Mgmt Promoter Methylation Level In Newly Diagnosed Low-Grade Glioma Is A Predictor Of Hypermutation At Recurrence

Background. Emerging data suggest that a subset of patients with diffuse isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant low-grade glioma (LGG) who receive adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) recur with hypermutation in association with malignant progression to higher-grade tumors. It is currently unclear why some TMZ-treated LGG patients recur with hypermutation while others do not. MGMT encodes O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase, a DNA repair protein that removes cytotoxic and potentially mutagenic lesions induced by TMZ. Here, we hypothesize that epigenetic silencing of MGMT by promoter methylation facilitates TMZ-induced mutagenesis in LGG patients and contributes to development of hypermutation at recurrence.Methods. We utilize a quantitative deep sequencing assay to characterize MGMT promoter methylation in 109 surgical tissue specimens from initial tumors and post-treatment recurrences of 37 TMZ-treated LGG patients. We utilize methylation arrays to validate our sequencing assay, RNA sequencing to assess the relationship between methylation and gene expression, and exome sequencing to determine hypermutation status.Results. Methylation level at the MGMT promoter is significantly higher in initial tumors of patients that develop hypermutation at recurrence relative to initial tumors of patients that do not (45.7% vs 34.8%, P = 0.027). Methylation level in initial tumors can predict hypermutation at recurrence in univariate models and multivariate models that incorporate patient age and molecular subtype.Conclusions. These findings reveal a mechanistic basis for observed differences in patient susceptibility to TMZ-driven hypermutation. Furthermore, they establish MGMT promoter methylation level as a potential biomarker to inform clinical management of LGG patients, including monitoring and treatment decisions, by predicting risk of hypermutation at recurrence.Importance of the StudyOptimal clinical management remains controversial for patients diagnosed with diffuse IDH-mutant LGG as tumors inevitably recur following surgical resection and eventually cause death. While the chemotherapeutic agent TMZ extends survival in patients with glioblastoma, its clinical benefits in LGG are less clear and must be weighed against potential treatment-related risks. TMZ is potently mutagenic and drives hypermutation in association with malignant progression in a subset of patients with an initial diagnosis of LGG. Here, we identify promoter methylation at MGMT in initial LGG tumors as a predictor of hypermutation at recurrence. Our findings reveal a mechanistic basis for observed differences in susceptibility of LGG patients to TMZ-driven hypermutation. As optimal clinical management of LGG continues to be defined, our findings establish MGMT promoter methylation at diagnosis as a potential biomarker to inform monitoring and treatment decisions by stratifying patients based upon risk of developing hypermutation at recurrence.