Fejerman, Laura

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, Pancreatic, and Prostate are intended to serve as a resource for health care providers to identify individuals who may benefit from cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling and testing; help guide decisions related to genetic testing; and facilitate a multidisciplinary approach in the comprehensive care of individuals at increased risk for hereditary breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. The current guidelines focus primarily on assessment of pathogenic and likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants associated with increased risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer and recommended approaches to genetic counseling/testing and care strategies in individuals with these P/LP variants associated with increased risk of these cancers. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel’s most recent recommendations regarding screening for prostate cancer and pancreas cancer, as well as testing criteria for nonepithelial ovarian cancer.

Abstract Background Breast cancer genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 200 susceptibility loci, but most studies are dominated by European and East Asian populations. Methods We analyzed breast cancer GWAS summary statistics from African (AFR), East Asian (EAS), European (EUR), and Hispanic/Latina (H/L) samples (159,297 cases and 212,102 controls). We estimated logit-scale SNP-based heritability, polygenicity, and cross-ancestry genetic correlation, partitioned heritability across functional annotations, and integrated GWAS results with the Tabula Sapiens single-cell atlas using scDRS+. Results The logit-scale heritability of breast cancer ranged from ℎ 2 =0.47 (SE = 0.07) in EAS to AFR ℎ 2 =0.61 (SE = 0.10), with no significant differences across ancestries (p=0.63). The estimated number of susceptibility markers in a sparse normal-mixture effects model also varied from 4,446 (SE = 3,100) in EAS to 8,308 (SE = 2,751) in AFR, but differences were not significant across ancestries (p=0.55). Cross-sample genetic correlations varied, with the strongest correlation between EUR and EAS (𝜌 = 0.79, SE = 0.08) and weakest between AFR and H/L (𝜌 = 0.26, SE = 0.24). Regulatory annotations were enriched for breast cancer heritability across samples. Integration with single-cell expression profiles implicated ancestry-shared associations with innate immune, secretory epithelial, and stromal cell types. Conclusion These results indicate substantial cross-ancestry sharing of breast cancer polygenic architecture, highlight a consistent contribution of regulatory variation, and identify convergent cellular contexts that motivate functional follow-up and inform expectations for the transferability and attainable performance of common-variant risk prediction across populations.

e13808 Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death for Latinos. They experience higher rates than their white peers of preventable, infectious-agent-causing-cancers, such as stomach & liver cancer. Latina women have experienced a 1% rise in cancer cases since 2011 & Latino children & adolescents experience higher rates of leukemia than any other racial/ethnic group. Latinos face disparities in access to healthcare, cancer screening & treatment, medical representation & experience lower rates of survival due to late-stage cancer diagnosis. Methods: To combat these inequities & identify equitable interventions for Latino health, the Institute of Health Promotion Research & the Mays Cancer Center established the Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos (ASCL) Conference. The fourth ASCL Conference convened in San Antonio, TX from February 21-23, 2024. The conference objectives were 1) Examine the intersection of health equity & biological underpinnings in cancer control, prevention, and treatment 2) Foster collaborative initiatives among attendees aimed at addressing cancer-related health disparities within the Latino community. The conference hosted 286 participants (speakers, researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, patient advocates & students). It comprised of 23 sessions (3 keynotes, 6 plenaries, 6 breakouts, 3 general sessions, 1 special session, 1 lunch panel session) featuring insights from 51 speakers, a poster session highlighting 80 research abstracts & a rapid-fire session tailored for early-career investigators. Sessions focused on multiple topics relevant to Latino cancer research, clinical trials, survivorship, patient advocacy, climate change impacts on cancer, precision medicine, health policy & social determinants of health. Results: A post-conference survey from a cohort of 48 respondents underscored high levels of satisfaction, with 90% expressing contentment regarding the conference experience. Nearly all respondents (98%) rated the relevance of conference content to Latino cancer science as excellent, with 93% regarding the conference as an exceptional platform for information exchange. Impressions regarding session quality were positive, with 90% of respondents indicating a high level of satisfaction, & all survey respondents acknowledging the objectivity, balance & absence of commercial bias in the session content. Conclusions: Results showed that the resounding positivity in attendee feedback reflects the conference's success in fostering meaningful engagement among attendees. The ASCL conference facilitated an understanding of cultural nuances and barriers specific to the Latino community, stimulating collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing Latino health outcomes. Overall, this analysis affirms the conference's success in achieving its stipulated objectives and underscores the need of having consistently coordinated research endeavors to reduce Latino health disparities.

