Clinicopathological and genomic characterization of BCORL1-driven high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas

BCORL1 is a transcriptional corepressor homologous to BCOR . We describe 12 BCORL1 -altered uterine sarcomas with striking resemblance to BCOR -altered endometrial stromal sarcoma ( BCOR -ESS), including 5 with BCORL1 rearrangements ( JAZF1-BCORL1, EP300 - BCORL1 , or internal BCORL1 rearrangement), 5 with inactivating BCORL1 mutations (T513fs*22, P600fs*1, R945*, R1196*, or R1265fs*4) and 2 with homozygous BCORL1 deletion. The median patient age was 57.5 years (range 33–79). An association with aggressive clinical behavior was identified. Diagnoses assigned prior to genomic testing varied: 7 tumors were previously diagnosed as ESS, 2 as high-grade uterine sarcomas, 2 as myxoid uterine leiomyosarcomas, and 1 as a uterine spindle cell neoplasm consistent with leiomyosarcoma. Tumors harbored frequent gelatinous, mucomyxoid-like appearance by gross examination and unique histology with morphological overlap with BCOR -ESS. Key microscopic features included (1) a spindle cell appearance, most often with at least focal myxoid stroma, (2) variable amounts of hypocellular fibromyxoid spindle areas with lower grade atypia and/or (3) variable amounts of epithelioid areas with higher grade atypia. Specifically, spindle and epithelioid components were present in 100 and 75% of sarcomas, respectively; myxoid stroma was identified in 83%, collagen plaques or fibrosis in 50%, and high-grade nuclear atypia was present in 42%. Like BCOR -ESS, 50% of BCORL1 -altered sarcomas exhibited CDK4 amplification or CDKN2A loss. In contrast, 33% harbored NF1 alterations, while 25% had other alterations in the NF2 - mTOR pathway, expanding potential therapeutic targets. In conclusion, inactivating BCORL1 genomic alterations may define a distinct subset of high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas with biological overlap with BCOR -ESS, both of which may mimic myxoid leiomyosarcomas.