PURPOSE: Cancer classification is foundational for patient care and oncology research. Systems such as International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O), Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT), and National Cancer Institute Thesaurus (NCIt) provide large sets of cancer classification terminologies but they lack a dynamic modernized cancer classification platform that addresses the fast-evolving needs in clinical reporting of genomic sequencing results and associated oncology research. METHODS: To meet these needs, we have developed OncoTree, an open-source cancer classification system. It is maintained by a cross-institutional committee of oncologists, pathologists, scientists, and engineers, accessible via an open-source Web user interface and an application programming interface. RESULTS: OncoTree currently includes 868 tumor types across 32 organ sites. OncoTree has been adopted as the tumor classification system for American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE), a large genomic and clinical data-sharing consortium, and for clinical molecular testing efforts at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It is also used by precision oncology tools such as OncoKB and cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics. CONCLUSION: OncoTree is a dynamic and flexible community-driven cancer classification platform encompassing rare and common cancers that provides clinically relevant and appropriately granular cancer classification for clinical decision support systems and oncology research.
Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition condition characterized by a high lifetime risk for a wide spectrum of malignancies associated with germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene. Secondary malignant neoplasms are particularly common. Early cancer detection through surveillance enables early intervention and leads to improved clinical outcomes with reduced tumor-related mortality and treatment-related morbidity. Since the 2017 publication of LFS tumor surveillance guidelines from the inaugural American Association for Cancer Research Childhood Cancer Predisposition Workshop, understanding the genotype–phenotype relationships in LFS has evolved, and adaptations of the guidelines have been implemented in institutions worldwide. The “Toronto Protocol” remains the current standard for lifelong surveillance; however, as outlined in this perspective, modifications should be considered about the use of certain modalities to target organs in an age-dependent manner. The Working Group’s recommendations have also been extended to include a more detailed outline for surveillance in the adult TP53 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant carrier population, based on the recognition that early education of both practitioners and patients on what to expect after the transition from childhood/adolescence to young adulthood is important in preparing them for changes in surveillance strategies. In this perspective, we provide an up-to-date clinical overview of LFS and present our updated consensus tumor surveillance recommendations from the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research Childhood Cancer Predisposition Workshop.
Purpose: DICER1-related tumor predisposition increases risk for a spectrum of benign and malignant tumors. In 2018, the International Pleuropulmonary Blastoma (PPB)/DICER1 Registry published guidelines for testing- and imaging-based surveillance of individuals with a known or suspected germline DICER1 pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant. One of the goals of the Registry is to continue to refine these guidelines as additional data become available. Experimental Design: Individuals were enrolled in the International PPB/DICER1 Registry, the International Ovarian and Testicular Stromal Tumor Registry, and/or the NCI Natural History of DICER1 Syndrome study. Results: Review of participant records identified 713 participants with a germline DICER1 P/LP variant from 38 countries. To date, 5 cases of type I and 29 cases of type Ir PPB have been diagnosed by surveillance in enrolled individuals. One hundred and three individuals with a germline P/LP variant developed a primary ovarian Sertoli–Leydig cell tumor at a median age of 14 years (range: 11 months–66 years); 13% were diagnosed before 8 years of age, the current age of onset of pelvic surveillance. Additionally, 4% of Sertoli–Leydig cell tumors were diagnosed before 4 years of age. Conclusions: Ongoing data collection highlights the role of lung surveillance in the early detection of PPB and suggests that imaging-based detection and early resection may decrease the risk of advanced PPB. DICER1-related ovarian tumors were detected before 8 years of age, prompting the Registry to recommend earlier initiation of ovarian surveillance with pelvic ultrasound beginning at the time of detection of a germline DICER1 P/LP variant.
Wilms tumors are commonly associated with predisposition syndromes, many but not all of which include overgrowth. Several of these syndromes also include a risk of other embryonal malignancies—particularly hepatoblastoma. Guidelines for surveillance in this population were published in 2017, and recently, members of the American Association for Cancer Research Pediatric Cancer Working Group met to update those guidelines with a review of more recently published evidence and risk estimates. This perspective serves to update pediatric oncologists, geneticists, radiologists, counselors, and other health care professionals on revised diagnostic criteria; review previously published surveillance guidelines; and harmonize updated surveillance recommendations in the North American and Australian contexts for patients with overgrowth syndromes and other syndromes associated with Wilms tumor predisposition.
Phosphate and tensin homolog hamartoma tumor syndrome, DICER1-related tumor predisposition, and tuberous sclerosis complex are rare conditions, which each increases risk for distinct spectra of benign and malignant neoplasms throughout childhood and adulthood. Surveillance considerations for each of these conditions focus on patient and family education, early detection, and multidisciplinary care. In this article, we present updated surveillance recommendations and considerations for children and adolescents with phosphate and tensin homolog hamartoma tumor syndrome, DICER1-related tumor predisposition, and tuberous sclerosis complex and provide suggestions for further research in each of these conditions.