Citations

Abstract Genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia are most commonly due to mutations in three genes, C9orf72, GRN or MAPT, with presymptomatic carriers from families representing those at risk. While cerebral blood flow shows differences between frontotemporal dementia and other forms of dementia, there is limited evidence of its utility in presymptomatic stages of frontotemporal dementia. This study aimed to delineate the cerebral blood flow signature of presymptomatic, genetic frontotemporal dementia using a voxel-based approach. In the multicentre GENetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI) study, we investigated cross-sectional differences in arterial spin labelling MRI-based cerebral blood flow between presymptomatic C9orf72, GRN or MAPT mutation carriers (n = 107) and non-carriers (n = 113), using general linear mixed-effects models and voxel-based analyses. Cerebral blood flow within regions of interest derived from this model was then explored to identify differences between individual gene carrier groups and to estimate a timeframe for the expression of these differences. The voxel-based analysis revealed a significant inverse association between cerebral blood flow and the expected age of symptom onset in carriers, but not non-carriers. Regions included the bilateral insulae/orbitofrontal cortices, anterior cingulate/paracingulate gyri, and inferior parietal cortices, as well as the left middle temporal gyrus. For all bilateral regions, associations were greater on the right side. After correction for partial volume effects in a region of interest analysis, the results were found to be largely driven by the C9orf72 genetic subgroup. These cerebral blood flow differences first appeared approximately 12.5 years before the expected symptom onset determined on an individual basis. Cerebral blood flow was lower in presymptomatic mutation carriers closer to and beyond their expected age of symptom onset in key frontotemporal dementia signature regions. These results suggest that arterial spin labelling MRI may be a promising non-invasive imaging biomarker for the presymptomatic stages of genetic frontotemporal dementia.

Aim Angina pectoris in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is common and is associated with poor quality of life (QOL). Coronary microvascular endothelial dysfunction is associated with myocardial ischaemia and is a common cause of angina. We hypothesise that evaluation of coronary endothelial function, its diagnosis and treatment will favourably impact QOL in patients with angina symptoms and non-obstructive CAD. Methods and results Follow-up was done on 457 patients with chest pain and non-obstructive coronary arteries who had undergone coronary vascular reactivity evaluation by administration of intracoronary acetylcholine at the time of diagnostic study. After a mean follow-up of 8.4±4.7 years, QOL was assessed by administration of the SF-36 QOL survey. Patients diagnosed and treated for microvascular endothelial dysfunction had a higher (better) overall mental composite score (44.8 vs 40.9, p=0.036) and mental health score (44.2 vs 40.7, p=0.047), and a trend towards higher vitality scores (39.1 vs 35.9, p=0.053) and role emotional scores (43.6 vs 40.4, p=0.073), compared with patients with normal endothelial function. Conclusion Among patients with chest pain and normal coronaries, diagnosis and treatment of coronary microvascular endothelial dysfunction in those with angina pectoris and non-obstructive CAD are associated with better QOL compared with patients with normal endothelial function.

