Clinical Impact of Germline Multigene Sequencing in Pediatric Cohorts with a Wide Spectrum of Neoplasms.
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Cancer predisposition syndromes (CPSs) account for 8.5-18% of all childhood cancer cases. Most of them are inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern; consequently, there is a 50% risk of transmission to offspring. Early detection of CPSs is crucial for choosing patient treatment strategies and for counseling in the family. This study enrolled 886 pediatric patients with hematologic and solid neoplasms from prospective and retrospective cohorts (2018-2025). Clinical exome or multigene panel sequencing was used to analyze blood DNA. Overall, 186 pathogenic/likely pathogenic (PLP) variants in cancer-associated genes were identified in 176/886 (20%) of patients, and the most frequently mutated were the NF1 (n = 35) and TP53 (n = 18) genes. Among the 186 PLP variants, 126/886 (14.2%) were causative for pediatric neoplasms, while 56/886 (6.3%) were heterozygous mutations associated with adult-onset CPSs affecting DNA repair. The highest total mutation rate was revealed in retinoblastoma (80%), peripheral nerve sheath tumors (60%), and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (47%), while the lowest rate was found in hematologic malignancies (4.6%) and neuroblastoma (12%). The wide range and high frequency of deleterious variants in pediatric patients, especially in those with solid tumors, highlights the importance of multigene panel sequencing for the accurate determination of CPSs.