Investigation of the Association between Intracranial Remote Recurrence and MYC in Astrocytoma.

Astrocytomas are characterized by poor prognoses and high rates of intracranial remote recurrence. Previous studies identified 8q gain, particularly in the terminal region, as a poor prognostic factor. This study evaluated the role of MYC, an oncogene on 8q24.21, in astrocytoma progression and recurrence patterns. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 27 astrocytoma patients treated between 2006 and 2019. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of MYC, copy number analysis using metaphase comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and next-generation sequencing (NGS), and recurrence pattern evaluations were performed. Statistical analyses assessed associations between MYC expression, 8q gain, and recurrence patterns. Among 43 specimens analyzed by IHC, MYC expression was observed in 72% of cases, with higher positivity in recurrent specimens (80%) than in initial specimens (61%), though this was not statistically significant (p = 0.30). Copy number analysis revealed a significant association between higher copy numbers in the MYC region and remote recurrence (p = 0.026). However, no significant relationships were found between MYC expression and 8q gain (p = 1.0) or recurrence patterns (p = 0.081). While MYC expression is prevalent in astrocytomas, its direct role in remote recurrence remains unclear, underscoring the need for further molecular studies to identify drivers of poor prognosis.