291 Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has limited treatment options. Genomic analyses have led to development of targeted therapies now in clinical trials, and may enable discovery of new treatment options. However, biopsy often yields limited tissue, thus hampering tissue-based profiling opportunities. Comparative data regarding circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis and tissue based profiling in CCA are limited. Methods: We performed ctDNA NGS analysis along with tissue based profiling in pts with advanced CCA (January 2015- February 2018). ctDNA analysis was performed using Guardant 360 (Guardant Health, CA) which detects single nucleotide variants, amplifications, fusions, and specific insertion/deletion mutations in up to 73 different genes and the majority of tissue based profiling using Foundation One. The mutant allele fraction (MAF) for detected alterations was calculated relative to wild type in ctDNA. Therapeutic relevance was defined as alterations within OncoKB levels 1-3B and R1. The study was conducted in accordance with Mayo Clinic IRB requirements. Results: Among 124 pts and 139 total samples, ctDNA NGS revealed at least one genomic alteration (excluding variants of uncertain significance and synonymous mutations) in 89% of pts. Median number of alterations per pt was 3 [range, 1-15], with a median MAF of 0.42% (range, 0.1% - 94.2%). The total number of unique alterations was 321. The most commonly altered genes: TP53 (31%), KRAS (11%), FGFR2 (7%), APC and PIK3CA (each 5%) and ARID1A (3%). Amplifications were noted in 14 genes: BRAF, CCND1, CCND2, CCNE1, CDK4, CDK6, EGFR, ERBB2, FGFR1, FGFR2, MET, MYC, PDGFRA, and PIK3CA. Tissue-based profiling was available in 57 (46%) pts, with a median of 63 days between liquid and tissue biopsy. IDH1, FGFR2, TP53 and KRAS were most common gene mutations found in pts who had both liquid and tissue biopsy done. (Comparative results to be shown). Conclusions: ctDNA plasma profiling of pts with advanced CCA is a feasible alternative method to gather comprehensive genomic data. Further larger cohort studies comparing landscape of alterations seen on ctDNA versus tissue-based assays are needed.

289 Background: PDAC has limited treatment options. Genomic analyses have led to development of targeted therapies now in several clinical trials, and may enable the discovery of new treatment options. However, biopsy often yields limited tissue, thus hampering tissue-based profiling opportunities. Data regarding circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiling in PDAC during real time clinical practice is limited. Methods: We performed ctDNA NGS analysis in pts with advanced PDAC (December 2014–August 2018). ctDNA analysis was performed using Guardant 360 (Guardant Health, CA), which detects single nucleotide variants, amplifications, fusions, and specific insertion/deletion mutations in up to 73 different genes. The mutant allele fraction (MAF) for detected alterations was calculated relative to wild type in ctDNA. Therapeutic relevance (TR) was defined as possible treatments within OncoKB levels 1-3B and R1. The study was conducted in accordance with Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board requirements. Results: Among 171 pts and 206 total samples, ctDNA NGS revealed at least one genomic alteration in 150 pts (88%). Median number of alterations per patient was 3 [range, 1-15]. The total number of unique alterations was 450 with the most commonly altered genes being: TP53 (181 alterations, 40%), followed by KRAS (118 alterations, 26%), CDKN2A (23 alterations, 5%), SMAD4 (15 alterations, 3%), EGFR (11 alterations, 2.4%), PIK3CA (9 alterations, 2%), GNAS (8 alterations, 1.5%). Amplifications were noted in 16 genes, including BRAF, CCND2, CCNE1, CDK4, CDK6, EGFR, ERBB2, FGFR1, FGFR2, KIT, KRAS, MET, MYC, PDGFRA, PIK3CA and RAF1. Therapeutically relevant alterations were seen in 95 pts of the 150 pts (63%). Tissue based profiling (Results to be shown) was done in 56 (33%) pts of total 171 pts with a median of 130 days between ctDNA and tissue biopsy. KRAS and TP53 were the most common gene mutations found in patients with both liquid and tissue biopsy results. Conclusions: ctDNA plasma profiling of pts with advanced PDAC is a feasible alternative method to gather comprehensive genomic data.

288 Background: Obesity is a risk factor for developing cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the effect of obesity on survival of CCA is unclear. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the impact of obesity upon overall survival of CCA patients. Secondary aims were to analyze impact of obesity upon other disease characteristics such as tumor site, stage, age, sex, BMI and Ca 19-9. Methods: A total of 411 unique pts diagnosed with CCA at Mayo Clinic Florida between 2000 and 2018 were retrieved from our collective SDMS database. Variables evaluated included:demographics, Body Mass Index (BMI), AJCC stage, tumor location and Ca 19-9.A total of 185 pts had all data available pertaining to these variables. We further restricted the analysis to pts with intrahepatic CCA classified BMI as per CDC criteria normal (18.5-25kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9kg/m2) and obese (≥30 kg/m2), thus leaving a total of 152 pts. Continuous and categorical variables were compared across BMI groups using Chi-squared or Fisher’s exact test. Overall survival rates after diagnosis at 1, 2 and 3 years were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Among 152 pts included in the study, 28% were normal weight, 40% were overweight and 32% were obese. The overall survival rate at 1, 2 and 3 years for normal weight pts with all stages combined was 54.1%, 35%, and 30.7%, respectively. The overall survival rate at 1, 2 and 3 years for overweight pts with all stages combined was 59.7 %, 32.6%, and 25.4%, respectively. The overall survival rate at 1, 2 and 3 years for obese pts with all stages combined was 63.9%, 37.6%, and 26.7%, respectively(p = 0.8766). Multivariate analysis demonstrated is no significant difference in overall survival for obese pts compared to normal or overweight pts.(Table to be shown) However it showed, gender and Ca19-9 were statistically significant predictors of overall survival, with males and pts with Ca19-9≥100 doing worse (HR1.65 (CI = 1.05, 2.61, p = 0.031) and HR 2.31 (CI = 1.49, 3.59, p = < 0.01), respectively). Conclusions: BMI did not make a significant impact on the overall survival, though there may be a trend toward worse OS for ptswith higher BMI. A larger, stage focused evaluation is warranted for further exploration of this trend.

239 Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a rapidly fatal cancer with 5-year overall survival <5%. 5-10% of pancreatic cancers occur in patients with family history of disease, and 5-27% of these familial cancers are BRCA associated, with defects in Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR). In breast and ovarian cancer, BRCA mutations may be associated with increased risk for brain metastasis (BM). BM is rare in pancreatic cancer, but it is suggested HRR deficient pancreatic cancer patients may have an increased risk for BM/LC. Methods: We analyzed 3030 prospectively identified patients with pancreatic cancer and HHR mutation germline sequencing data (BRCA1/2, ATM, PALB2) from the Mayo Clinic Pancreatic Cancer SPORE Registry. We used clinical databases (2000-2018) to assess the presence of BM or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC). Unconditional logistic regression analysis, with Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI), assessed the association between HRR gene germline mutation carrier status and any BM. Results: Of 3030 total pancreatic cancer patients, 8 were diagnosed with clinically evident BM/LC (0.26%), confirming the very low incidence of this metastasis site (Table). Of these, all had BM, and 4 also had LC present. No patients had LC diagnosed without BM present. 175/3030 (5.8%) patients had a germline HHR gene mutation. Of these, 1 patient was a BRCA2 carrier (0.57% of HRR deficient patients). 7 /2763 (0.25%) patients without germline HRR mutations had BM or LC (p = 0.44, OR 2.26; 95% CI: 0.27, 18.49). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the largest review of BRCA-associated pancreatic cancer patients with BM or LC. The incidence of BM is rare at 0.27%, with LC at 0.14%. Limitations include likely underdiagnosis given short clinical course and lack of availability of somatic HRR gene status. Our study suggests HRR germline carrier patients may have an increased risk of BM/LC development compared to non-carriers. Given rarity, larger studies should be explored. [Table: see text]

