Dr. Mayor on Neuroendocrine Carcinoma in Gynecologic Tumors

Paul Mayor, MD, Gynecologic Oncology Fellow, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, discusses neuroendocrine carcinoma in gynecologic tumors.

In a comprehensive genomic analysis of neuroendocrine carcinoma of gynecologic and breast tumors, investigators identified mutations in various pathways. Mayor said that there were a significant number of p53 and Rb mutations, which are very common in neuroendocrine tumors from sites other than the gynecologic tract. This was expected.

There were a significant number of actionable mutations in the gynecologic subgroup, which Mayor said was unexpected. These actionable mutations were found in the mTOR, MEK, and homologous recombination repair pathways. About 60% of the patients had a mutation that was actionable. A large number of mTOR mutations were found in cervix and uterine primaries, Mayor added. These tumors can be targeted with agents that are currently on the market.