title: AKT1 (E17K) mutation profiling in breast cancer: prevalence, concurrent oncogenic alterations, and blood-based detection.
abstract: The single hotspot mutation AKT1 [G49A:E17K] has been described in several cancers, with the highest incidence observed in breast cancer. However, its precise role in disease etiology remains unknown.
  
  
  
  We analyzed more than 600 breast cancer tumor samples and circulating tumor DNA for AKT1 (E17K) and alterations in other cancer-associated genes using Beads, Emulsions, Amplification, and Magnetics digital polymerase chain reaction technology and targeted exome sequencing.
  
  
  
  Overall AKT1 (E17K) mutation prevalence was 6.3 % and not correlated with age or menopausal stage. AKT1 (E17K) mutation frequency tended to be lower in patients with grade 3 disease (1.9 %) compared with those with grade 1 (11.1 %) or grade 2 (6 %) disease. In two cohorts of patients with advanced metastatic disease, 98.0 % (n = 50) and 97.1 % (n = 35) concordance was obtained between tissue and blood samples for the AKT1 (E17K) mutation, and mutation capture rates of 66.7 % (2/3) and 85.7 % (6/7) in blood versus tissue samples were observed. Although AKT1-mutant tumor specimens were often found to harbor concurrent alterations in other driver genes, a subset of specimens harboring AKT1 (E17K) as the only known driver alteration was also identified. Initial follow-up survival data suggest that AKT1 (E17K) could be associated with increased mortality. These findings warrant additional long-term follow-up.
  
  
  
  The data suggest that AKT1 (E17K) is the most likely disease driver in certain breast cancer patients. Blood-based mutation detection is achievable in advanced-stage disease. These findings underpin the need for a further enhanced-precision medicine paradigm in the treatment of breast cancer.
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany. marion.rudolph@bayer.com.
authors: Marion
authors: M
authors: Rudolph
authors: Patients' Tumor Bank of Hope (PATH), Augsburg, Germany.
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Anzeneder
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Anke
authors: A
authors: Schulz
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Georg
authors: G
authors: Beckmann
authors: Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.|At the time of manuscript preparation, the author was on a Science Foundation Ireland-funded industry secondment, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Whippany, NJ, USA.
authors: Annette T
authors: AT
authors: Byrne
authors: Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Whippany, NJ, USA.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Jeffers
authors: Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Whippany, NJ, USA.
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: Pena
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Oliver
authors: O
authors: Politz
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Karl
authors: K
authors: Köchert
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Richardus
authors: R
authors: Vonk
authors: Bayer Pharma AG, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.|AstraZeneca R&D, Personalized Healthcare and Biomarkers, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors: Joachim
authors: J
authors: Reischl
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; C484760:PIK3CA protein, human; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
keywords: AKT1 E17K mutation; Blood-based mutation detection; Breast cancer