Dramatic multifocal osteosarcoma treatment response in the setting of POT1 tumor predisposition syndrome
Dramatic multifocal osteosarcoma treatment response in the setting of POT1 tumor predisposition syndrome

Dramatic multifocal osteosarcoma treatment response in the setting of POT1 tumor predisposition syndrome

Cancer Genet. 2025 Aug 25;298-299:39-43. doi: 10.1016/j.cancergen.2025.08.008. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: POT1 tumor predisposition (POT1-TPD) is associated with a spectrum of malignancies due to loss of function mutations in POT1 leading to telomere elongation and genomic instability. Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor and has a poor prognosis when multifocal.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 15-year-old male was found to have a primary right distal femur osteosarcoma with multiple additional bony sites of disease. A POT1 splice site variant (c.949+1G>C) was identified both somatically and in the germline consistent with POT1-TPD. Despite extensive multifocality, the tumor displayed marked chemosensitivity to standard of care therapy and long-term remission was achieved.

DISCUSSION: Evidence suggests that hereditable alterations in telomeric function including POT1 are enriched in sarcoma susceptibility. Furthermore, hereditary tumor predisposition syndromes often increase osteosarcoma risk including a recent report of five patients with POT1-TPD. Multifocal osteosarcoma is rare, but a few retrospective cohorts suggest dismal prognosis. This report details an adolescent male with presumed POT1-TPD who developed synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma exquisitely sensitive to chemotherapy which may represent a unique phenotype for the syndrome.

PMID:40902353 | DOI:10.1016/j.cancergen.2025.08.008