NTRK-Fusions - A new kid on the block

Bruno Märkl; Klaus Hirschbühl; Christine Dhillon

doi:10.1016/j.prp.2019.152572

NTRK-Fusions - A new kid on the block

Pathol Res Pract. 2019 Oct;215(10):152572. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2019.152572. Epub 2019 Aug 1.

Authors

Bruno Märkl¹, Klaus Hirschbühl², Christine Dhillon³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University Clinic Augsburg, Germany. Electronic address: bruno.maerkl@uk-augsburg.de.
² II. Medical Clinic, University Clinic Augsburg, Germany.
³ Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University Clinic Augsburg, Germany.

PMID: 31400924
DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2019.152572

Abstract

The neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinases (NTRK) play an important role in the development and function of the nervous system. Fusions involving NTRK and a wide range of genes that act as fusion partners are oncogenic and activate well-known signal transduction pathways like the MAPK-ERK pathway. NTRK fusions occur in many very different tumor entities in children and youth as well as in adults. There are a few tumors like secretory breast cancer and congenital fibrosarcoma for which NTRK fusions are pathognomonic. At the same time there a large number of tumors in which NTRK fusions occur in very rare frequency (e.g., lung cancer). TRK inhibitors offer now the possibility to use NTRK fusion as antitumorigenic targets in a tumor agnostic fashion regardless of the basic histology. It is the task of modern pathology to identify such targetable fusions in a highly effective and efficient manner.

Keywords: NTRK; NTRK fusions; Neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinases; TRK inhibitor; Tumor agnostic.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Neoplasms / genetics*
Neoplasms / pathology
Oncogene Fusion*
Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics*

Substances

Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases