Kaled M. Alektiar

Risk Stratification of Stage I Grade 3 Endometrioid Endometrial Carcinoma in the Era of Molecular Classification

PURPOSE The role of adjuvant therapy in stage I grade 3 endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC) is debatable. We sought to define the agreement between Post Operative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial Carcinoma 1 (PORTEC-1) high-intermediate risk (HIR) and Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)-99 HIR criteria, assess their concordance with The Cancer Genome Atlas molecular subtypes, and evaluate oncologic outcomes in this population. METHODS We identified patients with stage I grade 3 EECs who underwent surgical staging at our institution from January 2014 to January 2020. Patients were stratified into PORTEC-1 HIR, GOG-99 HIR, and The Cancer Genome Atlas molecular subtypes. Adjuvant treatment, and progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. RESULTS Seventy-five patients were included. The agreement between PORTEC-1 and GOG-99 HIR classification was 68% (95% CI, 56.2 to 78.3), with a kappa of 0.36 ( P = .001). There was no agreement between PORTEC-1 or GOG-99 HIR classification and a dichotomized molecular classification (copy number-high [CN-H] v other subtypes), with a kappa of 0.03 ( P = .39) and −0.03 ( P = .601), respectively. There was no difference in PFS between PORTEC-1 HIR and non-HIR (HR, 10.9; 95% CI, 0.28 to 4.21) or between GOG-99 HIR and non-HIR (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.32 to 4.6) stage I grade 3 EECs. Patients with CN-H compared with non-CN-H EEC had worse PFS (HR, 5.67; 95% CI, 1.73 to 18.63) and OS (HR, 5.05; 95% CI, 1.13 to 22.5). CONCLUSION In surgically staged patients with stage I grade 3 EEC, PORTEC-1 and GOG-99 HIR criteria were not prognostic and did not identify CN-H patients. Patients with CN-H EEC had worse PFS and OS compared with those with other molecular subtypes. The integration of the molecular classification with recognized clinicopathologic factors may identify patients with higher-risk stage I grade 3 EEC who benefit from additional therapy.

High-Sensitivity Mutation Analysis of Cell-Free DNA for Disease Monitoring in Endometrial Cancer

Abstract Purpose: We sought to determine whether sequencing analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in patients with prospectively accrued endometrial cancer captures the mutational repertoire of the primary lesion and allows for disease monitoring. Experimental Design: Peripheral blood was prospectively collected from 44 newly diagnosed patients with endometrial cancer over a 24-month period (i.e., baseline, postsurgery, every 6 months after). DNA from the primary endometrial cancers was subjected to targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 468 cancer-related genes, and cfDNA to a high-depth NGS assay of 129 genes with molecular barcoding. Sequencing data were analyzed using validated bioinformatics methods. Results: cfDNA levels correlated with surgical stage in endometrial cancers, with higher levels of cfDNA being present in advanced-stage disease. Mutations in cfDNA at baseline were detected preoperatively in 8 of 36 (22%) patients with sequencing data, all of whom were diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, high tumor volume, and/or aggressive histologic type. Of the 38 somatic mutations identified in the primary tumors also present in the cfDNA assay, 35 (92%) and 38 (100%) were detected at baseline and follow-up, respectively. In 6 patients with recurrent disease, changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) fraction/variant allele fractions in cfDNA during follow-up closely mirrored disease progression and therapy response, with a lead time over clinically detected recurrence in two cases. The presence of ctDNA at baseline (P < 0.001) or postsurgery (P = 0.014) was significantly associated with reduced progression-free survival. Conclusions: cfDNA sequencing analysis in patients with endometrial cancer at diagnosis has prognostic value, and serial postsurgery cfDNA analysis enables disease and treatment response monitoring. See related commentary by Grant et al., p. 305

Molecular Classification in Relation to Prevention of Endometrial Cancer Recurrence and Lifestyle Factors

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most prevalent cancers in women worldwide with a significantly increasing incidence, especially in developed countries. One of the reasons for the increase in the incidence of this disease is the rising incidence of obesity as the biggest risk factor for the development of this disease. Other important risk factors are hypertension, diabetes mellitus and the general ageing of the population. These risk factors are not only associated with a higher risk of developing the disease, but also, for example, with post-operative complications affecting the quality of life of patients after surgery. The molecular classification of endometrial cancer, which has been introduced into clinical practice in recent years, is currently helping physicians to make treatment decisions for individual patients and predict prognosis. In this project, we would like to focus on the relationship of this molecular classification with genomic mutational signatures detected by whole-exome sequencing and their association with lifestyle risk factors for endometrial cancer (obesity - BMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus), including the extent of staging lymphadenectomy. Identification and detailed analysis of dominant mutational profiles associated with a specific molecular subtype of EC and their influence on the presence of lifestyle risk factors may have a major impact on both disease development and prevention of disease recurrence. The possible relationship of the mutational profile with the extent of staging lymphadenectomy may help in deciding the extent of this surgical procedure, which subsequently affects the quality of life of patients, especially in patients with high BMI. Given the widespread prevalence of lifestyle risk factors in the developed world, a detailed understanding of the relationship between the genetic profile, its alterations and the prevalence of these risk factors, with potentially major implications for treatment success, is crutial.