Yao, Song

Importance Inherited pathogenic variants (PVs) in known predisposition genes can greatly increase breast cancer risk, but the combined impact of PV status, family history, and other factors on breast cancer risk in the general US population has not been well described. Objective To evaluate population-based breast cancer risk estimates for those with established PVs overall and stratified by first-degree family history of breast cancer and other factors. Design, Setting, and Participants This study used pooled data from 13 US-based breast cancer case-control studies participating in the Cancer Risk Estimates Related to Susceptibility (CARRIERS) consortium. Enrollment for individual studies occurred between 1976 and 2013, and results are based on data released March 2023, with analyses conducted from June 2022 to July 2025. Exposures PVs, breast cancer family history, self-reported race and ethnicity, and established risk factors. Main Outcomes and Measures Breast cancer rate ratios for PVs in 7 genes were estimated from the CARRIERS consortium. PV status and incidence and mortality statistics were combined using the Individualized Coherent Absolute Risk Estimation (iCARE) model to estimate conditional cumulative breast cancer risks and 95% CIs, stratified by family history and standardized to the US population. Models that incorporated population-based data and published estimates for established epidemiologic risk factors were also evaluated. Results A total of 67 692 women were studied, including 33 841 who were diagnosed with breast cancer. PVs in ATM , BRCA1 , BRCA2 , CHEK2 , and PALB2 were strongly associated with breast cancer risk, with BRCA1 and PALB2 PVs showing evidence of heterogeneity by family history. In models considering PVs, family history, and established risk factors, the estimated cumulative risks of breast cancer by age 50 years ranged from 2.4% (95% CI, 2.4-2.4) in women with no PVs and no family history to 35.5% (95% CI, 21.6-55.1) in PALB2 PV carriers with a family history. Among women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer by age 50 years, the cumulative risk of breast cancer by age 80 years ranged from 11.1% (95% CI, 11.0-11.2) in noncarriers with no family history to 70.5% (95% CI, 52.8-83.5) for PALB2 carriers with a family history. PV-specific cumulative risk estimates varied across subgroups defined by race and ethnicity and potentially modifiable epidemiologic risk factors. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, population-based estimates of cumulative breast cancer risk for established PVs, as informed by the CARRIERS case-control sample, varied by family history and potentially modifiable risk factors. These estimates provide guidance for identifying individuals who will most benefit from enhanced screening and prevention strategies.

1107 Background: Chronic stress-mediated β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) signaling promotes tumor growth via immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in preclinical models. Blockade of β2-AR has shown higher survival benefit in patients with TNBC in observational studies compared to other breast cancer (BC) subtypes. However, the molecular and immunological features associated with ADRB2 (gene for β2-AR) gene expression in TNBC are unknown, prompting this investigation. Methods: 3,038 TNBC samples were analyzed via NGS (592-gene panel, NextSeq; WES/WTS, NovaSeq; Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ). Immune cell fractions were calculated by deconvolution of WTS: Quantiseq. TNBC ADRB2 -high(H) and ADRB2 -low(L) RNA expression were classified as above or below the 50 th percentile, respectively. Real-world overall survival (OS) was obtained from insurance claims and calculated from tissue collection to last contact using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Statistical significance was assessed using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests with multiple comparison adjustments (q < 0.05). Results: ADRB2 gene expression was lowest in TNBC (median (TPM: 1.6) compared to N = 453 HR-HER2+ (1.9), N = 629 HR+HER2+ (2.0) and N = 4,918 HR+HER2- (2.2) BC (all q < 0.05). African American or Black patients (N = 670) had lower expression of ADRB2 compared to European American or White (N = 1,412) TNBC patients (1.3 vs 1.7, q < 0.05). ADRB2 -H TNBC had higher mutation frequency of PIK3CA (21% vs 15.4%), CDH1 (7% vs 3.5%), NF1 (8% vs 4%), AKT1 (3.5% vs 2.1%), but lower frequency of TP53 (81.6% vs 87.5%), NOTCH1 (2.5% vs 4.5%) and NOTCH3 (4.4% vs 11.7%) compared to ADRB2 -L, all q < 0.05. ADRB2 -H had greater PD-L1 (22C3) positivity (39.1% vs 30.2%, q < 0.05), higher % of B cells (4.5 vs 3.4), M1 Mφ (3.4 vs 2.8), M2 Mφ (3.9 vs 2.2), Tregs (2.2 vs 1.3), NK cells (3.1 vs 2.6), DC (3.1 vs 2.9), CD8 + T cells (0.9 vs 0.2), all q < 0.05. ADRB2 -H TNBC had higher T-cell inflamed score (95 vs -80), IFN γ score (-0.23 vs -0.37), MAPK activation score (-0.46 vs -1.7), all q < 0.05; and higher expression of immune checkpoint genes ( CD274, PDCD1, PDCD1LG2, CTLA4, LAG3, HAVCR2, FOXP3, IDO1, TNFSF14, TIGIT, BTLA, CEACAM1, CD47, CD274 ; fold change: 1.6-3.7, all q < 0.05). ADRB2 -H tumors had higher expression of genes related to inflammatory response, IFNγ response, IL6-JAK-STAT3 signaling (normalized enrichment score (NES): 1.9 – 2.1), while ADRB2 -L had enrichment of MYC targets V1, MYC targets V2, E2F targets and G2M checkpoint (NES: 2.5 – 4.2), all FDR < 0.01. ADRB2 -H TNBC had better OS (mOS: 23.6 vs 18.6 months; HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.89, p < 0.0001) compared to ADRB2 -L. Conclusions: High ADRB2 expression in TNBC is associated with better survival and an immune enriched TME, elevated immune checkpoints and other targetable vulnerabilities. Future studies are needed to investigate ADRB2 as a potential stress biomarker and therapeutic target.

