Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most diagnosed cancer globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Despite advancements, metastatic CRC (mCRC) has a five-year survival rate below 20%. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is recommended nowadays to guide mCRC treatment...

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Main Authors: Ricardo Roque, Rita Santos, Luís Guilherme Santos, Rita Coelho, Isabel Fernandes, Gonçalo Cunha, Marta Gonçalves, Teresa Fraga, Judy Paulo, Nuno Bonito
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:DNA
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8856/5/1/4
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author Ricardo Roque
Rita Santos
Luís Guilherme Santos
Rita Coelho
Isabel Fernandes
Gonçalo Cunha
Marta Gonçalves
Teresa Fraga
Judy Paulo
Nuno Bonito
author_facet Ricardo Roque
Rita Santos
Luís Guilherme Santos
Rita Coelho
Isabel Fernandes
Gonçalo Cunha
Marta Gonçalves
Teresa Fraga
Judy Paulo
Nuno Bonito
author_sort Ricardo Roque
collection DOAJ
description Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most diagnosed cancer globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Despite advancements, metastatic CRC (mCRC) has a five-year survival rate below 20%. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is recommended nowadays to guide mCRC treatment; however, its clinical utility when compared with traditional molecular testing in mCRC is debated due to limited survival improvement and cost-effectiveness concerns. Methods: This retrospective study included mCRC patients (≥18 years) treated at a single oncology centre who underwent NGS during treatment planning. Tumour samples were analysed using either a 52-gene Oncomine™ Focus Assay or a 500+-gene Oncomine™ Comprehensive Assay Plus. Variants were classified by clinical significance (ESMO ESCAT) and potential benefit (ESMO-MCBS and OncoKBTM). The Mann–Whitney and Chi square tests were used to compare characteristics of different groups, with significance at <i>p</i> < 0.05. Results: Eighty-six metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients were analysed, all being MMR proficient. Most cases (73.3%) underwent sequencing at diagnosis of metastatic disease, using primary tumour samples (74.4%) and a focused NGS assay (75.6%). A total of 206 somatic variants were detected in 86.0% of patients, 31.1% of which were classified as clinically significant, predominantly KRAS mutations (76.6%), with G12D and G12V variants as the most frequent. Among 33.7% RAS/BRAF wild-type patients, 65.5% received anti-EGFR therapies. Eleven patients (12.8%) had other actionable variants which were ESCAT level I-II, including four identified as TMB-high, four KRAS G12C, two BRAF V600E, and one HER2 amplification. Four received therapies classified as OncoKbTM level 1–2 and ESMO-MCBS score 4, leading to disease control in three cases. Conclusions: NGS enables the detection of rare variants, supports personalised treatments, and expands therapeutic options. As new drugs emerge and genomic data integration improves, NGS is poised to enhance real-world mCRC management.
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spelling doaj-art-635fc10e08274d1c883bceadd1ec098f2025-08-20T03:43:36ZengMDPI AGDNA2673-88562025-01-0151410.3390/dna5010004Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort StudyRicardo Roque0Rita Santos1Luís Guilherme Santos2Rita Coelho3Isabel Fernandes4Gonçalo Cunha5Marta Gonçalves6Teresa Fraga7Judy Paulo8Nuno Bonito9Medical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalMedical Oncology Department, Coimbra Portuguese Institute of Oncology, 3000-075 Coimbra, PortugalBackground: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most diagnosed cancer globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Despite advancements, metastatic CRC (mCRC) has a five-year survival rate below 20%. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is recommended nowadays to guide mCRC treatment; however, its clinical utility when compared with traditional molecular testing in mCRC is debated due to limited survival improvement and cost-effectiveness concerns. Methods: This retrospective study included mCRC patients (≥18 years) treated at a single oncology centre who underwent NGS during treatment planning. Tumour samples were analysed using either a 52-gene Oncomine™ Focus Assay or a 500+-gene Oncomine™ Comprehensive Assay Plus. Variants were classified by clinical significance (ESMO ESCAT) and potential benefit (ESMO-MCBS and OncoKBTM). The Mann–Whitney and Chi square tests were used to compare characteristics of different groups, with significance at <i>p</i> < 0.05. Results: Eighty-six metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients were analysed, all being MMR proficient. Most cases (73.3%) underwent sequencing at diagnosis of metastatic disease, using primary tumour samples (74.4%) and a focused NGS assay (75.6%). A total of 206 somatic variants were detected in 86.0% of patients, 31.1% of which were classified as clinically significant, predominantly KRAS mutations (76.6%), with G12D and G12V variants as the most frequent. Among 33.7% RAS/BRAF wild-type patients, 65.5% received anti-EGFR therapies. Eleven patients (12.8%) had other actionable variants which were ESCAT level I-II, including four identified as TMB-high, four KRAS G12C, two BRAF V600E, and one HER2 amplification. Four received therapies classified as OncoKbTM level 1–2 and ESMO-MCBS score 4, leading to disease control in three cases. Conclusions: NGS enables the detection of rare variants, supports personalised treatments, and expands therapeutic options. As new drugs emerge and genomic data integration improves, NGS is poised to enhance real-world mCRC management.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8856/5/1/4next-generation sequencingcolorectal canceractionable variantstargeted treatmentsreal-world data
spellingShingle Ricardo Roque
Rita Santos
Luís Guilherme Santos
Rita Coelho
Isabel Fernandes
Gonçalo Cunha
Marta Gonçalves
Teresa Fraga
Judy Paulo
Nuno Bonito
Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study
DNA
next-generation sequencing
colorectal cancer
actionable variants
targeted treatments
real-world data
title Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study
title_full Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study
title_fullStr Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study
title_full_unstemmed Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study
title_short Outcomes of Broader Genomic Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Portuguese Cohort Study
title_sort outcomes of broader genomic profiling in metastatic colorectal cancer a portuguese cohort study
topic next-generation sequencing
colorectal cancer
actionable variants
targeted treatments
real-world data
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8856/5/1/4
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