Abstract Introduction: Breast cancer genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over 200 susceptibility loci, many replicated in diverse populations. However, cross-ancestry evaluation of breast cancer genetic architecture remains limited. We examined breast cancer genetic architecture using GWAS summary results from European (EUR; cases (ca) = 188,474, controls (co) = 96,201), East Asian (EAS; ca = 20,393, co = 86,329), African American (AA; ca = 9,235, co = 10,184), and US Hispanic/Latina and Latin American (H/L; ca = 2,396, co =7,468) studies. Methods: GWAS results were derived from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium, the African Ancestry Breast Cancer Genetics Consortium (AABCG), Biobank Japan, and a meta-analysis of five studies of H/L women with breast cancer. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) scores were generated for EUR, EAS, and AMR using the 1000 Genomes Project, while AA LD scores were derived from a subset of AABCG controls. Heritability was estimated for each ancestry group using LD score regression. Genetic correlations between populations were assessed via Popcorn. Polygenicity was analyzed using GENESIS; however, due to the limited sample size in the H/L studies, these estimates were restricted to AA, EAS, and EUR. Enrichment of heritability across regulatory elements was evaluated using stratified LD score regression across all populations. Results: The logit-scale heritability and corresponding standard error (SE) were 0.466 (0.066) for EAS, 0.501 (0.050) for EUR, 0.588 (0.360) for H/L, and 0.614 (0.095) for AA. The estimated number of independent susceptibility loci was 4,446 for EAS, 5,235 for EUR, and 8,308 for AA. Using a clumping and thresholding approach, an optimal set of common variants were projected to explain 38.6% (EUR), 39.4% (EAS), and 26.2% (AA) of genetic variance for samples of 100,000 cases and 100,000 controls with AUCs from corresponding estimated polygenic risk scores (PRSs) of 0.621 (EUR), 0.634 (EAS), and 0.611 (AA). Genetic correlations were strongest between EUR and EAS (ρ = 0.79, SE = 0.08) and EUR and H/L (ρ = 0.68, SE = 0.21), and weakest between AA and EAS (ρ = 0.42, SE = 0.14) and AA and H/L (ρ = 0.26, SE = 0.24). Among 73 genomic features, we found significant (P < 0.05/73) enrichment in heritability in EUR for ‘ancient promoter’ regions, transcription factor binding sites, H3K4me3, ‘super-enhancers’, H3K4me1, H3K27ac; in EAS for ‘super-enhancers’; and in AA for H3K27ac. No genomic features were significantly enriched in H/L, likely due to limited power. Conclusion: These findings suggest a shared breast cancer genetic architecture across diverse populations, as well as the potential for a similar level of breast cancer risk stratification by PRS in these populations. Expanding GWAS in underrepresented populations is essential to improve genetic risk predictions and foster equitable cancer prevention. Citation Format: James L. Li, Maria Zanti, Jacob Williams, Om Jahagirdar, Guochong Jia, Qiang Hu, Jean-Tristan Brandenburg, Li Yan, Weang-Kee Ho, Jingmei Li, José P. Miranda, Devika Godbole, Julie-Alexia Dias, Leila Dorling, Wenlong C. Chen, Nicholas Boddicker, Ying Wang, Alicia Martin, Martin J. Zhang, Yan Zhang, Joe Dennis, Esther M. John, Gabriela Torres-Mejia, Larry Kushi, Jeffrey Weitzel, Susan L. Neuhausen, Luis Carvajal-Carmona, Christopher Haiman, Elad Ziv, Laura Fejerman, Wei Zheng, Dezheng Huo, Douglas Easton, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Peter Kraft, Montserrat Garcia-Closas, Wendy Wong, Kyriaki Michailidou, Qianqian Zhu, Diptavo Dutta, Thomas U. Ahearn, Haoyu Zhang. Genetic architecture of breast cancer across diverse populations: Assessing heritability, genetic correlation, and polygenicity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 2282.