1106 Background: TNBC, although an aggressive breast cancer (BC) subtype, is highly immunogenic and the only BC subtype where the ICI pembrolizumab is approved. However, predictive biomarkers for pembrolizumab benefit are limited. The chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 attract CD8 + T cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are associated with chemotherapy benefit, but little is known about their role in prediciting pembrolizumab benefit in TNBC. We investigated the association of CXCL9 , CXCL10 and their cognate receptor CXCR3 with TME and ICI efficacy. Methods: 3,038 TNBC samples were analyzed via NGS (592-gene panel, NextSeq; WES/WTS, NovaSeq; Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ). Tumor mutational burden (TMB) totaled somatic mutations per tumor (high > 10 mt/MB). Immune cell fractions were estimated using WTS deconvolution (Quantiseq). CXCL9 / CXCL10 / CXCR3 -high (H) and -low (L) tumors were classified by RNA expression above or below the 50th percentile. Real-world overall survival (OS) was derived from insurance claims and calculated from start of pembrolizumab to last contact using Kaplan-Meier. Statistical significance was assessed using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U with multiple comparison adjustments (q < .05). Results: TNBC expressed higher levels of CXCL9 and CXCL10 (median (TPM): 5.3 and 14.7) compared to N = 1,082 HER2+ (4.8 and 10.3, p < 0.05) and N = 4,918 HR+HER2- (2.7 and 7, q < .05) BC. CXCR3 expression was higher in TNBC compared to HR+HER2- (1.9 vs 1.7, q < .05), but no difference when compared to HER2+ (1.9 vs 2, q = 0.97) BC. CXCL9 / CXCL10 / CXCR3 -H TNBC had higher median OS post pembrolizumab [ CXCL9 -H vs -L: 26.5 vs 15.7 months (mo), HR: 0.65 (95% CI 0.5-0.84); CXCL10 -H vs -L: 26.0 vs 20.6 mo, HR 0.74 (0.57-0.95); CXCR3 -H vs -L: 32.6 vs 18.3 mo, HR 0.68 (0.52-0.88), all p < 0.05 ]. CXCL9 -H, CXCL10 -H and CXCR3 -H had higher PD-L1 positivity (22C3), TMB high, higher T cell inflamed score, TP53 mutations, elevated B and CD8 + T cells infiltration, but not neutrophils, and higher expression of immune checkpoint genes (Table). Conclusions: High CXCL9 / CXCL10 / CXCR3 expression is associated with longer survival in patients with TNBC post pembrolizumab, and characterized by an immune-enriched TME. Further investigation is needed to evaluate this chemokine axis in TNBC and its potential as a therapeutic target to enhance ICI efficacy. TME characteristics by CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCR3 expression. CXCL9 CXCL10 CXCR3 High Low q-value High Low q-value High Low q-value PD-L1 % 54 14 <.05 54 14.7 <.05 49 19 <.05 TMB high % 14.3 8 <.05 12.6 9.7 <.05 12.4 9.8 <.05 B cell (median %) 4.4 3.5 <.05 4.3 3.6 <.05 5 3.4 <.05 CD8+T cell (median %) 1.2 0 <.05 1 0 <.05 1.3 0 <.05 Neutrophil (median %) 4.2 4.5 <.05 4.2 4.4 <.05 4.2 4.3 0.2 T cell inflamed score 100 -84 <.05 98 -84 <.05 108 -100 <.05 CTLA4 (median TPM) 3.2 0.7 <.05 3 0.8 <.05 3.4 0.7 <.05 LAG3 (median TPM) 6.6 2.1 <.05 6.9 2 <.05 6.8 2 <.05 TP53 mutation % 88 81 <.05 90.5 78.6 <.05 86 83 0.08

