Decoding the Genomic and Functional Landscape of Emerging Subtypes in Ovarian Cancer




Micoli, Giulia; Lavikka, Kari; Li, Yilin; Pirttikoski, Anna; Afenteva, Daria; Senkowski, Wojciech; Marchi, Giovanni; Vähärautio, Anna; Muranen, Taru A.; Joutsiniemi, Titta; Hietanen, Sakari; Virtanen, Anni; Wennerberg, Krister; Hynninen, Johanna; Oikkonen, Jaana; Hautaniemi, Sampsa

PublisherAmerican Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

2025

Cancer Discovery

15

11

2262

2277

2159-8274

2159-8290

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-0652

https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.cd-25-0652

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505187695



Ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is characterized by pervasive genomic instability and high inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Approximately half of HGSC tumors harbor homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), rendering them vulnerable to PARP inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy. In contrast, patients lacking HRD (HR-proficient, HRP) generally respond poorly to current therapies. To overcome heterogeneity and identify relevant HGSC subtypes, we characterized the genomic landscape of 640 tumors from 243 patients using whole-genome sequencing. Our chromosomal instability signature–based analysis characterized the structural variation landscape and revealed five HGSC subtypes, validated in an independent dataset. Two HRD subtypes, associated with BRCA1- or BRCA2-driven alterations, demonstrated favorable treatment responses. Strikingly, three HRP subtypes emerged, marked by unique structural alterations and gene expression patterns, tumor microenvironment interactions, and different chemotherapy responses. Notably, organoid experiments showed subtype-specific sensitivity to CHK1 inhibition, suggesting prexasertib as a potential targeted treatment for most currently untreatable HRP patients.


This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovative Program under grant agreement 965193 (DECIDER), the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Cancer Foundation Finland, the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF21OC0070381), European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (845045), the Danish Cancer Society (grant R204-A12322), and the OvaCure Foundation (The OvaCure Collection Initiative).


Last updated on 2025-06-11 at 14:19