Skip to main content

CASE REPORT article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neuro-Oncology and Neurosurgical Oncology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1466946

Case report: MEK inhibitor as treatment for multi-lineage mosaic KRAS G12D-associated epidermal nevus syndrome in a pediatric patient

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Pediatric Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
  • 2 The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • 3 Pediatric Radiology, Baltimore, United States
  • 4 Department of Neurology, Baltimore, United States
  • 5 Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Baltimore, United States
  • 6 Department of Pathology, Baltimore, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The RASopathies, collectively, are a spectrum of genetic syndromes caused by mutations in genes involved in the RAS/ mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, including but not limited to PTPN11, NRAS, KRAS, HRAS, BRAF, and MAP2K1. Recognized RASopathy conditions include neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Noonan syndrome, capillary malformationarteriovenous malformation syndrome, Costello syndrome, cardiofacio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome, LEOPARD syndrome and Legius syndrome. The RASopathies often display overlapping clinical features, presumably owing to common RAS-MAPK signaling pathway activation driving dysregulated cell proliferation. Epidermal nevus syndromes (ENS) are described as the presence of epidermal nevi, in individuals also affected by extra-cutaneous organ system involvement, and there is recent recognition of mosaic RAS mutations as molecular drivers of ENS. Currently, no curative treatments exist for RASopathy driven conditions, but rather symptom-directed management is the currently accepted standard. Here, we detail a unique case of a child exhibiting diffuse spinal nerve root hypertrophy in the context of epidermal nevus syndrome driven by molecularly confirmed KRAS G12D mosaicism, treated with the MEK 1/2 inhibitor selumetinib. Herein, we report the response of this patient to targeted therapy of more than two years' duration, including stabilization of multilevel nerve root hypertrophy as well as significant improvement in epidermal nevi. While the effectiveness of MEK inhibitors such as selumetinib is established in NF1-associated inoperable plexiform neurofibromas, their use in managing hyperactive KRAS-driven epidermal nevi and hypertrophic neuropathy remains unproven, and this case, to our knowledge, is the first such case to be reported. Shared molecular dysregulation and overlapping clinical features between these conditions suggest potential for effective therapeutic application of MEK directed therapy to address a range of conditions resulting from germline and/ or mosaic expression of aberrantly regulated RAS signaling.

    Keywords: RASopathy1, KRAS G12D2, hypertrophic neuropathy3, selumetinib4, epidermal nevus syndrome5. (Min

    Received: 18 Jul 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: Ā© 2024 Dionysiou, Makri, Guryildirim, BaraƱano, Groves, Argani and Pratilas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Christine A. Pratilas, Pediatric Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.