BACKGROUND: Management of transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas remains a challenging problem and the optimal surgical approach remains elusive. Mesenchymal stem cells, increasingly being utilized for perianal Crohn’s disease, offer a novel therapy to treat cryptoglandular fistulas. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine safety and feasibility of using an autologous mesenchymal stem cell-coated fistula plug in patients with transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas. DESIGN: This study is a phase I clinical trial. SETTING: This study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS: Adult (>18 years) male and female patients with transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas were selected. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary outcomes measured were the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of a mesenchymal stem cell-coated fistula plug in patients with transsphincteric fistulas. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (8 women, mean age 39.8 years) with a single-tract transsphincteric fistula received a mesenchymal stem cell-loaded fistula plug and were followed for 6 months. Duration of disease at the time of study enrollment was a median of 3.0 years (range, 1–13 years) with a median of 3.5 (range, 1–20) prior surgical interventions. Adverse events included 1 plug extrusion, 1 abdominal wall seroma, 3 perianal abscesses requiring drainage, and 1 patient with perianal cellulitis. There were no serious adverse events. At 6 months, 3 patients had complete clinical healing, 8 had partial healing, and 4 patients showed no clinical improvement. Radiographic improvement was seen in 11 of 15 patients. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by the small cohort and short follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Autologous mesenchymal stem cell-coated fistula plug treatment of transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas was safe and feasible and resulted in complete or partial healing in a majority of patients. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A897.

ABSTRACTAimPatients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) are at increased risk of premature mortality, morbidities and complications, which severely impair quality of life. However, patient‐centered outcomes are not consistently reported in trials in ADPKD, which can limit shared decision‐making. We aimed to identify outcomes important to patients and caregivers and the reasons for their priorities.MethodsNominal group technique was adopted involving patients with ADPKD and caregivers who were purposively selected from eight centres across Australia, France and the Republic of Korea. Participants identified, ranked and discussed outcomes for trials in ADPKD. We calculated an importance score (0–1) for each outcome and conducted thematic analyses.ResultsAcross 17 groups, 154 participants (121 patients, 33 caregivers) aged 19 to 78 (mean 54.5 years) identified 55 outcomes. The 10 highest ranked outcomes were: kidney function (importance score 0.36), end‐stage kidney disease (0.32), survival (0.21), cyst size/growth (0.20), cyst pain/bleeding (0.18), blood pressure (0.17), ability to work (0.16), cerebral aneurysm/stroke (0.14), mobility/physical function (0.12), and fatigue (0.12). Three themes were identified: threatening semblance of normality, inability to control and making sense of diverse risks.ConclusionFor patients with ADPKD and their caregivers, kidney function, delayed progression to end‐stage kidney disease and survival were the highest priorities, and were focused on achieving normality, and maintaining control over health and lifestyle. Implementing these patient‐important outcomes may improve the meaning and relevance of trials to inform clinical care in ADPKD.

AbstractBackgroundIt is important to identify patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] refractory to anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] therapy, to avoid potential adverse effects and to adopt different treatment strategies. We aimed to identify and validate clinical and genetic factors to predict anti-TNF response in patients with IBD.Materials and MethodsMayo Clinic and Washington University IBD genetic association study cohorts were used as discovery and replicate datasets, respectively. Clinical factors included sex, age at diagnosis, disease duration and phenotype, disease location, bowel resection, tobacco use, family history of IBD, extraintestinal manifestations, and response to anti-TNF therapy.ResultsOf 474 patients with IBD treated with anti-TNF therapy, 41 [8.7%] were refractory to therapy and 433 [91.3%] had response. Multivariate analysis showed history of immunomodulator use (odds ratio 10.2, p = 8.73E-4) and bowel resection (odds ratio 3.24, p = 4.38E-4) were associated with refractory response to anti-TNF agents. Among genetic loci, two [rs116724455 in TNFSF4/18, rs2228416 in PLIN2] were successfully replicated and another four [rs762787, rs9572250, rs144256942, rs523781] with suggestive evidence were found. An exploratory risk model predictability [area under the curve] increased from 0.72 [clinical predictors] to 0.89 after adding genetic predictors. Through identified clinical and genetic predictors, we constructed a preliminary anti-TNF refractory score to differentiate anti-TNF non-responders (mean [standard deviation] score, 5.49 [0.99]) from responders (2.65 [0.39]; p = 4.33E-23).ConclusionsNovel and validated genetic loci, including variants in TNFSF, were found associated with anti-TNF response in patients with IBD. Future validation of the exploratory risk model in a large prospective cohort is warranted.