Abstract P4-06-07: PIK3CA-mutant breast phyllodes tumors show a uniformly aggressive histology and significant mutual exclusivity with MED12 mutation
Authors: Williams Erik A , Sokol Ethan S , Pavlick Dean C , Shah Nikunj , Elvin Julia A , Vergilio Jo-Anne , Killian Jonathan K , Ngo Nhu , Lin Douglas , Miller Vincent A , Ross Jeffrey S 
Published: March 2020

Introduction: De-regulation of the class I phosphoinositide 3’-kinase (PI3K) pathway has long been known to contribute to the development and progression of many tumors. However, the FDA only recently approved the first selective inhibitor of PIK3CA, the p110-alpha catalytic subunit of PI3K, specifically for use in treatment of a subset of PIK3CA-mutant breast carcinomas. Given the emergence of this therapeutic class of agents, we sought to identify other subsets of breast tumors that may be driven largely by PIK3CA mutations and which therefore could be candidates for these therapies.

In breast fibroepithelial neoplasms, mutations in PIK3CA have been occasionally reported in borderline and malignant phyllodes tumors. In contrast, mutations in MED12 are common and recurrent across the entire spectrum of benign and malignant breast fibroepithelial tumors, and are enriched in borderline/malignant phyllodes cases that still have benign fibroadenoma-like areas. In the current study, we sought to define the histologic and molecular features of PIK3CA-mutant phyllodes tumors.

Methods: From 2014 to 2019, we analyzed clinical tumor samples using comprehensive genomic profiling by a hybrid capture-based DNA sequencing platform. We searched our case archive to find breast phyllodes tumors with known or likely pathogenic alterations in PIK3CA and other known tumor-related genes. All cases were clinically advanced. We reviewed pathology reports, histopathology, and patient clinical data.

Results: We identified 12 (16%) of 76 breast phyllodes tumors in our case archive as PIK3CA-mutant. Median patient age for PIK3CA-mutant phyllodes tumors was 56 years. Cases consisted of 6 primary tumors, 2 local recurrences, and 4 lung metastases. Primary tumor size measured from 38 to 220 mm (median 100 mm; mean 114 mm). Digital slides were available for histology review in 9 cases. Cases showed uniformly malignant histology, with no benign or fibroadenoma-like regions. 3 cases showed malignant heterologous elements. Compared to the rest of our breast phyllodes tumor cohort, PIK3CA-mutant cases showed significantly fewer pathogenic genomic alterations in MED12 (8% vs. 55%, p=0.0037) and TP53 (17% vs. 56%, p=0.0245), as well as a trend to fewer mutations in RB1 (0% vs. 22%, p=0.11). The other most frequently mutated genes in the PIK3CA-mutant group were TERTp (70%), CDKN2A (67%), and NF1 (50%).

Conclusions: PIK3CA-mutant phyllodes tumors define a unique subset of tumors characterized by aggressive histologic features and largely lacking the MED12 mutations seen in many fibroepithelial neoplasms. These findings provide compelling rationale for comprehensive genomic profiling of advanced cases of this disease in an effort to inform therapeutic options including clinical trials of PI3K-targeted agents in this setting.

Citation Format: Erik A Williams, Ethan S Sokol, Dean C Pavlick, Nikunj Shah, Julia A Elvin, Jo-Anne Vergilio, Jonathan K Killian, Nhu Ngo, Douglas Lin, Vincent A Miller, Jeffrey S Ross. PIK3CA-mutant breast phyllodes tumors show a uniformly aggressive histology and significant mutual exclusivity with MED12 mutation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-06-07.