Abstract Purpose: To determine the relationship between germline pathogenic variants (PV) in cancer predisposition genes and the risk of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Experimental Design: Germline PV frequencies in breast cancer predisposition genes (ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, CHEK2, PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D) were compared between DCIS cases and unaffected controls and between DCIS and invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) cases from a clinical testing cohort (n = 9,887), a population-based cohort (n = 3,876), and the UK Biobank (n = 2,421). The risk of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) for DCIS cases with PV was estimated in the population-based cohort. Results: Germline PV were observed in 6.5% and 4.6% of women with DCIS in the clinical testing and population-based cohorts, respectively. BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 PV frequencies were significantly lower among women with DCIS than those with IDC (clinical cohort: 2.8% vs. 5.7%; population-based cohort: 1.7% vs. 3.7%), whereas the PV frequencies for ATM and CHEK2 were similar. ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2 PV were significantly associated with an increased risk of DCIS (OR &gt; 2.0), but only BRCA2 PV were associated with high risk (OR &gt; 4) in both cohorts. The cumulative incidence of CBC among carriers of PV in high-penetrance genes with DCIS was 23% over 15 years. Conclusions: The enrichment of PV in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2 among women with DCIS suggests that multigene panel testing may be appropriate for women with DCIS. Elevated risks of CBC in carriers of PV in high-penetrance genes with DCIS confirmed the utility of testing for surgical decision-making.

Abstract Background: Breast cancer has been associated with monogenic, polygenic, and epidemiologic (clinical, reproductive, and lifestyle) risk factors, but studies evaluating the combined effects of these factors have been limited. Methods: We extended previous work in breast cancer risk modeling, incorporating pathogenic variants (PV) in six breast cancer predisposition genes and a 105-SNP polygenic risk score (PRS), to include an epidemiologic risk score (ERS) in a sample of non-Hispanic White women drawn from prospective cohorts and population-based case–control studies, with 23,518 cases and 22,832 controls, from the Cancer Risk Estimates Related to Susceptibility (CARRIERS) Consortium. Results: The model predicts 4.4-fold higher risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal women with no predisposition PV and median PRS, but with the highest versus lowest ERS. Overall, women with CHEK2 PVs had &gt;20% lifetime risk of breast cancer. However, 15.6% of women with CHEK2 PVs and a family history of breast cancer, and 45.1% of women with CHEK2 PVs but without a family history of breast cancer, had low (&lt;20%) predicted lifetime risk and thus were below the threshold for MRI screening. CHEK2 PV carriers at the 10th percentile of the joint distribution of ERS and PRS, without a family history of breast cancer, had a predicted lifetime risk similar to the general population. Conclusions: These results illustrate that an ERS, alone and combined with the PRS, can contribute to clinically relevant risk stratification. Impact: Integrating monogenic, polygenic, and epidemiologic risk factors in breast cancer risk prediction models may inform personalized screening and prevention efforts.

Background: Chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy (RT) is the standard for early-stage (ES) Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Despite high cure rates (12-year overall survival (OS) &gt;93%), there is room to improve short and long-term outcomes for children and adults with ES cHL. Incorporation of immunotherapy (IO) into front line treatment of ES cHL is an opportunity to both improve progression-free survival (PFS) and maintain OS, while minimizing long-term morbidity and mortality by reducing exposure to RT and high-dose chemotherapy. Study Design and Methods: HL leaders of the NCTN groups, expert HL researchers and physicians, and representatives from the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) formed a working group in April 2020 with the goals of harmonizing treatment approaches for ES cHL across pediatric and adult patients and reaching consensus regarding the optimal study design for incorporating IO therapy into frontline treatment. Study champions identified from each of the North American cooperative groups [Children's Oncology Group (COG), SWOG, ECOG-ACRIN, Alliance, NRG] and experts in imaging, radiation oncology, lymphoma biology and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were included. The resulting COG-led clinical trial, AHOD2131, represents the largest ES cHL trial in the history of North American cooperative groups and the first to enroll patients across the age continuum. AHOD2131 (NCT05675410; Figure) is a randomized, phase 3 trial enrolling patients ages 5 to 60 years with newly diagnosed, previously untreated stage I and II cHL and will investigate the addition of the CD30-antibody drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin (Bv) with PD-1 blockade (nivolumab) compared to standard chemotherapy +/- RT. Since the April 2023 activation, 97 North American sites have activated the trial, and 21 participants have enrolled. Target enrollment is 1875 patients over 5 years of accrual, for an estimated 1782 eligible and evaluable patients. The primary objective is to compare the 3-year PFS of patients with ES cHL treated through a response-adapted, superiority design with either standard therapy or with an IO approach (BV + nivolumab). All patients will be stratified as favorable or unfavorable based on disease risk features at enrollment. Based on initial response assessment by PET/CT (via central review) after 2 cycles of ABVD, patients were classified to PET2 positive (SER, defined as 5 Point Score 4 or 5, ~15% of patients) and PET negative (RER). Those who are PET positive will receive involved site RT (ISRT). The SER and RER patients will be randomized to standard chemotherapy vs. IO therapy respectively. In addition to the primary outcome of PFS, there are 11 secondary and 10 exploratory aims. The secondary aims focus on OS, PFS of subgroups, and event-free survival at 12 years, physician-reported treatment-related adverse event (AE) rates, patient-reported AE using pediatric and adult versions of Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE), and the capture of representation by self-report and the use of electronic PRO data collections. The exploratory aims include the assessment of imaging central review as compared to local institutional review and the use of convolutional neural networks through artificial-intelligence machine learning. The study will examine the effect of therapy on acute and long-term adverse effects including health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and OS for up to 12 years. The study will compare patient self-report and provider AE reports and evaluate the associations of self-reported race/ethnicity and social determinants of health (SDOH)and post-progression/post-relapse OS. AHOD2131 strengthens the effort between the North American cooperative groups to conduct collaborative clinical trials and aims to harmonize an improved standard of care for ES cHL across the age continuum.

