• Xianlong Wang, Chuan Zhao, Jincheng Lin, Hongxing Liu, Qiuhong Zeng, Huadong Chen, Ye Wang, Dapeng Xu, Wen Chen, Moping Xu, En Zhang, Da Lin, and Zhixiong Lin.
• Department of Bioinformatics, School of Medical Technology and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Medical Bioinformatics, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China.
• Chin. Med. J. 2024 Apr 5; 137 (7): 859870859-870.

BackgroundAdamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is the commonest pediatric sellar tumor. No effective drug is available and interpatient heterogeneity is prominent. This study aimed to identify distinct molecular subgroups of ACP based on the multi-omics profiles, imaging findings, and histological features, in order to predict the response to anti-inflammatory treatment and immunotherapies.MethodsTotally 142 Chinese cases diagnosed with craniopharyngiomas were profiled, including 119 ACPs and 23 papillary craniopharyngiomas. Whole-exome sequencing (151 tumors, including recurrent ones), RNA sequencing (84 tumors), and DNA methylome profiling (95 tumors) were performed. Consensus clustering and non-negative matrix factorization were used for subgrouping, and Cox regression were utilized for prognostic evaluation, respectively.ResultsThree distinct molecular subgroups were identified: WNT, ImA, and ImB. The WNT subgroup showed higher Wnt/β-catenin pathway activity, with a greater number of epithelial cells and more predominantly solid tumors. The ImA and ImB subgroups had activated inflammatory and interferon response pathways, with enhanced immune cell infiltration and more predominantly cystic tumors. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MEK/MAPK) signaling was activated only in ImA samples, while IL-6 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition biomarkers were highly expressed in the ImB group, mostly consisting of children. The degree of astrogliosis was significantly elevated in the ImA group, with severe finger-like protrusions at the invasive front of the tumor. The molecular subgrouping was an independent prognostic factor, with the WNT group having longer event-free survival than ImB (Cox, P = 0.04). ImA/ImB cases were more likely to respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy than the WNT group ( P <0.01). In the preliminary screening of subtyping markers, CD38 was significantly downregulated in WNT compared with ImA and ImB ( P = 0.01).ConclusionsACP comprises three molecular subtypes with distinct imaging and histological features. The prognosis of the WNT type is better than that of the ImB group, which is more likely to benefit from the ICB treatment.Copyright © 2024 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.

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