Identification of transcriptomic drivers of squamous cell carcinoma development through a preneoplastic intermediate [human RNA-Seq]

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) comprises 15-20% of all skin cancers, accounting for over 700,000 cases in the U.S. annually. Most cuSCC arise in association with a distinct precancerous lesion, the actinic keratosis (AK). In order to identify potential targets for molecularly targeted chemoprevention, we performed integrated cross-species genomic analysis of cuSCC development through the preneoplastic AK stage using matched human samples and a solar UV-driven Hairless mouse model. We identified the major transcriptional drivers of this sequence showing that the key genomic changes in cuSCC development occur in the normal skin to AK transition. Our data validate the use of this UV-driven mouse cuSCC model for cross-species analysis and demonstrate that cuSCC bears deep molecular similarities to multiple carcinogen-driven SCCs from diverse sites, suggesting that cuSCC may serve as an effective, accessible model for multiple SCC types and that common treatment and prevention strategies may be feasible. We sought to identify important genetic events that drive squamous cell carcinoma development through combined analysis of next generation sequencing of matched patient samples with a UV-driven mouse model to identify key pathways.