Novel temporal and spatial patterns of metastatic colonization from breast cancer rapid-autopsy tumor biopsies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Metastatic breast cancer is a deadly disease with a low 5-year survival rate. Tracking metastatic spread in living patients is difficult and thus poorly understood.

Methods

Via rapid autopsy, we have collected 30 tumor samples over 3 timepoints and across 8 organs from a triple-negative metastatic breast cancer patient. The large number of sites sampled, together with deep whole-genome sequencing and advanced computational analysis, allowed us to comprehensively reconstruct the tumor's evolution at subclonal resolution.

Results

The most unique, previously unreported aspect of the tumor's evolution that we observed in this patient was the presence of "subclone incubators," defined as metastatic sites where substantial tumor evolution occurs before colonizati

SUBMITTER: Huang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8555066 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature