Prognostic Genetic Biomarkers Based on Oncogenic Signaling Pathways for Outcome Prediction in Patients with Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Mutational profiling of patients’ tumors has suggested that the development of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is driven by multiple genes in multiple pathways. This study aimed to examine the association between genomic alterations and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced stages OCSCC to facilitate prognostic stratification. We re-analyzed our previous whole-exome sequencing data from 165 long-term follow-ups of stages III and IV patients with OCSCC. Their frequent mutations were mapped to 10 oncogenic signaling pathways. Clinicopathological risk factors, relapse, and survival were analyzed to identify the genetic factors associated with advanced OCSCC. Frequent genetic alterations included point mutations in TP53, FAT1, NOTCH1, CASP8, CDKN2A, HRAS, PIK3CA, KMT2B (also known as MLL4), and LINC00273; amplified segments in CCND1, EGFR, CTTN, and FGFR1; and lost segments in CDKN2A, ADAM3A, and CFHR1/CFHR4. Comprehensive analysis of genetic alterations revealed that subgroups based on mutational signatures had a significant negative impact on disease-free survival (p = 0.0005) and overall survival (p = 0.0024). Several important signaling pathways were identified to be frequently genetically altered in our cohort. A specific subgroup of patients with alterations in NOTCH, RTK/RAS/MAPK, and TGF-beta pathways that had a significantly negative impact on disease-free survival (p = 0.0009). Thirty percent of samples had multiple targetable mutations in multiple pathways, indicating opportunities for novel therapy.