Abstract Purpose: Germline pathogenic variants in CHEK2 confer moderately elevated breast cancer risk (odds ratio, OR ∼ 2.5), qualifying carriers for enhanced breast cancer screening. Besides pathogenic variants, dozens of missense CHEK2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS) have been identified, hampering the clinical utility of germline genetic testing (GGT). Experimental Design: We collected 460 CHEK2 missense VUS identified by the ENIGMA consortium in 15 countries. Their functional characterization was performed using CHEK2-complementation assays quantifying KAP1 phosphorylation and CHK2 autophosphorylation in human RPE1–CHEK2-knockout cells. Concordant results in both functional assays were used to categorize CHEK2 VUS from 12 ENIGMA case–control datasets, including 73,048 female patients with breast cancer and 88,658 ethnicity-matched controls. Results: A total of 430/460 VUS were successfully analyzed, of which 340 (79.1%) were concordant in both functional assays and categorized as functionally impaired (N = 102), functionally intermediate (N = 12), or functionally wild-type (WT)–like (N = 226). We then examined their association with breast cancer risk in the case–control analysis. The OR and 95% CI (confidence intervals) for carriers of functionally impaired, intermediate, and WT-like variants were 2.83 (95% CI, 2.35–3.41), 1.57 (95% CI, 1.41–1.75), and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.08–1.31), respectively. The meta-analysis of population-specific datasets showed similar results. Conclusions: We determined the functional consequences for the majority of CHEK2 missense VUS found in patients with breast cancer (3,660/4,436; 82.5%). Carriers of functionally impaired missense variants accounted for 0.5% of patients with breast cancer and were associated with a moderate risk similar to that of truncating CHEK2 variants. In contrast, 2.2% of all patients with breast cancer carried functionally wild-type/intermediate missense variants with no clinically relevant breast cancer risk in heterozygous carriers.

Abstract Pathogenic protein-truncating variants of RAD51C, which plays an integral role in promoting DNA damage repair, increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. A large number of RAD51C missense variants of uncertain significance (VUS) have been identified, but the effects of the majority of these variants on RAD51C function and cancer predisposition have not been established. Here, analysis of 173 missense variants by a homology-directed repair (HDR) assay in reconstituted RAD51C−/− cells identified 30 nonfunctional (deleterious) variants, including 18 in a hotspot within the ATP-binding region. The deleterious variants conferred sensitivity to cisplatin and olaparib and disrupted formation of RAD51C/XRCC3 and RAD51B/RAD51C/RAD51D/XRCC2 complexes. Computational analysis indicated the deleterious variant effects were consistent with structural effects on ATP-binding to RAD51C. A subset of the variants displayed similar effects on RAD51C activity in reconstituted human RAD51C-depleted cancer cells. Case–control association studies of deleterious variants in women with breast and ovarian cancer and noncancer controls showed associations with moderate breast cancer risk [OR, 3.92; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.18–7.59] and high ovarian cancer risk (OR, 14.8; 95% CI, 7.71–30.36), similar to protein-truncating variants. This functional data supports the clinical classification of inactivating RAD51C missense variants as pathogenic or likely pathogenic, which may improve the clinical management of variant carriers. Significance: Functional analysis of the impact of a large number of missense variants on RAD51C function provides insight into RAD51C activity and information for classification of the cancer relevance of RAD51C variants.