Prognostic stratification of endometrial cancers with high microsatellite instability or no specific molecular profile.

OBJECTIVE

To identify high-risk disease in clinicopathologic low-risk endometrial cancer (EC) with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) or no specific molecular profile (NSMP) and therapeutic insensitivity in clinicopathologic high-risk MSI-H/NSMP EC.

METHODS

We searched The Cancer Genome Atlas for DNA sequencing, RNA expression, and surveillance data regarding MSI-H/NSMP EC. We used a molecular classification system of and expression and sequence variations in , , or (ECPPF) to prognostically stratify MSI-H/NSMP ECs. Clinical outcomes were annotated after integrating ECPPF and sequence variations in homologous recombination (HR) genes.

RESULTS

Data were available for 239 patients with EC, which included 58 MSI-H and 89 NSMP cases. ECPPF effectively stratified MSI-H/NSMP EC into distinct molecular groups with prognostic implications: molecular low risk (MLR), with low and expression, and molecular high risk (MHR), with high and expression and/or and/or variants. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 43.8% in the MHR group with clinicopathologic low-risk indicators and 93.9% in the MLR group (<.001). In the MHR group, wild-type HR genes were present in 28% of cases but in 81% of documented recurrences. The 3-year DFS rate in patients with MSI-H/NSMP EC with clinicopathologic high-risk indicators was significantly higher in the MLR (94.1%) and MHR/HR variant gene (88.9%) groups than in the MHR/HR wild-type gene group (50.3%, <.001).

CONCLUSION

ECPPF may resolve prognostic challenges for MSI-H/NSMP EC by identifying occult high-risk disease in EC with clinicopathologic low-risk indicators and therapeutic insensitivity in EC with clinicopathologic high-risk indicators.