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MTAP

A Commonly Deleted Gene in Multiple Cancers

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What is MTAP?

MTAP is important for the function of PRMT5, itself a critical regulator of an abundance of proteins in human cells. MTAP is deleted in cancers as a “passenger deletion” along with the tumor suppressor gene CDKN2A — a common cancer-promoting genetic event.

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The MTAP gene is deleted in 10-15% of all human cancers

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In laboratory studies, cancer cells with MTAP deletion are much more sensitive to PRMT5 inhibition than normal cells, a vulnerability that allowed the development of several new potential treatments for cancers with MTAP deletions that are currently being tested in clinical trials.

Treatment Options

There are currently no FDA-approved treatments specifically for patients with MTAP-deleted cancers. Several clinical trials are evaluating investigational treatments targeting MTAP-deleted cancers, including one phase 1/2  clinical trial sponsored by Tango Therapeutics.

Explore a clinical trial for patients with MTAP-deleted tumors

TNG462 phase 1/2 clinical trial

Learn more

Detecting MTAP Deletion

At the time of diagnosis, it is useful to test the tumor tissue obtained by biopsy for cancer-related genetic alterations to help determine the best treatment plan for the patient. This type of testing is typically done with next-generation sequencing (NGS) that can directly identify almost all known genetic alterations associated with cancer, or immunohistochemistry (IHC) which identifies specific changes in the amount of protein caused by those alterations. MTAP deletions can be detected by either method and used to determine eligibility for clinical trials, including the phase 1/2 trial for TNG462.

If testing was not done at diagnosis, it can still be done years later on tissue samples stored by the hospital where the biopsy was performed.

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Using Prior Test Results

If a patient’s tumor has been tested previously by NGS (or IHC), review the results for any of the following:

MTAP deletion

Present by NGS or negative by IHC

CDKN2A deletion

Present by NGS

p16

Negative by IHC

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If the tumor analysis results include any of the changes above, the patient may be eligible for a clinical trial like TNG462-C101.

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