Mutations Driving Human Solid Tumors

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Cancer Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 4547

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Guest Editor
1. Proteomics Center, Institute of Biochemistry, Vilnius University Life Sciences Center, Sauletekio al. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
2. MAP Kinase Resource, Bioinformatics, Melchiorstrasse 9, CH-3027 Bern, Switzerland
Interests: breast cancer; prostate cancer; acute myeloid leukemia (AML); kinases
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Dear Colleagues,

Most known cancers (at least 90%) have gene modifications, such as amplifications, deletions, translocations, inversions, frameshifts, and substitutions. The mutation of genes can either enhance the function of proteins, sometimes even making them permanently active, or decrease their functioning or even abolish them completely. Later on, changes in protein function can cause uncontrolled proliferation, survival, motility, and adhesion of cells as well as DNA repair problems, microsatellite instability, and other processes, which can lead to the development, growth, and spread of cancer. Compared to protein-truncating mutations and fusions, missense mutations induce delicate changes, which are often difficult to explain at the phenotypic level. Therefore, distinguishing missense driver mutations based on their impact on molecular protein function is challenging. Nevertheless, focusing on important functional elements, such as protein domains, post-translational modification sites, and protein interaction sites, has been shown to be an effective way to identify malignant mutations. In this Special Issue of Cancers, experts are invited to contribute original research papers or review articles that will provide further insights on the various consequences of gene missense mutations in cancers, their role as biomarkers as well as possible drug targets.

Dr. Jonas Cicenas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • somatic missense mutations
  • genetic variant
  • missense mutations and cancer
  • mutations in oncogenes
  • mutations in tumor suppressors
  • mutations as biomarkers

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 2855 KiB  
Article
Impact of RRP1B Variants on the Phenotype, Progression, and Metastasis of Cervical Cancer
by Eglė Balčiūnienė, Arturas Inčiūra, Elona Juozaitytė and Rasa Ugenskienė
Cancers 2024, 16(7), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16071250 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1149
Abstract
Metastasis is a key determinant of cancer progression, influenced significantly by genetic mechanisms. RRP1B, primarily a nucleolar protein, emerges as a suppressor of metastasis, forming alliances with various cellular components and modulating gene expression. This study investigates the involvement of the ribosomal RNA [...] Read more.
Metastasis is a key determinant of cancer progression, influenced significantly by genetic mechanisms. RRP1B, primarily a nucleolar protein, emerges as a suppressor of metastasis, forming alliances with various cellular components and modulating gene expression. This study investigates the involvement of the ribosomal RNA processing 1 homolog B (RRP1B) gene in metastasis regulation in cervical cancer. Through a comprehensive analysis of 172 cervical cancer patients, we evaluated five RRP1B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2838342, rs7276633, rs2051407, rs9306160, and rs762400) for their associations with clinicopathological features and survival outcomes. Significant associations were observed between specific genetic variants and clinicopathological parameters. Notably, the A allele of rs2838342 was associated with reduced odds of advanced tumor size, worse prognosis, and, preliminarily, distant metastasis, while the T allele of rs7276633 correlated with a decreased risk of higher tumor size and worse prognosis. Additionally, the C allele of rs2051407 demonstrated protective effects against larger tumors, metastasis, and adverse prognosis. The rs9306160 C allele exhibited a protective effect against metastasis. The rs762400 G allele was significant for reduced tumor size and metastasis risk. Furthermore, the rs2838342 A allele, rs7276633 T allele, rs2051407 C allele, and rs762400 G allele were associated with improved overall survival, demonstrating their potential significance in predicting prognoses in cervical cancer. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotypes analysis enabled us to evaluate the collective effect of the analyzed SNPs, which was in line with the results of allelic models. Our findings underscore the clinical relevance of RRP1B SNPs as prognostic markers in cervical cancer, shedding light on the intricate interplay between genetic factors and disease-progression dynamics. This research provides critical insights for future investigations and underscores the importance of incorporating RRP1B SNP detection into prognostic-assessment tools for accurate prediction of disease outcomes in cervical cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mutations Driving Human Solid Tumors)
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17 pages, 1311 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Clinical Utility of Genomic Profiling to Inform Selection of Clinical Trial Therapy in Salivary Gland Cancer
by Samuel Rack, Laura Feeney, Brindley Hapuarachi, Helen Adderley, Laura Woodhouse, Guy Betts, George J. Burghel, Kevin J. Harrington and Robert Metcalf
Cancers 2022, 14(5), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14051133 - 23 Feb 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2528
Abstract
For most patients with salivary gland cancer, there are no effective standard systemic therapies. Although clinical trials of biomarker-led drug therapies have delivered significant recent advances, there remains a need to understand the clinical utility of genomic profiling of cancer as a means [...] Read more.
For most patients with salivary gland cancer, there are no effective standard systemic therapies. Although clinical trials of biomarker-led drug therapies have delivered significant recent advances, there remains a need to understand the clinical utility of genomic profiling of cancer as a means to match patients with recurrent or metastatic salivary gland cancer to clinical trial therapies. In total, 209 patients with salivary gland cancers were profiled with 24 gene (n = 209)) and >325 gene (n = 32) DNA-based next-generation sequencing panels. A retrospective systematic evaluation was performed to identify the frequency of available matched drug therapies within clinical trials based on the results. The matches were then stratified based upon the level of evidence supporting the drug–biomarker combination being investigated using the ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets (ESCAT) to determine the strength of the clinical rationale for each gene–drug match identified. DNA-based next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was successful in 175/209 (84%) patients with salivary gland cancer. Using the 24-gene NGS panel, actionable alterations were identified in 27% (48/175) patients. Alterations were most frequent in salivary duct carcinoma (88%) characterized by TP53 and/or PIK3CA mutations, with matched trials available for 63% (10/16). In ACC, biomarker-matched trials were available for 7% (8/115), and no genomic alterations were found in 96/115 (83%) of ACC patients. TP53 was the most frequently altered gene across all subtypes; however, there were no trials recruiting based on TP53 status. In 32 ACC patients with no genomic alterations using the 24-gene panel, a broader (>325 gene) panel identified alterations in 87% (27/32) of cases with biomarker-matched trials available in 40% (13/32) cases. This study identified that genomic profiling using focused (24-gene) NGS panels has potential utility in matching to trial therapies for most patients with non-ACC salivary gland cancer. For patients with ACC, broader genomic profiling has demonstrated added clinical utility. We describe the application of an approach to classification of levels of evidence which may be helpful to inform the clinician and patient decision making around the selection of clinical trial therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mutations Driving Human Solid Tumors)
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