Abstract Cancer is the leading cause of mortality within the Latino population. Projections suggest a 142% increase in cancer incidence among Latinos over the next two decades. This trend is concerning given that Latinos, the largest minority group in the United States, are expected to constitute at least 28% of the nation's populace by 2060. To address the need for enhanced comprehension of these trends and to identify equitable interventions targeting Latino health disparities, the Institute of Health Promotion Research and the Mays Cancer Center jointly established the biennial Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos (ASCL) Conference. The fourth ASCL Conference convened in San Antonio, TX from February 21-23, 2024. The conference objectives were twofold: 1) Examine the intersection of health equity and biological underpinnings in cancer control, prevention, and treatment; and 2) Foster collaborative initiatives among attendees aimed at addressing cancer-related health disparities within the Latino community. The 2024 conference attracted 286 participants compared to 251 attendees in 2022, encompassing guest speakers, researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, researchers, and students. It comprised 23 sessions (3 keynotes, 6 plenaries, 6 breakouts, 3 general sessions, 1 special session, 1 lunch panel session) featuring insights from 51 speakers, alongside a poster session highlighting 80 research abstracts and a rapid-fire session tailored for early-career investigators. Sessions encompassed multiple topics relevant to Latino cancer research, spanning health disparities, clinical trials, survivorship, patient advocacy, climate change impacts on cancer, precision medicine, health policy and social determinants of health. A post-conference survey from a cohort of 48 respondents underscored high levels of satisfaction, with 90% expressing pronounced contentment regarding the conference experience, compared to 85% in 2022. Moreover, nearly all respondents (98%) rated the relevance of conference content to Latino cancer science as excellent, with 93% regarding the conference as an exceptional platform for information exchange, compared to 79% in 2022. Impressions regarding session quality were overwhelmingly positive, with 90% of respondents indicating a high level of satisfaction, and all survey respondents acknowledging the objectivity, balance, and absence of commercial bias in the session content. Our results showed that the resounding positivity in attendee feedback reflects the conference's success in fostering meaningful engagement among researchers committed to alleviating Latino cancer health disparities. The ASCL conference facilitated an understanding of cultural nuances and barriers specific to the Latino community, stimulating collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing Latino health outcomes. Overall, this retrospective analysis affirms the conference's success in achieving its stipulated objectives and underscores the need of having consistently coordinated research endeavors to reduce Latino health disparities. Citation Format: Amelie G. Ramirez, Rebecca T. Jones, Matthew P. Banegas, Maria C Camargo, Gerardo Colon-Otero, Cliff Despres, Laura Fejerman, Filipa Lynce, Martin Mendoza, Patricia I. Moreno, Alejandro Recio-Boiles, Barbara Segarra-Vazquez, Sandi Stanford, Mariana Stern, Katherine Y. Tossas, Edward J. Trapido, Nicolette M Orozco. Advancing the science of cancer in Latinos conference [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B032.

Abstract Background: Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have recently identified 8 loci identified with multiple myeloma (MM) susceptibility. We hypothesized that germ line genetic variants may also affect MM progression. We performed the first GWAS of MM survival, by conducting a meta-analysis of two existing studies at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the Mayo Clinic, and replicating findings in the International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch (IMMEnSE) consortium. Methods: The UCSF study included 353 MM patients genotyped on an Illumina Omni5 and Illumina 660 array. The Mayo clinic study included 239 MM patients genotyped on an Affymetrix 6.0 array. We imputed missing genotypes using the 1000 Genomes dataset and performed a GWAS for survival using proportional hazards models adjusting for age and gender and genetic ancestry using principal components analysis. We conducted a meta-analysis of the results from the two GWAS. We replicated the top SNPs in the IMMEnSE cohort which included 772 patients with survival data from 7 European countries and one North American site. We used the dataset from Grundberg et al (Nat Genetics 2012) to test for an association between SNPs associated with survival and gene expression in immortalized lymphocytes. We used gene expression data from Zhan et al (Blood 2006) to analyze the association between expression and survival. Results: In meta-analysis, we found a genome wide significant association between SNPs on a region at 16p13 and survival (rs72773978; p=2.9x10e-10). Patients with the minor allele were at increased risk for mortality (HR 2.73; 95% CI: 1.99 - 3.73). The top associated SNPs were all in strong linkage disequilibrium and were centered over the gene FOPNL. We replicated the association in the IMMEnSE cohort and found a significant association between the top SNP from the discovery dataset (rs72773978 p=0.037). We used previously published data to determine the association between gene expression and the top associated SNPs from the GWAS. The top SNP (rs72773978) was not in previously published eQTL databases, so we used rs7201759 which was also associated with survival in our data (p=3.8x10e-10) as a proxy. The minor allele for this SNP was associated with increased levels of expression of FOPNL (p=9x10e-5), but not with expression of any other genes within a 1 megabase region. Finally, we also observed an association between increased expression of FOPNL and shorter survival (HR: 2.62 per standard deviation.; 95% CI: 1.08 - 6.32). Conclusion: Germ line variants at 16p13 near the FOPNL gene are associated with survival among MM patients. FOPNL is thought to be involved in centrosomal function, and centrosomal activity has previously been associated with survival in MM patients. Our results support this previous observation. Furthermore, they suggest that germ line variants could also be useful in assessing prognosis for patients with MM. Citation Format: Elad Ziv, Eric Dean, Donglei Hu, Alessandro Martino, Daniel Serie, Daniele Campa, Blake Aftab, Paige Bracci, Gabriele Buda, Jennifer Caswell, Charles Dumontet, Marek Dudziński, Laura Fejerman, Alexandra Greenberg, Scott Hunstman, Artur Jurczyszyn, Krzysztof Jamroziak, Shaji Kumar, Herlander Marques, Thomas Martin, Joaquin Martinez-Lopez, Vincent Rajkumar, Juan Sainz, Annette Juul Vangsted, Marzena Watek, Jeffrey Wolf, Susan Slager, Federico Canzian, Celine Vachon. Genome wide association study identifies variants at 16p13 associated with survival in multiple myeloma patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5078. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5078