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Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Next Generation Sequencing for the Detection of Actionable Mutations in Solid and Liquid Tumors
Published on: September 20, 2016
Age-related next-generation sequencing mutational analysis in 1196 melanomas
Juan A Santamaria-Barria1, Chikako Matsuba2, Adam Khader3
1Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Background And Objectives:
Melanoma mutational burden is high and approximately 50% have oncogenic mutations in BRAF. We sought to evaluate age-related mutational differences in melanoma.
Methods:
We analyzed melanoma samples in the Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange database. Targetable mutations were identified using the Precision Oncology Knowledge Base (OncoKB).
Results:
We found 1194 patients with a common set of 30 genes. The top mutated genes in patients <40 years old (y/o) (n = 98) were BRAF (59%), TP53 (31%), NRAS (17%), and PTEN (14%); in 40-59 y/o (n = 354) were BRAF (51%), NRAS (30%), TP53 (26%), and APC (13%); and in ≥60 y/o (n = 742) were BRAF (38%), NRAS (33%), TP53 (26%), and KDR (19%). BRAF mutations were almost mutually exclusive from NRAS mutations in <40 y/o (58/59). Mutational burden increased with age, with means of 2.39, 2.92, and 3.67 mutations per sample in patients <40, 40-59, and ≥60 y/o, respectively (p < 0.0001). There were 10 targetable mutations meeting OncoKB criteria for melanoma: BRAF (level 1), RET (level 1), KIT (level 2), NRAS (level 3A), TP53 (level 3A), and FGFR2, MET, PTEN, PIK3CA, and KRAS (level 4).
Conclusions:
Mutations in melanoma have age-related differences and demonstrates potential targetable mutations for personalized therapies.
