PTEN and neoplasm: Targeted sequencing of PTEN hotspot regions, primarily exons 5–8, revealed genomic alterations (mutations or deletions) in 29 cases (12.7%), consistent with previous reports.[34] Stratification by disease stage showed an increasing frequency of PTEN alterations: 5.6% in Stage I, 7.9% in Stage II, and 11.1% in Stage III–IV (Table S8, Supporting Information), suggesting that PTEN inactivation may contribute to tumor progression.