Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):96
Long-term epilepsy-associated tumors: transcriptional signatures reflect clinical course.
Long-term epilepsy-associated tumors (LEATs) represent mostly benign brain tumors associated with drug-resistant epilepsy. The aim of the study was to investigate the specific transcriptional signatures of those tumors and characterize their underlying oncogenic drivers. A cluster analysis of 65 transcriptome profiles from three independent datasets resulted in four distinct transcriptional subgroups. The first subgroup revealed transcriptional activation of STAT3 and TGF-signaling pathways and contained predominantly dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs). The second subgroup was characterized by alterations in the MAPK-pathway and up-stream cascades including FGFR and EGFR-mediated signaling. Transcriptional activation of MAPK-pathway and BRAFV600E mutation are associated with an increased risk for tumor recurrence and malignant progression, therefore the treatment of these tumors should integrate both epileptological and oncological aspects.