Gene Expression Profiling for Differential Diagnosis of Liver Metastases: A Multicenter, Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

BackgroundLiver metastases (LM) are the most common tumors encountered in the liver and continue to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Identification of the primary tumor of any LM is crucial for the implementation of effective and tailored treatment approaches, which still represents a difficult problem in clinical practice.MethodsThe resection or biopsy specimens and associated clinicopathologic data were archived from seven independent centers between January 2017 and December 2020. The primary tumor sites of liver tumors were verified through evaluation of available medical records, pathological and imaging information. The performance of a 90-gene expression assay for the determination of the site of tumor origin was assessed.ResultA total of 130 LM covering 15 tumor types and 16 primary liver tumor specimens that met all quality control criteria were analyzed by the 90-gene expression assay. Among 130 LM cases, tumors were most frequently located in the colorectum, ovary and breast. Overall, the analysis of the 90-gene signature showed 93.1% and 100% agreement rates with the reference diagnosis in LM and primary liver tumor, respectively. For the common primary tumor types, the concordance rate was 100%, 95.7%, 100%, 93.8%, 87.5% for classifying the LM from the ovary, colorectum, breast, neuroendocrine, and pancreas, respectively.ConclusionThe overall accuracy of 93.8% demonstrates encouraging performance of the 90-gene expression assay in identifying the primary sites of liver tumors. Future incorporation of the 90-gene expression assay in clinical diagnosis will aid oncologists in applying precise treatments, leading to improved care and outcomes for LM patients.

Deconstructing Immune Cell Infiltration in Human Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Spatiotemporal Evaluation

“…Gene set enrichment analysis revealed a decreased expression of innate immune response genes and the pathways related to the TNF superfamily members and their receptors were also altered (marginally increased expression of LTB and TNFRSF8 were observed). A limited number of studies investigated signaling associated with liver metastasis formation in CRC; it was however documented that genes during tumor progression were strongly associated with either the cell adhesion/focal adhesion/chemokine signaling pathway/PI3K-AKT signaling pathway or innate immune response/complement activation/acute-phase response [32][33][34].…”

Gene Expression of Liver Tissue and Primary and Secondary Liver Cancer with a Particular Focus on Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Mini-review on Basic Biomedical Assessment

“…28 In fact, a recent report shows that the overall accuracy of more than 90% demonstrates the encouraging performance of the gene expression assay in identifying the primary sites of liver tumors. 29 Future incorporation of the gene expression assay in clinical diagnosis will aid oncologists in applying precise treatments, leading to improved care and outcomes for secondary liver cancer patients. 29 The gene expression assay exhibits encouraging performance in detecting the primary areas of liver cancers.…”

“…29 Future incorporation of the gene expression assay in clinical diagnosis will aid oncologists in applying precise treatments, leading to improved care and outcomes for secondary liver cancer patients. 29 The gene expression assay exhibits encouraging performance in detecting the primary areas of liver cancers. 29 The future integration of this assay for clinical diagnosis will help oncologists administer accurate treatments, thus improving care and outcomes for patients with secondary liver cancer.…”

“…29 The gene expression assay exhibits encouraging performance in detecting the primary areas of liver cancers. 29 The future integration of this assay for clinical diagnosis will help oncologists administer accurate treatments, thus improving care and outcomes for patients with secondary liver cancer. 29…”

“…29 The future integration of this assay for clinical diagnosis will help oncologists administer accurate treatments, thus improving care and outcomes for patients with secondary liver cancer. 29…”