Clinical and molecular characterization of virus-positive and virus-negative Merkel cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin caused by either the integration of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and expression of viral T antigens or by ultraviolet-induced damage to the tumor genome from excessive sunlight exposure. An increasing number of deep sequencing studies of MCC have identified significant differences between the number and types of point mutations, copy number alterations, and structural variants between virus-positive and virus-negative tumors. However, it has been challenging to reliably distinguish between virus positive and UV damaged MCC.

Methods

In this study, we assembled a cohort of 71 MCC patients and performed deep sequencing with OncoPanel, a clinically implemented, next-generation

SUBMITTER: Starrett GJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7081548 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature