# ARID1A mutations in endometriosis-associated ovarian carcinomas

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-wiegand-arid1a-clear-cell-nejm-2010/  
OnCo record `paper-wiegand-arid1a-clear-cell-nejm-2010` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

This study found that about half of ovarian clear cell carcinomas and a third of endometrioid carcinomas carry inactivating mutations in ARID1A, a chromatin remodelling gene, linking these endometriosis-associated cancers to a common driver.

## Summary

Sequencing study identifying truncating ARID1A mutations in 46 percent of ovarian clear cell carcinomas and 30 percent of endometrioid carcinomas but not in high-grade serous carcinoma, with loss of the BAF250a protein in mutated tumours and evidence of the mutation in adjacent endometriosis.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: New England Journal of Medicine
- Year: 2010
- DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1008433
- Authors: Wiegand KC, Shah SP, Al-Agha OM, et al.
- Findings: ARID1A mutations in 46 percent of clear cell and 30 percent of endometrioid ovarian carcinomas.; No ARID1A mutations in high-grade serous carcinoma.
- What it means: ARID1A loss defines the biology of clear cell ovarian cancer and is the target of current trials of synthetic-lethal drugs such as ATR and EZH2 inhibitors.
- Caveats: No ARID1A-directed therapy has yet been approved.

## Sources

- N Engl J Med 2010: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1008433
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20942669/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Clear cell ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/clear-cell-ovarian-cancer/)
- journals: [New England Journal of Medicine](https://onco.cc/journals/nejm/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/paper-wiegand-arid1a-clear-cell-nejm-2010.json