Dataset Information

NTRK Fusions Identified in Pediatric Tumors: The Frequency, Fusion Partners, and Clinical Outcome.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) fusions have been described as oncogenic drivers in a variety of tumors. However, little is known about the overall frequency of NTRK fusion in unselected pediatric tumors. Here, we assessed the frequency, fusion partners, and clinical course in pediatric patients with NTRK fusion-positive tumors.

Patients and methods

We studied 1,347 consecutive pediatric tumors from 1,217 patients who underwent tumor genomic profiling using custom-designed DNA and RNA next-generation sequencing panels. NTRK fusions identified were orthogonally confirmed.

Results and discussion

NTRK fusions were identified in 29 tumors from 27 patients with a positive yield of 2.22% for all patients and 3.08% for solid tumors. Although NTRK2 fusions were found exclusively in CNS tumors and NTRK1 fusions were highly enriched in papillary thyroid carcinomas, NTRK3 fusions were identified in all tumor categories. The most canonical fusion was ETV6-NTRK3 observed in 10 patients with diverse types of tumors. Several novel NTRK fusions were observed in rare tumor types, including KCTD16-NTRK1 in ganglioglioma and IRF2BP2-NTRK3 in papillary thyroid carcinomas. The detection of an NTRK fusion confirmed the morphologic diagnosis including five cases where the final tumor diagnosis was largely based on the discovery of an NTRK fusion. In one patient, the diagnosis was changed because of the identification of an ETV6-NTRK3 fusion. One patient with infantile fibrosarcoma was treated with larotrectinib and achieved complete pathologic remission.

Conclusion

NTRK fusions are more frequently seen in pediatric tumors than in adult tumors and involve a broader panel of fusion partners and a wider range of tumors than previously recognized. These results highlight the importance of screening for NTRK fusions as part of the tumor genomic profiling for patients with pediatric cancer.

SUBMITTER: Zhao X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8140782 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND:While ETV6- NTRK3 fusion is common in infantile fibrosarcoma, NTRK1/3 fusion in pediatric tumors is scarce and, consequently, not well known. Herein, we evaluated for the presence of NTRK1/3 fusion in pediatric mesenchymal tumors, clinicopathologically and immunophenotypically. METHODS:We reviewed nine NTRK fusion-positive pediatric sarcomas confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization and/or next-generation sequencing from Seoul National University Hospital between 2002 and 2020. RESULTS:One case of TPR-NTRK1 fusion-positive intracranial, extra-axial, high-grade undifferentiated sarcoma (12-year-old boy), one case of LMNA-NTRK1 fusion-positive low-grade infantile fibrosarcoma of the forehead (3-year-old boy), one case of ETV6-NTRK3 fusion-positive inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) (3-months-old girl), and six cases of ETV6-NTRK3 fusion-positive infantile fibrosarcoma (median age: 2.6?months, range: 1.6-5.6?months, M: F?=?5:1) were reviewed. The Trk immunopositivity patterns were distinct, depending on what fusion genes were present. We observed nuclear positivity in TPR-NTRK1 fusion-positive sarcoma, nuclear membrane positivity in LMNA-NTRK1 fusion-positive sarcoma, and both cytoplasmic and nuclear positivity in ETV6-NTRK3 fusion-positive IMT and infantile fibrosarcomas. Also, the TPR-NTRK1 fusion-positive sarcoma showed robust positivity for CD34/nestin, and also showed high mitotic rate. The LMNA-NTRK1 fusion-positive sarcoma revealed CD34/S100 protein/nestin/CD10 coexpression, and a low mitotic rate. The IMT with ETV6-NTRK3 fusion expressed SMA. Six infantile fibrosarcomas with ETV6-NTRK3 fusion showed variable coexpression of nestin (6/6)/CD10 (4/5)/ S100 protein (3/6). CONCLUSIONS:All cases of NTRK1 and NTRK3 fusion-positive pediatric tumors robustly expressed the Trk protein. A Trk immunopositive pattern and CD34/S100/nestin/CD10/SMA immunohistochemical expression may suggest the presence of NTRK fusion partner genes. LMNA-NTRK1 fusion sarcoma might be a low-grade subtype of infantile fibrosarcoma. Interestingly, more than half of the infantile fibrosarcoma cases were positive for S100 protein and CD10. The follow-up period of TPR-NTRK1 and LMNA-NTRK1 fusion-positive tumors are not enough to predict prognosis. However, ETV6-NTRK3 fusion-positive infantile fibrosarcomas showed an excellent prognosis with no evidence of disease for an average of 11.7?years, after gross total resection of the tumor.

