Fujisawa, Takao

Abstract Molecular profiling reveals that up to 40% of advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs) harbor actionable genomic alterations amenable to matched targeted therapies. However, conventional trial designs typically evaluate these agents in pretreated populations, resulting in approvals for later-line use. Notably, 25–44% of patients with advanced BTC may become ineligible for treatment after first-line therapy due to disease progression or functional decline, thus the real-world survival outcomes with matched therapies remains poorly characterized. This international collaborative study includes data from Mayo Clinic, Duke Cancer Institute, and National Cancer Center East (Japan), as well as a combined dataset from the SCRUM-Japan GOZILA, MONSTAR-SCREEN-1, and MONSTAR-SCREEN-2 projects. We assessed overall survival (OS) of patients based on the presence of actionable alterations and the receipt of matched therapy. To adjust for confounding, we applied propensity score weighting with inverse probability of treatment and multivariate Cox regression modeling, controlling for age, sex, tumor location, prior resection, and mutational subgroup. Among 1,049 patients that were analyzed, 358 (34.1%) harbored actionable alterations, with 160 (44.7%) receiving matched targeted therapy. The matched group (patients with actionable tumors who received a matched therapy) were significantly associated with longer median OS (23.3 months; 95% CI: 19.5–30.4) compared to the unmatched group (14.7 months; 95% CI: 12.8–17.9) and those with non-actionable tumors (17.1 months; 95% CI: 15.5–18.7; HR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.46–0.71; p < 0.0001). The unmatched group also was associated with the lowest three-year OS rate (13% vs. 35% in matched and 19% in actionable groups, respectively; p<0.0001). On multivariable analysis with patients who received ≥2 lines of therapy, receipt of matched therapy remained an independent predictor of improved OS (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.43–0.90). These findings support the early integration of targeted therapies in BTC management and underscore the need to overcome systemic barriers to treatment access.

628 Background: Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are aggressive malignancies with poor survival outcomes and limited treatment options. This study compared the epidemiological and molecular differences of advanced BTC patients through a global collaboration involving the Mayo Clinic and National Cancer Center Hospital East. Methods: We included patients with advanced BTC who underwent comprehensive tumor molecular profiling who received at least 30 days of systemic therapy. Patients were grouped based on specific alterations. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from the start of first-line therapy until death and compared among subgroups using Cox regression models. Results: 332 (36%) out of 932 patients had at least one actionable mutation : somatic BRCA1/2 mutations N=106, FGFR2 fusions N=61, HER2 amplifications N=65, KRAS G12C/D mutations N=46, IDH1 mutations N=38, and TMB >10 mut/Mb N=16. BRCA1/2 -mutated BTC were more commonly found in older Asian males with intrahepatic tumors and often presented with peritoneal and liver metastases upon initial diagnosis. FGFR2 fusions were more prevalent in younger White females with intrahepatic tumors, while HER2 amplifications were mainly seen in Asian females with gallbladder tumors. KRAS mutations were primarily observed in Asian males, and IDH1 mutations were common in White males with intrahepatic tumors, frequently presenting with liver metastasis. Survival outcomes varied significantly based on the alteration type: patients with FGFR2 fusions had the longest median OS (mOS) at 23.3 months (mo) (95%CI 18.4-34.9), followed by those with IDH1 mutations (19.3 mo; 95% CI 17.4-NE) and TMB >10 mut/Mb (17.8 mo; 95% CI 13.6-NE). BRCA mutations had a mOS of 16 mo (95% CI 14.6-19.8), while HER2 amplifications and KRAS mutations had mOS of 15.5 (95% CI 11.9-20.2) and 11.6 mo (95% CI 10.0-20.9), respectively. Conclusions: These findings underscore the heterogeneity in clinical and genomic characteristics among BTC patients, highlighting the importance of tailored therapeutic approaches. Baseline patient characteristics stratified by mutation status. KRAS G12C/D (N=46) BRCA 1/2 (N=106) IDH1 (N=38) HER2 amplification(N=65) FGFR2 fusion(N=61) TMB>10 mut/Mb(N=16) P-value Median Age, year 67 68 64 66 52 73 <0.001 Female, n (%) 19 (41) 34 (32) 18(47) 34 (52) 45(74) 6 (38) <0.001 Race, n (%) <0.001 Asian 31 (67) 97 (92) 13 (34) 51 (79) 10 (16) 6 (38) White 14 (30) 8 (8) 24 (63) 13 (20) 48 (79) 10 (63) Primary tumor location, n (%) <0.001 Intrahepatic 28 (68) 45 (45) 33 (100) 19 (31) 54(95) 10 (67) Extrahepatic 9 (22) 27(27) 0 (0) 10 (16) 2 (4) 4 (27) Gallbladder 4 (10) 28 (28) 0 (0) 32 (53) 1 (2) 1 (7) Sites of Metastasis at diagnosis, n (%) Abdominal Wall / Peritoneal 9 (24) 15 (19) 4(13) 7 (12) 6 (10) 4 (27) 0.309 Bone 33 (92) 70 (90) 26 (87) 2 (3) 9(15) 0 (0) 0.212 Liver 20 (49) 52 (61) 28 (82) 45 (73) 45 (76) 6 (38) 0.001 Lung 26 (70) 65 (82) 22 (69) 36 (58) 27(45) 11 (69) 0.006

