Alternative lengthening of telomeres and ATRX/DAXX loss can be reliably detected in FNAs of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) frequently use the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway for telomere maintenance. ALT is strongly correlated with α thalassemia-mental retardation, X linked (ATRX), and death domain-associated protein 6 (DAXX) alterations and a poor prognosis in patients with primary PanNET. Because fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a noninvasive way to sample tumors, the authors evaluated whether they could accurately detect ALT and loss of ATRX/DAXX in a primary PanNET cohort of FNAs.

Methods

All preoperative FNA cytology cases (2005-2016) with adequate remnant FNA cell block material were assessed for ALT by telomere-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization and for ATRX and DAXX protein expression by immunohistochemistry

SUBMITTER: VandenBussche CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5511056 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature