Comprehensive Molecular Analysis of Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumors Reveals Diverse Genomic Landscape and Potential Predictive Markers for Response to Crizotinib

Purpose: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) clinical phase II trial 90101 "CREATE" showed high antitumor activity of crizotinib, an inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)/ROS1, in patients with advanced inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMFT). However, recent findings suggested that other molecular targets in addition to ALK/ROS1 might also contribute to the sensitivity of this kinase inhibitor. We therefore performed an in-depth molecular characterization of archival IMFT tissue, collected from patients enrolled in this trial, with the aim to identify other molecular alterations that could play a role in the response to crizotinib.

Experimental Design: Twenty-four archival IMFT samples were used for histopathological assessment and DNA/RNA evaluation to identify gene fusions, copy-number alterations (CNA), and mutations in the tumor tissue. Results were correlated with clinical parameters to assess a potential association between molecular findings and clinical outcomes.

Results: We found 12 fusions with 11 different partners in ALK-positive IMFT cases by Archer analysis whereas we did not identify any -rearranged tumor. One ALK-negative patient responding to crizotinib was found to have an fusion in the tumor specimen. The CNA profile and mutational landscape of IMFT revealed extensive molecular heterogeneity. Loss of chromosome 19 (25% of cases) and mutations (9% of cases) were associated with shorter progression-free survival in patients receiving crizotinib.

Conclusions: We identified multiple genetic alterations in archival IMFT material and provide further insight into the molecular profile of this ultra-rare, heterogeneous malignancy, which may potentially translate into novel treatment approaches for this orphan disease.