Un proyecto típico de scoring puede hacerse en seis etapas:

The clinical utility of the MammaPrint microarray for assessment of metastatic potential (Cardoso et al. 2016), and single-gene BRCA1/2 mutation testing of tumour or germline DNA as a treatment target for PARP inhibitors (Dziadkowiec et al. 2016) or to assess risk for familial breast cancer (Møller et al. 2014), is well established. However, the use of NGS on tumour DNA extracted from breast biopsies (solid or liquid) for targeted therapies requires further research (Cummings et al. 2016). The clinical utility of CYP2D6 genotyping for determination of Tamoxifen resistance is, for example, less clear than the pharmacogenetic effect on response to anti-depressants, which led to an implementation study in South Africa (van der Merwe et al. 2012a). This translational research performed in breast cancer patients considered for concomitant treatment with Tamoxifen and antidepressants that may inhibit CYP2D6 enzyme function, increased the awareness of clinicians about the potential benefits of multi- gene testing to facilitate prevention of cumulative risk (Baatjes et al. 2017).

Detection of bilateral breast cancer or multiple primary tumours in a patient increases the probability of hereditary disease. NGS systems capable of analysing massive amounts of sequencing data at the same time are increasingly used to screen breast cancer patients for causative gene variants and

pharmacogenomic markers. The differences between NGS platforms lie mainly in the technical details of the sequencing reactions and can be categorized into four groups, namely pyrosequencing (Qiagen Pyromark Q24 - Pyrosequencing analysis system), sequencing by synthesis, or by ligation (Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing machine), and ion semiconductor sequencing (Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine) (Van Dijk et al. 2014).

Third-generation nanopore sequencing technologies such as MinION use a portable device for analysis of long-range DNA and RNA fragments in real-time. The MinION sequencing device is capable of reading more than 100Kb and has been used in field laboratory work to analyse samples as small as viruses or as large as the whole human genome (Jain et al. 2016). Nanopore long reads simplify the assembly and repetitive regions, also improving the speed of species identification in experiments. The MinION is the world first POCket-sized device that offers ultralong read length sequencing in real-time at a relatively low cost.

A study performed by Liau et al. (2019) showed that nanopore sequencing offers a high throughput method for detection of both known and new pharmacogenetic variants, including duplicated alleles. Due to the long reads generated by nanopore sequencing, accurate CYP2D6 haplotyping can be achieved without the need for statistical phasing, as also reported previously (Ammar et al. 2015). This third-generation sequencing technology was also used to accurately categorise in-frame and out-of- frame splicing events after sequencing of whole BRCA1 mRNA transcript sequencing (de Jong et al. 2017). Massive parallel sequencing for identification of BRCA1/2 variants are usually performed on NGS platforms such as the llumina MiSeq and Ion Torrent, followed by Sanger sequencing considered the ‘gold standard’ for confirmation of BRCA1/2 or other variants (Toland et al. 2018). Further studies are needed to determine whether MinION nanopore sequencing can replace multiplex ligation- dependent probe amplification (MLPA) as the method of choice for identification or confirmation of large rearrangements including duplications and deletions in BRCA1/2 or other cancer-related genes.

1.9.1. BRCA1/2 testing at the point-of-care

The two major breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, help protect against the development of tumours by acting as tumour suppressors that regulate cell division and repair DNA damage that can lead to uncontrolled cell growth. A pathogenic BRCA1/2 variant can affect the ability of the affected genes to perform functions such as DNA repair and recombination. With recent development of the ParaDNA POC System using HyBeacon probes to detect the eight most common BRCA1/2 founder/recurrent mutations (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=103993) previously described in South Africa (Reeves et al. 2004; van der Merwe and van Rensburg 2009; van der Merwe et al. 2012b), rapid DNA testing can now be performed as a stand-alone test or incorporated into the PSGT algorithm.

HyBeacon probes can process samples at a rapid pace using extracted DNA or crude saliva, swab, urine and blood samples (Howard et al. 2011). Within approximately 60 minutes, the POC diagnostic tool performs PCR amplification and analysis of the sample, while not taking more than 15 minutes to set up the instrument (Blackman et al. 2015). A summarised result is generated automatically and visualised via an attached laptop. Successful application of POC testing in a clinical setting was first demonstrated for genotyping of CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1 related to differences in the ability to metabolise Warfarin (Howard et al. 2011). This pharmacogenetics POC assay using HyBeacon probes produced excellent and accurate results for dosage monitoring for patients on anticoagulant therapy. In a subsequent implementation study of genotype-guided dosing of the oral anticoagulant, successful integration of POC genetics was demonstrated in a clinical setting in the UK (Jorgensen et al. 2019). A similar process is required in South Africa for implementation of BRCA1/2 founder/recurrent mutation testing, as explored in breast cancer patients referred for the MammaPrint test or NGS of tumour DNA in the present study.

Compared to other genomic assays such as Oncotype DX (Shah et al. 2016), the MammaPrint test has not previously been studied in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers or cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) intermediate and poor metabolizers (Ross et al. 2008). Cytochrome P450 is a superfamily of enzymes expressed in the liver and some areas of the central nervous system, with CYP2D6 identified as one of the most significant enzymes responsible for the metabolism of medication in the human body (Samer et al. 2013). Van der Merwe et al. (2012a) highlighted the fact that CYP2D6 genotyping may be of particular relevance for prevention of cumulative risk in BRCA2 breast cancer patients who receive Tamoxifen, or antidepressants known to inhibit enzyme function (Newman et al. 2008). However, it is uncertain whether BRCA1/2 mutation screening and CYP2D6 genotyping could add value to the PSGT approach when applied in the MammaPrint service in South Africa (Grant et al. 2013). This research question was addressed in the present study based on the knowledge that an integrated analysis of germline and tumour genetics may facilitate the identification of signal pathways and genetic alterations underlying biological changes with different treatment requirements (Kalia 2015).

Use of a single platform that brings together fragmented pathology and genetic data facilitates improved quality assurance on which to base treatment decisions (Figure 3). The relatively long turn-around time (2-3 weeks) of complex genomic tests performed on genetic material extracted from tumour biopsies (RNA/DNA) creates an opportunity for evaluation of rapid POC germline DNA assays that could add value during the waiting period from sample collection to report generation. When used as a first-line screening assay during a genomic counselling session, BRCA1/2 and/or CYP2D6 pharmacogenetic testing may provide a cost-effective entry level for implementation of personalised medicine.

Figure 3: Pathology-supported genetic testing strategy incorporating multiple assay platforms to facilitate improved quality assurance on which to base treatment decisions.