Molecular characterization of plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma and the impact on treatment implications

• Published in: Cancer treatment and research communications Vol. 37; p. 100779
• Main Authors: Weiss, Kristin, Gessner, Kathryn H., Demzik, Alysen, Moreton, Elizabeth, Kim, William Y., Wobker, Sara E., Rose, Tracy L., Milowsky, Matthew I., Bjurlin, Marc A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bladder cancer; Hematology, Oncology, and Palliative Medicine; Molecular characterization; Plasmacytoid; Urothelial carcinoma; Plasmacytoid; Urothelial carcinoma; Molecular characterization; Bladder cancer
• ISSN: 2468-2942; 2468-2942
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2023.100779

•Understanding molecular and genomic aberrations driving the underlying biology of urothelial carcinoma is essential for the development and application of targeted therapies.•Our review illustrates clear differences in the underlying tumor biology between the plasmacytoid variant and conventional urothelial carcinoma.•Possible viable targets include nectin-4 with enfortumab vedotin, the E-cadherin pathway, and the HER2 pathway. Bladder cancer researchers and clinicians have increasingly viewed tumor biology through the lens of genomic and molecular alterations, drastically improving our knowledge of the underlying disease biology. This understanding has led to significant advances in treatment options that allow implementation of a personalized approach to cancer treatment. Large-scale genomic studies initially focused on the most common forms of bladder cancer. However, as genomic and molecular technologies become more widespread and are applied to less common variant histologies, we are gaining additional insight into the unique molecular and genomic characteristics driving the biology of variant histologies of bladder cancer. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge of molecular alterations underlying the distinct tumor biology of plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma and how these alterations may impact treatment options.