The phenotypic and genotypic landscapes in multifocal glioblastoma (MF GBM) cases can vary greatly among lesions. In a MF GBM patient, the rapid development of a secondary lesion was investigated to determine if a unique genetic signature could account for the apparent increased malignancy of this lesion.

The primary (G52) and secondary (G53) tumours were resected to develop patient derived models followed by functional assays and multiplatform molecular profiling.

Molecular profiling revealed G52 was wild-type for TP53 while G53 presented with a TP53 missense mutation. Functional studies demonstrated increased proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation in G53.

This data suggests that the TP53 mutation led to gain-of-function phenotypes and resulted in greater overall oncogenic potential of G53.