Further evidence that the neurodevelopmental gene FBXW7 predisposes to Wilms tumor

Abstract

Somatic variants in the NOTCH pathway regulator FBXW7 are frequently seen in a variety of malignancies. Heterozygous loss-of-function germline variants in FBXW7 have recently been described as causative for a neurodevelopmental syndrome. Independently, FBXW7 was also considered as a susceptibility gene for Wilms tumor due to a few observations of heterozygous germline variants in patients with Wilms tumor. Whether the same FBXW7 variants are implicated in both, neurodevelopmental delay and Wilms tumor formation, remained unclear. By clinical testing, we now observed a patient with neurodevelopmental delay due to a de novo constitutional mosaic FBXW7 splice site pathogenic variant who developed Wilms tumor. In the tumor, we identified a second hit frameshift variant in FBXW7. Immunohistochemical staining was consistent with mosaic loss of FBXW7 protein expression in the tumor. Our data support the role of constitutional FBXW7 pathogenic variants in both, neurodevelopmental disorder and the etiology of Wilms tumor. Therefore, Wilms tumor screening should be considered in individuals with constitutional or germline pathogenic variants in FBXW7 and associated neurodevelopmental syndrome.

Keywords: FBXW7; Wilms tumor; cancer predisposition; constitutional mosaic variant; neurodevelopmental syndrome.