Characterisation of the molecular landscape of precancerous lesions in the upper aerodigestive tract

The clinical significance of a dysplastic lesion in the upper aerodigestive tract lies in its potential to transform into an invasive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, due to varying criteria and lack of unifying classification systems it is difficult to histopathologically distinguish between the different stages of disease. Hence there is a need for early detection biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies to treat HNSCC in its early or even precancerous stages, thus improving the outcome of this patient cohort.

We have conducted targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) on serially collected paired non-dysplastic, dysplastic and invasive FFPE tissue samples from 2 patients. Over the course of the disease (4 years and 15 years), serial biopsies were taken from various precancerous and cancerous lesions in those patients. Using targeted gene panel sequencing, the clonal evolution and timely progression from precancerous to invasive stages of disease were investigated. Sequencing of at least 6 tissue samples per case demonstrated different somatic variants, allowing us to explore the temporal relationship between non-dysplastic, dysplastic and invasive lesions in the upper aerodigestive tract. We demonstrated that the mutational profile of FFPE biopsies from precancerous and cancerous tissue samples by targeted NGS-based assays can be used to investigate the clonal evolution of HNSCC.

Poster-PDF A-1441.pdf

Conflict of interest

Der Erstautor gibt keinen Interessenskonflikt an.

Publication History

Article published online:
13 May 2021