536 Background: The prognosis of advanced BTC remains poor. Although targeted agents have expanded late-line options, many patients (pts) become ineligible for these therapies after progressing on first-line treatment. Herein, we examined the real-world impact of targeted therapy on survival in advanced BTC. Methods: In this international collaborative study between the Mayo Clinic (US) and the National Cancer Center East (Japan), we included pts with advanced BTC with comprehensive tumor molecular profiling who had received at least 30 days of systemic therapy. Pts were categorized into 3 groups: 1) non-actionable, 2) pts with alterations who received matched targeted therapy at any point during their treatment (matched group), and 3) those with mutations who did not receive matched therapy (unmatched group). OS was calculated from the start date of first-line therapy until death and compared among three subgroups using Cox regression models. Results: Of 932 pts, 366 (39.3%) had an actionable alteration, and 135 of these received matched therapy. 566 (61.7%) did not have an actionable alteration (Table). The most common alterations were somatic BRCA1/2 (N=106, 11.4%), HER2 amplification (N=65, 7%), FGFR2 fusion (N=61, 6.5%), KRAS G12C/D (N=46, 4.9%), and IDH1 (N=38, 4.1%). 78.7% of FGFR2 fusions were found in Caucasian pts, whereas BRCA1/2 (97.5%), HER2 (78.5%), and KRAS G12C/D (67.4%) alterations were more prevalent in Asian pts. The median OS was significantly longer in the matched group (21.4 months; 95% CI 18.4-27.9) compared to the unmatched group (14.6 months; 95% CI 12.8-17.6) and the non-actionable group (17.2 months; 95% CI 15.5-19.0). The 36-month OS rate was 33% in the matched group vs. 7% in the unmatched group (p < 0.0001). After adjusting for age, gender, prior surgical resection, primary tumor location, and country of origin, matched targeted therapy remained a strong independent predictor for improved OS (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.48-0.79). Conclusions: These real-world findings suggest that matched targeted therapies significantly improve survival in advanced BTC, underscoring the need to incorporate them earlier in the treatment course and address barriers to treatment access. The regional prevalence of actionable alterations should also be considered when developing new targeted therapies. Patient baseline characteristics stratified by actionable alterations and targeted therapy. Non-actionable(N=566) Unmatched group(N=231) Matched group(N=135) Site, n (%) Japan 409 (72%) 166 (72%) 50 (37%) US 157 (28%) 65 (28%) 85 (63%) Age at Dx > 65, n (%) 324 (57%) 122 (53%) 54 (40%) Female, n (%) 235 (42%) 92 (40%) 77 (57%) Primary tumor location (category), n (%) Intrahepatic 217 (43%) 115 (55%) 99 (76%) Extrahepatic 150 (30%) 39 (19%) 17 (13%) Gallbladder 142 (28%) 54 (26%) 14 (11%) Prior surgical resection, n (%) 220 (42%) 74 (34%) 48 (37%)

