Citations

BACKGROUND: Patients with cirrhosis are growing older and the overlap between hepatic encephalopathy (HE) & pre-dementia mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is unclear. HE affects visuospatial/psychomotor speed while MCI affects memory. Aim: Determine the performance of elderly cirrhotics on tests for HE and dementia and their impact on quality of life (QOL). METHODS: Outpatient cirrhotics and controls ages 65–95 years were recruited at 4 centers. Subjects had to have MMSE > 25, no current HE or dementia to be eligible. All subjects got tests for HE (psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score, PHES: 5 tests & low score = poor, EncephalApp, OffTime + OnTime, high score = poor) and QOL: Sickness Impact profile (SIP, high score = poor QOL). Cirrhotics also got tests for MCI; RBANS (tests immediate memory, delayed memory, language, visuo-spatial & attention). A neuro-psychologist evaluated results and divided cirrhotics into (A) unimpaired (B) MCI only (C) HE only & (D) (MCI/HE overlap). Demographics, MELD, alcohol etiology, and SIP were compared. Finally, age, gender and education-adjusted norms were created for PHES and EncephalApp based on the controls. Presence of MHE and sensitivity of EncephalApp for MHE diagnosis were evaluated. RESULTS: 109 cirrhotics and 100 non-cirrhotic subjects were included. Demographics/education levels were statistically similar between centers. Controls were older than cirrhotics (74.9 ± 6.6 vs 70.5 ± 4.4, P < 0.05) and had similar education/gender distribution. Despite this, controls performed better than cirrhotics on all tests (PHES 2.9 ± 12.4 vs −4.5 ± +4.5, P < 0.001, EncephalApp Off+On 181.4 ± +71.9 vs 218.2 ± +80.0, P = 0.03) and had a better QOL (SIP total 3.8 ± +7.1 vs 7.9 ± +9.5, Psych 3.3 ± +8.4 vs 7.2 ± +11.1, Phys 3.0 ± +6.2 vs 6.7 ± +9.5, all P < 0.001). Within cirrhosis subgroups (Table 1), demographics, MELD/alc & MMSE were similar. Pts with both MCI/HE had worse cognition on all tests, which translated into a worse QOL compared to other groups. Presence of HE, with/without MCI, contributed towards poor QOL. Norms for PHES/EncephalApp: Adjusting for age, gender & education, 17% (n = 17) patients were positive for MHE on PHES compared to controls. On EncephalApp, 49% (n = 47) patients were positive. AUC for EncephalApp using PHES as the gold standard was 0.86 (0.78-0.95 CI). CONCLUSIONS: In this multi-center study, adjusted norms defining the high sensitivity of EncephalApp to diagnose HE in older individuals were created. Presence of HE regardless of MCI contributed towards poor cognition and QOL in patients >65 years.

AbstractBackgroundProfiling of mitochondrial DNA is surely to provide valuable investigative clues for forensic cases involving highly degraded specimens or complex maternal lineage kinship determination. But traditionally used hypervariable region sequencing of mitochondrial DNA is less frequently suggested by the forensic community for insufficient informativeness. Genome‐wide sequencing of mitochondrial DNA can provide considerable amount of variant information but can be high cost at the same time.MethodsEfficiency of the 60 mitochondrial DNA polymorphic sites dispersing across the control region and coding region of mitochondrial DNA genome was evaluated with 106 Mongolians recruited from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, and allele‐specific PCR technique was employed for mitochondrial DNA typing.ResultsAltogether 58 haplotypes were observed and the haplotypic diversity, discrimination power and random match probability were calculated to be 0.981, 0.972, and 0.028, respectively. Mitochondrial DNA haplogroup affiliation exhibited an exceeding percentage (12.26%) of west Eurasian lineage (H haplogroup) in the studied Mongolian group, which needed to be further verified with more samples. Furthermore, the genetic relationships between the Xinjiang Mongolian group and the comparison populations were also investigated and the genetic affinity was discovered between the Xinjiang Mongolian group and the Xinjiang Kazak group in this study.ConclusionIt was indicated that the panel was potentially enough to be used as a supplementary tool for forensic applications. And the matrilineal genetic structure analyses based on mitochondrial DNA variants in the Xinjiang Mongolian group could be helpful for subsequent anthropological studies.

