Gene expression-based dissection of inter-histotype, in-tra-histotype and intra-tumor heterogeneity in pediatric tumors. Gene expression-based dissection of inter-histotype, in-tra-histotype and intra-tumor heterogeneity in pediatric tumors

We aimed at assessing the extent of gene expression inter/intra-histotype heterogeneity and ITH in four different pediatric cancer histotypes, analysing multiple samples of each single tumor mass. Overall design: Based on the availability of clinical, radiological and pathological information, as well as of multiple formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) viable tumor tissue blocksfrom spatially distinct areas of the primary tumor mass, possibly with different morphologies, 5 hepatoblastomas (HB), 5 neuroblastomas (NB), 5 rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS), and 5 Wilms tumors (WT) were selected. Gene expression profiling was performed and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), single sample Hallmark Gene Set (HGS) analysis and Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were performed