Germline (epi)genetics reveals high predisposition in females: a 5-year, nationwide, prospective Wilms tumour cohort

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Background: Studies suggest that Wilms tumours (WT) are caused by underlying genetic (5%-10%) and epigenetic (2%-29%) mechanisms, yet studies covering both aspects are sparse. Methods: We performed prospective whole-genome sequencing of germline DNA in Danish children diagnosed with WT from 2016 to 2021, and linked genotypes to deep phenotypes. Results: Of 24 patients (58% female), 3 (13%, all female) harboured pathogenic germline variants in WT risk genes (FBXW7, WT1 and REST). Only one patient had a family history of WT (3 cases), segregating with the REST variant. Epigenetic testing revealed one (4%) additional patient (female) with uniparental disomy of chromosome 11 and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS). We observed a tendency of higher methylation of the BWS-related imprinting centre 1 in patients with WT than in healthy controls. Three patients (13%, all female) with bilateral tumours and/or features of BWS had higher birth weights (4780 g vs 3575 g; p=0.002). We observed more patients with macrosomia (>4250 g, n=5, all female) than expected (OR 9.98 (95% CI 2.56 to 34.66)). Genes involved in early kidney development were enriched in our constrained gene analysis, including both known (WT1, FBXW7) and candidate (CTNND1, FRMD4A) WT predisposition genes. WT predisposing variants, BWS and/or macrosomia (n=8, all female) were more common in female patients than male patients (p=0.01). Conclusion: We find that most females (57%) and 33% of all patients with WT had either a genetic or another indicator of WT predisposition. This emphasises the need for scrutiny when diagnosing patients with WT, as early detection of underlying predisposition may impact treatment, follow-up and genetic counselling.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Medical Genetics
Volume60
Issue number9
Pages (from-to)842-849
ISSN0022-2593
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

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© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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