Project description:A major breakthrough in the classification of soft tissue tumors has been the recent identification of NTRK-fusion related neoplasms which are amenable to highly effective targeted therapies. Despite these therapeutic opportunities, diagnostic challenges have emerged in recognizing tumors characterized by protein kinase fusions, as they are associated with a wide morphologic spectrum, variable risk of malignancy and a rather nonspecific immunoprofile. As such, NTRK-related fusions may occur in infantile fibrosarcoma, lipofibromatosis-like neural tumors (LPF-NTs), tumors resembling malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, etc. Triggered by an index case resembling LPF-NT but harboring RET gene rearrangement, we investigated our files for cases showing RET gene abnormalities to establish their clinicopathologic features. Tumors were tested with a combination of targeted RNA sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization methods. Six cases with RET gene rearrangements were identified, all except 1 occurred in children, including 4 infants. Their morphologic spectrum was quite diverse, but closely reproduced the phenotype of NTRK-fusion-positive tumors, including LPF-NTs (n=3), infantile fibrosarcoma-like tumor (n=2) and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor-like (n=1). Three cases showed coexpression of S100 and CD34, whereas the remaining 3 had a nonspecific immunoprofile. The tumors ranged morphologically and clinically from benign to highly malignant. None of the LPF-NT cases recurred, whereas 2 patients with malignant histology had a highly aggressive course with distant metastases to lung and other viscera. By targeted RNA sequencing these tumors harbored RET fusions with an identical break in exon 12, which retains the tyrosine kinase domain in the fusion oncoprotein and involving various gene partners (CLIP2, CCDC6, SPECC1L, MYH10, and NCOA4). Our results suggest that RET fusion-positive neoplasms share a similar phenotypic spectrum with the NTRK-positive tumors, displaying either fibroblastic or neural-like differentiation, and spanning a wide spectrum of clinical behavior. These findings open new avenues for targeted therapy with RET inhibitors currently available in clinical trials.

Project description:Abstract The STARTRK-NG (Studies of Tumor Alterations Responsive to Targeting Receptor Kinases - Next Generation) trial is a Phase 1/1b study of entrectinib in pediatric patients with cancer, including primary brain tumors, neuroblastoma, and other non-neuroblastoma, extracranial solid tumors harboring NTRK, ROS1, or ALK gene fusions (NCT02650401). Entrectinib is a potent oral, CNS-penetrant, inhibitor of the tyrosine kinases TRKA/B/C (encoded by the genes NTRK1/2/3, respectively), ROS1, and ALK with IC50s < 2?nM (biochemical kinase assay). Overall, gene fusions are rare in the cancer population (<3%); however, they have been seen in over 40 solid tumor histologies, including non-small cell lung cancer, salivary gland cancers, soft tissue sarcomas and glioneuronal tumors. A survey of two pediatric cancer databases, St. Jude pediatric cancer database (PeCan; total n=1,604) and the University of Michigan database (Peds-MiOncoSeq; total n=91), identified malignancies with gene fusions in all three NTRK genes, including infantile fibrosarcoma, juvenile breast cancer, mesoblastic nephroma, intrinsic pontine gliomas, acute leukemias and anaplastic lymphoma. Previously, we reported an objective response rate of 79% was seen in 24 tyrosine kinase inhibitor-naïve patients with solid tumors harboring NTRK, ROS1, or ALK gene fusions, who were treated at doses consistent with the RP2D (Drilon et al, AACR 2016). The most common (>10% incidence) treatment-related adverse events have been fatigue/asthenia, dysgeusia, paresthesia, nausea, myalgia, diarrhea, dizziness, arthralgia, vomiting, and constipation; importantly, there has been no evidence of cumulative toxicity. In addition, we have treated a 20-month-old boy presenting with infantile fibrosarcoma metastatic to the brain, which harbored an ETV6-NTRK3 fusion. Tumor restaging following 1 month of therapy showed a significant tumor regression of CNS metastases accompanied by significant clinical improvement. Together, these data provide compelling evidence to identify pediatric patients harboring NTRK, ROS1, or ALK fusions for enrollment in the STARTRK-NG trial.