer prevention are
needed to support patients and their families.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 07, 2022
Accepted:
November 2,
2022
Received in revised form:
October 18,
2022
Received:
July 1,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
