Frequency of BAP1 Gene Mutation in Egyptian Patients with Advanced Sporadic Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and its Correlation with Clinical Outcome

Abstract

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a lethal and rare cancer linked to asbestos exposure. The median overall survival of MPM is estimated to be 1 year and the cure is rarely occurred. Up till now little is known about the prognostic and predictive factors as well as the mechanisms of resistance to conventional therapy of the disease. The exact biology and molecular mechanisms of mesothelioma is still poorly understood. Although, current treatment modalities may improve the quality of life, they have shown modest effect in improving the overall survival and novel treatments are still needed. Investigating the genomic nature of Malignant Mesothelioma may identify novel molecular targets for therapy for this rarely cured disease. Three independent and significantly mutated genes (BAP1, CDKN2A/B loss NF2) have been identified and reported to be involved in MPM oncogenesis. From the three identified genetic alterations of MPM, BRCA Associated Protein 1 (BAP1) was the most common mutated gene.