Whole-genome characterization of large-cell lung carcinoma: A comparative analysis based on the histological classification

Background: According to the 2015 World Health Organization classification, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) was isolated from Large-cell lung cancer (LCLC) tumors, which constitutes 2%–3% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, LCLC tumors are still fairly vaguely defined at the molecular level compared to other subgroups. Materials and Methods: In this study, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 23 LCLC and 15 LCNEC tumor specimens. Meanwhile, data from the TCGA (586 LUADs and 511 LUSCs) and U Cologne (120 SCLCs) were analyzed and compared. Results: The most common driver mutations were found in TP53 (13/23, 57%), FAM135B (8/23, 35%) and FAT3 (7/23, 30%) in LCLC, while their counterparts in LCNEC were TP53 (13/15, 87%), LRP1B (6/15, 40%) and FAT1 (6/15, 40%). Notably, FAM135B mutations only occurred in LCLC (P = 0.013). Cosmic signature analysis revealed widespread defective DNA mismatch repair and tobacco-induced mutations in both LCLC and LCNEC. Additionally, LCNEC had a higher incidence of chromosomal copy number variations (CNVs) and structural variations (SVs) compared with LCLC, although the differences were not statistically significant. Particularly, chromothripsis SVs was significantly associated with CNVs. Furthermore, mutational landscape of different subtypes indicated differences between subtypes, and there seems to be more commonalty between our cohort and SCLC than with other subtypes. SMARCA4 mutations may be specific driver gene alteration in our cohort. Conclusion: Our results support that LCLC and LCNEC tumors follow distinct tumorigenic pathways. To our knowledge, this is the first genome-wide profiling comparison of LCLC and LCNEC.