Molecular characterization of an intact p53 pathway subtype in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most aggressive histological type of epithelial ovarian cancer, which is characterized by a high frequency of somatic TP53 mutations. We performed exome analyses of tumors and matched normal tissues of 34 Japanese patients with HGSOC and observed a substantial number of patients without TP53 mutation (24%, 8/34). Combined with the results of copy number variation analyses, we subdivided the 34 patients with HGSOC into subtypes designated ST1 and ST2. ST1 showed intact p53 pathway and was characterized by fewer somatic mutations and copy number alterations. In contrast, the p53 pathway was impaired in ST2, which is characterized by abundant somatic mutations and copy number alterations. Gene expression profiles combined with analyses using the Gene Ontology resource indicate the involvement of specific biological processes (mitosis and DNA helicase) that are relevant to genomic stability and cancer etiology. In particular we demonstrate the presence of a novel subtype of patients with HGSOC that is characterized by an intact p53 pathway, with limited genomic alterations and specific gene expression profiles.