Prospective characterization of germline variants in patients with gliomas and glioneuronal tumors

  • Subhiksha Nandakumar
  • , Miika Mehine
  • , Yelena Kemel
  • , Chaitanya Bandlamudi
  • , Diana Mandelker
  • , Marc K. Rosenblum
  • , Tejus Bale
  • , Matthias A. Karajannis
  • , Sameer Farouk Sait
  • , Kevin B. Elmore
  • , Kate E. Therkelsen
  • , Walid K. Chatila
  • , Daniel Muldoon
  • , Robert J. Young
  • , Brandon S. Imber
  • , Cameron Brennan
  • , Nelson S. Moss
  • , Kenny K.H. Yu
  • , Viviane Tabar
  • , Shahiba Ogilvie
  • Anita Bowman, Pallavi Akella, Yun Te Lin, Igor T. Gavrilovic, Elena Pentsova, Lauren Schaff, Jacqueline Stone, Craig Nolan, Adrienne Boire, Christian Grommes, Bianca D. Santomasso, Eli L. Diamond, Jessica Wilcox, Anna Piotrowski, Thomas J. Kaley, Lisa M. DeAngelis, Ingo K. Mellinghoff, Michael Berger, Nikolaus Schultz, Zsofia K. Stadler, Andrew L. Lin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Several tumor predisposition syndromes have been linked to the development of gliomas and glioneuronal tumors (glioma/GNT). For many pathogenic germline variants, the prevalence and clinical significance remain unclear. Germline variants and copy-number variants affecting 76–90 well-established cancer predisposing genes were identified in 2,187 patients with gliomas/GNT, who underwent prospective sequencing of their tumor and a matched normal sample. A germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) mutation was identified in 11% (250/2187, 95% CI 10.1–12.8%). Affected high- and moderate-penetrance genes included BRCA2 (n = 11; 0.5%), TP53 (n = 8; 0.4%), NF1 (n = 8; 0.4%), CHEK2 (n = 21, 0.9% excluding common variant I157T), and the mismatch repair (MMR) genes (n = 22, 1.0%). Biallelic inactivation was identified in 8/8 tumors with a germline NF1 mutation, 7/8 tumors with a germline TP53 alteration, and 10/19 tumors with a heterozygous germline MMR defect. Gliomas/GNT with biallelic inactivation of an MMR gene were characterized by hypermutation, microsatellite instability, and a distinct clinical phenotype. Assessment of zygosity identifies biallelic inactivation of DNA double-strand break repair alterations in a minority of tumors, including BRCA2-deficient gliomas with increased genomic scarring attributable to homologous recombination deficiency, and refutes the contribution of the most common P/LP germline variants. Irrespective of gene, tumors with biallelic inactivation were diagnosed at a younger age than tumors without a germline variant (p = 3.5 × 10–6) and tumors with a monoallelic alteration (p = 0.00014). In conclusion, germline sequencing identifies a P/LP variant in a high proportion of patients with glioma/GNT. Biallelic inactivation was common in younger patients with germline variants and patients with neurofibromatosis type 1/Li-Fraumeni, but was only present in half of the patients with Lynch syndrome.

Original languageEnglish
Article number27
JournalActa Neuropathologica
Volume150
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2025
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cancer predisposition syndrome
  • Germline sequencing
  • Li-Fraumeni syndrome
  • Lynch syndrome
  • Neurofibromatosis type 1

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