Abstract:
Objective To investigate common mutation genes of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) in the Chinese population and analyze the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in treating STS.
Methods The frequency and distribution of gene variations were analyzed in patients with STS who underwent NGS at Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute from January 2018 to December 2020. The number of therapeutic variants was determined. The therapeutic variants included those that met the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) or Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) guidelines, the existence of off-label treatment, and the ongoing recruitment of STS clinical trials with a gene variant. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) were also investigated.
Results Seventy-four of 108 patients (68.5%) had at least one genetic variation. A total of 78 different gene variants were found, and the top 10 gene variants included TP53 (22/179,12.3%), MDM2 (13/179,7.3%), CDK4 (10/179, 5.6%), CDKNB (7/179,3.9%), RB1 (7/179, 3.9%). ALK (5/179, 2.8%), ATRX (5/179, 2.8%), MCL1 (5/179, 2.8%), FGFR1 (4/179, 2.2%), and PIK3CA (4/179, 2.2%). Regarding therapeutic benefits, seven patients (6.5%) had genetic mutations that met the treatment guideline recommendations, 31 patients (28.7%) were administered possible off-label treatments, and 56 patients (51.9%) were enrolled in an STS clinical trial targeting the mutated genes. Sixty-two patients (57.4%) had the potential for off-label treatment or met the criteria for ongoing STS clinical trials targeting gene variants. The median TMB of the whole group was 2.42 (0–60) muts/Mb, and 10 patients (9.3%) had TMB ≥10 muts/Mb, 24 (22.2%) had TMB 5–10 muts/Mb, and 74 (68.5%) had TMB <5 muts/Mb. Only one patient (1.1%) had high MSI.
Conclusions The common gene variants of STS include TP53, MDM2, CDK4, CDKNB, and RB1. A very low proportion of patients were receiving treatments in line with guidelines based on NGS. However, high proportions of off-label drug use and clinical trial recommendations were noted. The clinical significance of TMB value and MSI status in patients with STS requires further confirmation.