Clinical utility of periodic reinterpretation of CNVs of uncertain significance: an 8-year retrospective study

Background Array-CGH is the first-tier genetic test both in pre- and postnatal developmental disorders worldwide. Variants of uncertain significance (VUS) represent around 10 similar to 15% of reported copy number variants (CNVs). Even though VUS reanalysis has become usual in practice, no long-term study regarding CNV reinterpretation has been reported. Methods This retrospective study examined 1641 CGH arrays performed over 8 years (2010-2017) to demonstrate the contribution of periodically re-analyzing CNVs of uncertain significance. CNVs were classified using AnnotSV on the one hand and manually curated on the other hand. The classification was based on the 2020 American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) criteria. Results Of the 1641 array-CGH analyzed, 259 (15.7%) showed at least one CNV initially reported as of uncertain significance. After reinterpretation, 106 of the 259 patients (40.9%) changed categories, and 12 of 259 (4.6%) had a VUS reclassified to likely pathogenic or pathogenic. Six were predisposing factors for neurodevelopmental disorder/autism spectrum disorder (ASD). CNV type (gain or loss) does not seem to impact the reclassification rate, unlike the length of the CNV: 75% of CNVs downgraded to benign or likely benign are less than 500 kb in size. Conclusions This study's high rate of reinterpretation suggests that CNV interpretation has rapidly evolved since 2010, thanks to the continuous enrichment of available databases. The reinterpreted CNV explained the phenotype for ten patients, leading to optimal genetic counseling. These findings suggest that CNVs should be reinterpreted at least every 2 years.

Automated summary

This retrospective study reanalyzed 1641 Array-CGH performed between 2010 and 2017 and found that 15.7% of CNVs were initially reported as of uncertain significance. After reinterpretation, 40.9% of patients had changes in CNV classification, and 4.6% had VUS reclassified as likely pathogenic. The study highlights the importance of CNV reinterpretation for genetic counseling.