Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) is Reliably Detected in Patients with Metastatic Malignant Phyllodes Tumors, a Feasibility Study.

Background: Malignant phyllodes tumors (MPT) are biologically aggressive breast neoplasms, with high local and distant recurrence rates and a median survival of 12 months when metastatic. With a disease-free interval often less than 2 years, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may allow for earlier identification of patients with MPT at risk for recurrence. Here, we aim to determine the feasibility of detecting ctDNA in (1) patients with known, active metastatic disease and (2) patients with nonmetastatic MPT prior to surgical resection.

Patients And Methods: Nine patients with MPT were identified from an institutional review board-approved prospective phyllodes tumors registry and tumor biorepository. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on tumor tissue and matched blood samples for each patient. A tumor informed assay with 16 patient-specific somatic variants was used to detect ctDNA in corresponding plasma samples.

Results: Of the nine patients included (median age: 48.0 years), 67% (n = 6) had known untreated metastatic disease, and 33% (n = 3) did not have metastatic disease at the time of tissue collection. All patients (n = 6/6) with metastatic disease had detectable ctDNA (mean 119 mean tumor molecules (MTM)/mL). Furthermore, 33% (n = 1/3) of nonmetastatic patients had detectable ctDNA (mean 0.2 MTM/mL) before definitive surgery. The most common mutations revealed by tumor WES were in TERT, TP53, and NF1.

Conclusions: ctDNA is reliably detected in patients with known metastatic disease and may enable monitoring for distant relapses after primary surgical resection. These data will inform a prospective study design to determine the efficacy and utility of ctDNA for MPT as well as its potential for monitoring response to systemic therapies.