Therapeutic implications of phosphoproteomics in molecular cancer diagnostics.

Authors

null

Annika Schneider

Technical University of Munich (TUM), München, Germany

Annika Schneider , Julia Woortman , Cecilia Bang Jensen , Amirhossein Sakhteman , Maria-Veronica Teleanu , Peter Horak , Simon Kreutzfeldt , Barbara Hutter , Jennifer Huellein , Moritz Resch , Christoph Stange , Chien-Yun Lee , Olaf Witt , David T.W. Jones , Daniel Hübschmann , Stefan M. Pfister , Wilko Weichert , Matthew The , Stefan Froehling , Bernhard Kuster

Organizations

Technical University of Munich (TUM), München, Germany, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany, NCT, Heidelberg, Germany, Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), and University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Pediatric Glioma Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, Hopp-Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany, National Center for Tumor Diseases and German Cancer Research Center, Department of Translational Oncology, Heidelberg, Germany

Research Funding

No funding sources reported

Background: Precision oncology approaches employing genomics-guided targeted therapies for individual patients have provided significant survival benefits in several cancer types. However, varying response rates in solid malignancies, many patients without actionable genomic lesions, and increasing evidence that non-genomic mechanisms may play an important role in tumors indicate that genomics alone is often insufficient to inform and guide the clinical care of patients. Since most targeted anti-cancer drugs inhibit the activity of protein kinases, measuring the tumor phosphoproteome as a direct readout of oncogenic pathway activity is poised to enhance molecular stratification. Methods: We established a clinical (phospho)proteomic workflow for integration into the molecular tumor board (MTB) workflow of the Germany-wide INFORM (for children with relapsed cancers) and MASTER (for young adults with refractory cancers and patients with rare tumors) registry studies and profiled > 1000 tumor tissue specimen from patients enrolled in the DKFZ/NCT/DKTK MASTER study or the INFORM registry trial. To assess the aberrant activity of druggable signaling pathways, we developed a new tumor pathway activity (TUPAC) scoring methodology using expression data of > 8,000 proteins and > 20,000 phospho-sites per patient in a heterogeneous pan-cancer cohort. TUPAC scores integrate protein expression and phosphopeptide abundance data at several levels to detect aberrant signaling pathway activities of several interdependent oncogenic signaling pathways within one tumor specimen. Results: We show for the first time that comprehensive (phospho)proteome profiling is feasible and informative in a real-world prospective precision oncology setting. Discussion of (phospho)proteomic data of > 500 prospective patients in weekly MTB meetings revealed that adding a (phospho)proteomic layer can supply critical information for personalized therapies that is not discernible from genomic and transcriptomic data. In an independent value evaluation (329 target recommendations in 104 patients), the phosphoproteome layer was decisive in 22% of all recommended targets. Based on anecdotal cases with available clinical follow-up, we provide evidence that (phospho)proteome profiling carries important diagnostic value by detecting actionable tumor-driving kinase signaling in patients without actionable genomic lesions or by functionalizing genomic variants of unknown significance. Conclusions: Measuring the tumor phosphoproteome as a direct readout of oncogenic pathway activity is feasible and adds complementary, therapy-relevant information in a real-world prospective precision oncology setting.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Developmental Therapeutics—Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology

Track

Developmental Therapeutics—Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology

Sub Track

Molecular Diagnostics and Imaging

Citation

J Clin Oncol 42, 2024 (suppl 16; abstr 3068)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2024.42.16_suppl.3068

Abstract #

3068

Poster Bd #

213

Abstract Disclosures

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