Paolo Scollo

Real-World Analysis of HRD Assay Variability in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: Impacts of BRCA1/2 Mutation Subtypes on HRD Assessment

The HRD (Homologous Recombination Deficiency) test is considered a genomic alteration useful for guiding therapeutic decisions in patients with ovarian cancer. Some commercial and in house alternative “academic” tests are available. Recent findings indicate that not all BRCA1/2 mutations determine the magnitude of HRD and that some patients carrying BRCA1/2 mutations may exhibit indeterminate or even negative HRD scores. Furthermore, certain therapies (e.g., olaparib and bevacizumab) offer particularly pronounced benefits for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients harboring mutations in the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of BRCA1/2. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the HRD scores and BRCA1/2 status of 51 HGSOC patients (50 BRCA1/2 mutated and 1 wild type). The HRD status was assessed by means of shallow whole-genome sequencing and BRCA1/2 status by the NGS pipeline. We did not find a correlation between the HRD status and type of BRCA1/2 alterations. A strong correlation between the HRD score and age was found. Our paper underlines the need to introduce other biological factors within the algorithms of the HRD evaluation in order to better tailor the HRD status, harmonize the metrics of the HRD assessment, and personalize therapies.

Identification of the novel BRCA1 c.2463_2464delTA mutation in two high grade serous ovarian cancer sisters and potential dosage effects implications: a case report

Ovarian Cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women worldwide and the therapeutic landscape to treat it is constantly evolving. One of the major points of decision for the treatment choice is the presence of some genomic alterations that could confer sensitivity to the new available therapies including inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARPi) with BRCA1 and 2 genes playing the most important role. We performed the search for any somatic and/or germline alteration in patient's samples by next generation sequencing (NGS). On two patients, our bioinformatic tools allowed us to correctly classify the c.2463_2464delTA BRCA1 new variant. The novel BRCA1 c.2463_2464delTA variant which falls into the DNA Binding Domain (DBD) of the BRCA1 gene can be considered as a variant of clinical significance due to the peculiar family and personal history of patients.

The Consistency and Quality of ChatGPT Responses Compared to Clinical Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer: A Delphi Approach

Introduction: In recent years, generative Artificial Intelligence models, such as ChatGPT, have increasingly been utilized in healthcare. Despite acknowledging the high potential of AI models in terms of quick access to sources and formulating responses to a clinical question, the results obtained using these models still require validation through comparison with established clinical guidelines. This study compares the responses of the AI model to eight clinical questions with the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) guidelines for ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: The authors used the Delphi method to evaluate responses from ChatGPT and the AIOM guidelines. An expert panel of healthcare professionals assessed responses based on clarity, consistency, comprehensiveness, usability, and quality using a five-point Likert scale. The GRADE methodology assessed the evidence quality and the recommendations’ strength. Results: A survey involving 14 physicians revealed that the AIOM guidelines consistently scored higher averages compared to the AI models, with a statistically significant difference. Post hoc tests showed that AIOM guidelines significantly differed from all AI models, with no significant difference among the AI models. Conclusions: While AI models can provide rapid responses, they must match established clinical guidelines regarding clarity, consistency, comprehensiveness, usability, and quality. These findings underscore the importance of relying on expert-developed guidelines in clinical decision-making and highlight potential areas for AI model improvement.

Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) Scoring, by Means of Two Different Shallow Whole-Genome Sequencing Pipelines (sWGS), in Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Comparison with Myriad MyChoice Assay

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients carrying the BRCA1/2 mutation or deficient in the homologous recombination repair system (HRD) generally benefit from treatment with PARP inhibitors. Some international recommendations suggest that BRCA1/2 genetic testing should be offered for all newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer, along with HRD assessment. Academic tests (ATs) are continuously under development, in order to break down the barriers patients encounter in accessing HRD testing. Two different methods for shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS) were compared to the reference assay, Myriad. All these three assays were performed on 20 retrospective HGSOC samples. Moreover, HRD results were correlated with the progression-free survival rate (PFS). Both sWGS chemistries showed good correlation with each other and a complete agreement, even when compared to the Myriad score. Our academic HRD assay categorized patients as HRD-Deficient, HRM-Mild and HRN-Negative. These three groups were matched with PFS, providing interesting findings in terms of HRD scoring and months of survival. Both our sWGS assays and the Myriad test correlated with the patient’s response to treatments. Finally, our AT confirms its capability of determining HRD status, with the advantage of being faster, cheaper, and easier to carry out. Our results showed a prognostic value for the HRD score.