Cancers, Vol. 11, Pages 964: Molecular Basis of Tumor Heterogeneity in Endometrial Carcinosarcoma

Cancers, Vol. 11, Pages 964: Molecular Basis of Tumor Heterogeneity in Endometrial Carcinosarcoma Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers11070964 Authors: Leskela Pérez-Mies Rosa-Rosa Cristobal Biscuola Palacios-Berraquero Ong Guia Palacios Endometrial carcinosarcoma (ECS) represents one of the most extreme examples of tumor heterogeneity among human cancers. ECS is a clinically aggressive, high-grade, metaplastic carcinoma. At the morphological level, intratumor heterogeneity in ECS is due to an admixture of epithelial (carcinoma) and mesenchymal (sarcoma) components that can include heterologous tissues, such as skeletal muscle, cartilage, or bone. Most ECSs belong to the copy-number high serous-like molecular subtype of endometrial carcinoma, characterized by the TP53 mutation and the frequently accompanied by a large number of gene copy-number alterations, including the amplification of important oncogenes, such as CCNE1 and c-MYC. However, a proportion of cases (20%) probably represent the progression of tumors initially belonging to the copy-number low endometrioid-like molecular subtype (characterized by mutations in genes such as PTEN, PI3KCA, or ARID1A), after the acquisition of the TP53 mutations. Only a few ECS belong to the microsatellite-unstable hypermutated molecular type and the POLE-mutated, ultramutated molecular type. A common characteristic of all ECSs is the modulation of genes involved in the epithelial to mesenchymal process. Thus...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research