CNApp: a web-based tool for integrative analysis of genomic copy number alterations in cancer

Abstract

Somatic copy number alterations (CNAs) are a hallmark of cancer. Although CNA profiles have been established for most human tumor types, their precise role in tumorigenesis as well as their clinical and therapeutic relevance remain largely unclear. Thus, computational and statistical approaches are required to thoroughly define the interplay between CNAs and tumor phenotypes. Here we developed CNApp, a user-friendly web tool that offers sample- and cohort-level computational analyses, allowing a comprehensive and integrative exploration of CNAs with clinical and molecular variables. By using purity-corrected segmented data from multiple genomic platforms, CNApp generates genome-wide profiles, computes CNA scores for broad, focal and global CNA burdens, and uses machine learning-based predictions to classify samples. We applied CNApp to a pan-cancer dataset of 10,635 genomes from TCGA showing that CNA patterns classify cancer types according to their tissue-of-origin, and that broad and focal CNA scores positively correlate in samples with low amounts of whole-chromosome and chromosomal arm-level imbalances. Moreover, using the hepatocellular carcinoma cohort from the TCGA repository, we demonstrate the reliability of the tool in identifying recurrent CNAs, confirming previous results. Finally, we establish machine learning-based models to predict colon cancer molecular subtypes and microsatellite instability based on broad CNA scores and specific genomic imbalances. In summary, CNApp facilitates data-driven research and provides a unique framework for the first time to comprehensively assess CNAs and perform integrative analyses that enable the identification of relevant clinical implications. CNApp is hosted at http://cnapp.bsc.es.