Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma, PIK3CA

Expand Collapse Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma  - General Description This year about 12,000 people in the U.S. will be told by a doctor that they have cancer of the soft tissue. Sarcomas develop more commonly in adults, although certain types of sarcoma are found more typically in children.

Soft tissue sarcomas can form almost anywhere in the body, including cartilage, fat, muscle, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, and other connective or supportive tissues; osteosarcomas develop in bone, liposarcomas form in fat; rhabdomyosarcomas form in muscle; Ewing sarcomas form in bone and soft tissue; Kaposi sarcoma and uterine sarcoma are other types of soft tissue sarcomas. Because there are many types of soft tissue sarcoma, the cell type must be identified before treatment decisions are made. There are ongoing clinical trials using many forms of therapy in specific types of sarcoma.

Source: National Cancer Institute, 2017
This year about 12,000 people in the U.S. will be told by a doctor that they have cancer of the soft tissue. Sarcomas develop more commonly in adults, although certain types of sarcoma are found more typically in children.

Soft tissue sarcomas can form almost anywhere in the body, including cartilage, fat, muscle, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, and other connective or supportive tissues; osteosarcomas develop in bone, liposarcomas form in fat; rhabdomyosarcomas form in muscle; Ewing sarcomas form in bone and soft tissue; Kaposi sarcoma and uterine sarcoma are other types of soft tissue sarcomas. Because there are many types of soft tissue sarcoma, the cell type must be identified before treatment decisions are made. There are ongoing clinical trials using many forms of therapy in specific types of sarcoma.

Source: National Cancer Institute, 2017
http://targetedcancercare.massgeneral.org/My-Trial-Guide/Diseases/Bone-and-Soft-Tissue-Sarcoma.aspx Disease Accordion Expanded

Expand Collapse PIK3CA  - General Description http://targetedcancercare.massgeneral.org/My-Trial-Guide/Genes/PIK3CA.aspx Gene Accordion Expanded

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PIK3CA is a gene that provides the code for making one piece of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) protein, which is an enzyme that is part of an important signaling pathway (PI3K/AKT) involved in controlling the growth, division, survival, nutrient utilization, movement and structure of cells. PIK3CA encodes the catalytic subunit of PI3K, which is the part of the protein that lets it function as an enzyme. PI3K function is tightly maintained in normal cells. The enzymatic activity is activated by specific signals from growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) or from activated RAS proteins. PI3K then generates molecules that attract another enzyme (particularly AKT) to the cell membrane, where it is activated. The activated AKT acts on other proteins that regulate various cell processes that promotes cell growth and survival.

Mutations in PIK3CA lead to enhanced activation of its signaling function, thereby driving the tumorigenic process. These activating mutations are commonly associated with breast and colon cancer, and more rarely with melanoma of the skin. Defects in this gene have also been associated with ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and liver cancer.

Tumor mutation profiling performed clinically at the MGH Cancer Center has identified PIK3CA mutations across a broad-spectrum of cancer types. The highest incidence of PIK3CA mutations have been found in endometrial cancer (25%), breast cancer (20%), colon cancer (25%) and cancers of the head and neck (10%). In the other major tumor types, PIK3CA mutations have been found in less than 10% of cases that have been tested. The MGH Cancer Center is a world leader in the treatment of PIK3CA mutated tumors, as well as in the number of clinical trials available for treatment with new therapies against tumors with PIK3CA mutations.

Sources: Genetics Home Reference

The PIK3CA gene encodes the p110 alpha catalytic subunit of the phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) complex. PI3K receives upstream activation signals from growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases (e.g. EGFR family members), and in turn signals through AKT and mTOR in order to promote cell survival, cell growth and cellular proliferation. PIK3CA mutations lead to increased activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. PI3K function is opposed by PTEN, a lipid phosphatase that is often inactivated by mutations or silenced by methylation in many cancers.

Tumor mutation profiling performed clinically at the MGH Cancer Center has identified PIK3CA mutations across a broad-spectrum of cancer types. The highest incidence of PIK3CA mutations have been found in endometrial cancer (25%), breast cancer (20%), colon cancer (25%) and cancers of the head and neck (10%). In the other major tumor types, PIK3CA mutations have been found in less than 10% of cases that have been tested.

Sources: Genetics Home Reference

Expand Collapse PIK3CA  in Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma http://targetedcancercare.massgeneral.org/My-Trial-Guide/Diseases/Bone-and-Soft-Tissue-Sarcoma/PIK3CA.aspx Gene-In-Disease Accordion Expanded

Expand Collapse No mutation selected Mutation Accordion Expanded