3523 Background: Evidence suggests neurotransmitter signaling may play a crucial role in tumorigenesis of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including migration, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as angiogenesis and the microenvironment. We developed and applied a strategy to identify upstream regulators of neurotransmitters and their associations with patient outcomes. Methods: Prior literature yielded 85 neurotransmitter signaling genes mapped to RNA-seq gene expression in tumor tissue from 545 patients with mCRC enrolled in the phase III CALGB/SWOG 80405 trial. These samples were also sequenced by FoundationOne CDx for DNA damage. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, we identified a subset of CDx genes associated with overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS). We extended the Causal Inference Test (CIT) for time-to-event data and identified a subset of the 85 signaling genes consistent with mediation of DNA mutation effects on OS and PFS. Another CIT analysis identified potential upstream neurotransmitter regulators, gene expression mediators of mutation effects on the signaling genes. Top genes were then assessed in whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS) expression data with Caris MI profile collected from 398 patients with advanced CRC enrolled in the MONSTAR-SCREEN-2 trial. Results: At the 0.05 alpha level, we identified 20 signaling genes with gene expression associated with PFS and/or OS, and 68 genes with evidence of DNA mutations associated with PFS and/or OS. False discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 was applied to filter the 56,674 expression features on PFS and OS associations, yielding 173 unique genes as possible mediators. The CIT yielded 53 putative mediators at FDR < 0.05, suggesting upstream regulation of neurotransmitter signaling. Five genes were identified as targeting at least 8 signaling genes each, PIGU, ANO9, LY6G6D, and GPR160, and FSCN1, where the first 4 are favorable and only FSCN1 is a poorer prognostic. Following up on these 5 genes in MONSTAR-SCREEN-2 by dichotomizing at the median value of WTS expression, 3 were nominally associated with OS, PIGU ( P = 0.050; HR, 0.59; 95%CI, 0.34-1.00), ANO9( P = 0.029; HR, 0.55; 95%CI, 0.32-0.95), LY6G6D( P = 0.0024; HR, 0.44; 95%CI, 0.25-0.76), and FSCN1 was suggestive ( P = 0.079; HR, 1.62; 95%CI, 0.94-2.77), with direction of effects in agreement with 80405 results for all four. Conclusions: Our novel approach identified previously unknown upstream regulators of neurotransmitter signaling associated with treatment outcomes in mCRC. PIGU, FSCN1, and LY6G6D have been suggested in prior literature as targets for CRC and ANO9 has been suggested as a target for GI cancer. These results bolster the strategy of using mediation analysis with large-scale molecular data to identify new therapeutic targets in CRC. NCT00265850.

538 Background: In biliary tract cancer (BTC), TP53 is the most commonly altered gene and may co-occur with KRAS alteration. The presence of a co-alterations in of TP53 and KRAS is associated with poor prognosis in many cancers. In patients (pts) with advanced BTC, the prognostic implications of such co-alterations have not been fully investigated. Methods: This is a pooled analysis of SCRUM-Japan GOZILA and MONSTAR-SCREEN-1 and -2 studies. Genomic profiling was conducted with Guardant360 for plasma in GOZILA, FoundationOne CDx for tissue and FoundationOne Liquid CDx for plasma in MONSTAR-SCREEN-1, and CARIS MI Profile for tissue in MONSTAR-SCREEN-2. Pts with advanced BTC receiving systemic therapy were included in this study. Results: Among 636 pts with advanced BTC, 85 had TP53/KRAS co-alteration, 293 had TP53, 44 had KRAS, and 214 had neither KRAS nor TP53 alteration (WT/WT). Tumors with TP53 alteration had significantly higher level of tumor mutation burden (TMB) compared to the other groups (3.8 mut/Mb for TP53/KRAS, 5.0 mut/Mb for TP53, 2.8 mut/Mb for KRAS, and 2.5 mut/Mb for WT/WT, respectively, P<0.001). In addition, the frequency of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-High) in the TP53/KRAS group (11.0%) was significantly higher compared to the TP53 group (3.1%, P<0.05), and the WT/WT group (0.6%, P<0.001), respectively. The objective response rate of first-line therapy in the TP53/KRAS group (8.2%) was significantly lower than in the other groups (20.8% for TP53, 23.3% for KRAS, and 19.7% for WT/WT groups, P=0.035). There was no pts treated with durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin. Two pts with TP53/KRAS alteration and MSI-High received pembrolizumab monotherapy, and partial response was achieved with a progression-free survival of 9.4 and 22.0 months. The median overall survival (OS) for pts treated with first-line therapy of the TP53/KRAS, KRAS, TP53, and WT/WT groups were 13.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.5-15.5), 14.3 (95%CI, 9.7-25.9), 18.8 (95%CI, 16.9-20.6), and 22.7 months (95%CI, 20.4-25.9), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified TP53/KRAS alteration (hazard ratio [HR] 2.14, 95%CI 1.43-3.22, P<0.001), number of detected variants (≥2) (HR 1.50, 95%CI 1.04-2.16, P=0.029), locally advanced (HR 1.72, 95%CI 1.05-2.83, P=0.033), and metastatic status (HR 1.78, 95%CI 1.39-2.28, P<0.001) as independent prognostic factors for shorter OS. Conclusions: Patients with advanced BTC with co-occurring TP53/KRAS alterations have worse prognosis. Interestingly, the presence of these co-alterations was associated with a higher likelihood of MSI-High phenotype.

