Detection of IDH1 Mutation in cfDNA and Tissue of Adult Diffuse Glioma with Allele-Specific qPCR

Abstract

Background:The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumors necessitates testing of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1/2 gene mutation in patients with adult-type diffuse glioma (ADG) for better disease management. In clinical practice, the testing of IDH1 is primarily achieved using immunohistochemistry (IHC) specific to IDH1-R132, which carries a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 100%. However, in some cases, non-specific background staining or regional heterogeneity in the protein expression of IDH1 may necessitate confirmatory genetic analysis. Robust and reliable assays are needed for IDH1/2 mutation testing. The aim of the current study was to detect IDH1 mutation in cfDNA and tissue of adult-type diffuse glioma with allele-specific qPCR. Materials and Methods: In the current study, IDH1-R132H mutation was analyzed in tumor tissue with paired cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in patients with ADG (n = 45) using IHC and competitive allele-specific Taqman PCR (CAST-PCR). Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and matched serum for cfDNA using commercially available kits. CAST-PCR with IHC for the detection of IDH1-R132H mutation was also compared. Results: The IDH1-R132H mutation was detected in 46.67% (21/45) cases and 57.78% (26/45) cases using IHC and allele-specific CAST-PCR. In cfDNA of matched IDH1-mutant FFPE tissue DNA, IDH1-R132H mutation was detected in 11.54% (3/26) using CAST-PCR. The concordance rate for IDH1-R132Hmutation between IHC and CAST-PCR was 80.77% (21/26). Conclusion: The CAST-PCR assay is more precise and sensitive for IDH1-R132Hdetection than traditional IHC, and IDH1-R132H mutation detection using cfDNA may add to the current methods of glioma genomic characterization.

IDH1 mutation is detectable in plasma cell-free DNA and is associated with survival outcome in glioma patients

“…cfDNA analysis resulted to have high specificity (0.98; 95% CI 0.96–0.99) but a relatively moderate sensitivity (0.69; 95% CI 0.66–0.73) and a high grade of heterogeneity (I2 = 73.1%, p < 0.05) of sample source and assay methods [ 28 ]. These latter could affect the sensitivity of the cfDNA and the accuracy of the findings, suggesting that cfDNA could be used only as an auxiliary tool for molecular assessment of glioma [ 62 ].…”