544 Background: Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The prevalence of HER2 amplification in BTC has been reported to be 5-20%, and clinical trials suggested the clinical benefit of HER2-targeted treatment in this disease subpopulation. In a global collaboration, we investigated the comprehensive clinico-molecular characterization as well as the efficacy of anti-HER2 therapy in HER2-amplified BTC. Methods: Patients with advanced BTC who received systemic therapy were included from the GOZILA and MONSTAR studies in Japan and from the COLOMATE trial in the US. Genomic alterations were detected by tissue next-generation sequencing (NGS), including FoundationOne CDx and TempuslxT, and plasma circulating tumor DNA NGS including Guardant360 and FoundationOne Liquid CDx. The clinico-molecular characteristics were evaluated in an exploratory cohort comprised of patients from Japan, whereas the efficacy of anti-HER2 therapy was assessed in a biomarker selected cohort with patients from both Japan and the US. Results: Of 439 patients included in the exploratory cohort, 43 (10%) had HER2 amplification. BTC with primary tumor location in the gallbladder accounted for 58% of primary sites of patients with HER2 amplification. TP53 mutation (84% vs 61%, p=0.003) and BRAF amplification (9% vs 2%, p=0.030) were significantly more frequent in patients with HER2 amplification compared to those without, and no KRAS mutation co-occurred with HER2 amplification. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) between patients with and without HER2 amplification (17.7 months [M] vs 16.9 M, hazard ratio [HR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-1.40, p=0.799). Of 58 patients with HER2-amplified BTC included in the biomarker selected cohort (43 Japan, 15 US), 27 (47%) received anti-HER2 therapy. The median OS of patients treated with anti-HER2 therapy was significantly longer than that of patients who did not receive anti-HER2 therapy (24.3 M vs. 12.1 M, HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.82, p=0.011). Multivariate analysis also identified anti-HER2 therapy as an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.20-0.85, p=0.015). Conclusions: HER2 amplifications were found in 10% of advanced BTC and did not represent an independent predictive factor for OS. Of clinical significance, patients with HER2-amplified BTC derive a significant benefit from anti-HER2 therapy.

Abstract We tested the effects of different cytokines on IgA- and IgG-induced eosinophil degranulation in vitro to determine the potential interaction between eosinophils and mononuclear cells. Purified normodense eosinophils were incubated with cytokines (including rIL-1, rIL-2, rIL-3, rIL-4, rIL-5, rIL-6, IFN-gamma, granulocyte-macrophage CSF stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and TNF) for 1 to 3 h after which Ig-coupled Sepharose 4B beads were added as targets and the mixtures were incubated with the eosinophils at 37 degrees C for 4 h. The Ig used were secretory IgA (sIgA), serum IgA and IgG, and myeloma IgA and IgG. The release of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) was measured by RIA as an index of degranulation. rIL-5 was the most potent enhancer of Ig-induced degranulation and increased EDN release by 48% for sIgA and 136% for IgG. The effect of rIL-5 appeared as quickly as 15 min after incubation of eosinophils, sIgA beads and IL-5. GM-CSF and rIL-3 also enhanced Ig-induced EDN release but less potently than rIL-5. GM-CSF and rIL-5 by themselves induced a small but significant release of EDN from eosinophils in the absence of Ig-coated beads; rIL-3 did not. However, IFN-gamma suppressed sIgA-induced EDN release by 23%. The other cytokines did not have any effect on eosinophil degranulation. These results suggest that cytokines which induce eosinophil differentiation and proliferation during hematopoiesis also enhance the effector function of mature eosinophils and that IFN-gamma partially down-regulates eosinophil degranulation.

Abstract Eosinophils play an important role as effector cells in allergic, parasitic, and other conditions. The mechanism(s) by which eosinophils mediate their effector functions was studied by incubation of human normodense eosinophils with Sepharose beads coupled to various Ig isotypes as targets. Controls included eosinophils incubated alone or incubated with uncoated beads, human serum albumin-, or OVA-coated beads. An eosinophil granule protein, the eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), was measured as an indicator of eosinophil degranulation. Eosinophils released eosinophil-derived neurotoxin when incubated with Sepharose beads coupled to Ig of the IgG or IgA isotypes, as well as IgA-Fc fragments. Mixtures of IgG and IgA on beads did not act synergistically. Secretory IgA (sIgA) provided the most potent signal for eosinophil degranulation and was two to three times more potent than IgG. Furthermore, 2 to 17% of the normodense eosinophils bound to IgG- or IgA-coated beads, whereas 24 to 27% of the eosinophils bound to sIgA-coated beads. Thus, sIgA may be the principal Ig mediating eosinophil effector function at mucosal surfaces in helminth infections and hypersensitivity diseases, especially bronchial asthma.