Abstract Purpose: Delta-like protein 3 (DLL3) is being developed as a predictive biomarker to identify small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients for treatment with the DLL3-targeting antibody-drug conjugate rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T). Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus. Given the neuroendocrine features of SCLC and MCC, we sought to evaluate DLL3 expression, its association with common clinicopathological factors, and its prognostic role in MCC. Methods: A total of 65 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded MCC cases were consecutively identified from an institutional biospecimen repository and were cut at 5 µm. Each case was stained for DLL3 protein with SC16.65 mouse monoclonal antibody at 3 µg/mL with the FLEX+ system (DAKO). Slides were then scanned at 20X with AT2 (Leica/Aperio) and read out for percentage of positive tumor cells with 1+, 2+, and 3+ intensity side-by-side with isotype control (IgG2a). Any subcellular staining pattern (membranous, cytoplasmic or punctate) was counted as overall positive. Polyomavirus status was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using an antibody that binds to MCPyV large T-antigen (sc-136172, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.). A generalized additive model was used to visualize the trend between common clinical factors and overall survival (OS). A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was applied to assess the association between DLL3 expression and OS. The association between DLL3 expression and other clinicopathological factors was evaluated with median and t tests. Results: A total of 67 patients were included with a median age of 74 years. Thirty-six (55%) had stage I/II disease; 29 (45%) had stage III/IV disease. Thirty-five (52%) patients died from MCC. Among the 65 cases with successful DLL3 stain, the median H-score of DLL3 expression was 60 (interquartile range: 30-100). Fifty-eight cases (89%) had ≥1% tumor cells positive for DLL3 expression with any intensity, of which the median DLL3 expression was 50% (interquartile range: 25-70%). Thirty-four cases (52%) had ≥50% tumor cells positive for DLL3 expression with any intensity. Older age significantly predicted shorter overall survival (p = 0.03). However, higher AJCC stage did not predict shorter OS (p = 0.3). H-score of DLL3 expression was not associated with AJCC stages (p = 0.4). However, higher H-score of DLL3 expression was associated with higher polyomavirus nuclear expression (p = 0.02) when it was dichotomized to 0/1+ and 2+/3+. In a multivariable Cox regression analysis, H-score of DLL3 expression did not predict OS of patients with MCC (p = 0.8). Conclusions: DLL3 overexpression is very common in MCC by IHC. DLL3 expression was significantly associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus expression but was not prognostic for OS in this cohort. The high levels of DLL3 expression in a subset of MCC may potentially be used to select patients to receive Rova-T. Citation Format: Hao Xie, Kumiko Isse, Yan Sun, Johanna Ramoth, Dorothy M. French, Laura R. Saunders, Aaron S. Mansfield. Delta-like protein 3 expression in Merkel cell carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3171.

3599 Background: Existing tools for post-treatment CRC surveillance and monitoring are insensitive and expensive. MDMs are broadly informative for early detection of CRC but have not been extensively studied for disease monitoring. As a first step, we sought to assess the concordance of novel CRC-associated MDMs in pCRC and mCRC. Methods: A panel of 14 MDMs previously identified to be highly discriminant for pCRC was selected on the basis of high median fold-change of MDM levels relative to buffy coat (682 (IQR: 132-19347)). Surgically resected pCRC and paired mCRC were identified from institutional pathology databases. Quantitative methylation-specific PCR was used to assay MDMs. 30 paired samples per metastatic subtype were calculated to be sufficient. MDM levels were compared using two-sample and paired Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Results: 87 patients with paired pCRC and mCRC including 57 synchronous and 30 metachronous metastases were included. 41/87 (47%) had neoadjuvant and 59/87 (68%) had adjuvant chemotherapy. All synchronous metastases were to liver. Metachronous metastases were to liver in 19/30 (63%) and to lung in 11/30 (37%). The levels of 14 selected MDMs were remarkably similar between paired pCRC and mCRC (Table). Individual MDM levels and the average level of all MDMs combined were not significantly different ( p> 0.0018 by Bonferroni correction). Conclusions: MDM levels are highly concordant in pCRC and mCRC. Thus, MDMs discovered from pCRC should be further studied for non-invasive surveillance after surgical resection and monitoring of treatment response in mCRC. [Table: see text]

3101 Background: PDO is a promising translational tool that recapitulates the biology and drug response of donor cancer patient. However, an unmet need is to have PDO drug-screening data available for treatment decision making in clinic. We conducted a pilot study to determine whether PDO testing results will be available at critical treatment decision points in metastatic GI cancer patients. Methods: Metastatic GI cancer patients undergoing core-needle biopsy were eligible. Tumor cells isolated from ≤4 fresh biopsy tissues were grown in a Matrigel-based culture. PDO response to anti-cancer drugs were evaluated; and when available, correlated with donors’ clinical response to the same agent(s). PDO response was defined as IC50 < 0.1 × published Cmax of the drug clinically; stable as IC50 between 0.1 to 10 × Cmax. Radiographic response was per RECIST criteria. Results: We enrolled 27 refractory metastatic GI cancer patients (9 colorectal [CRC], 9 pancreas, and 9 biliary tract). Median lines of therapy were 4, 2, and 2; the success rate of organoid establishment was 89%, 44%, and 55%, respectively. The median time from biopsy to availability of drug-testing data was 64 days (range: 24 to 93 days). The median time from biopsy to next CT re-staging in donors was 64 days. The established PDOs shared histological and genomic features with donor clinical tissue. PDO and clinical responses to the same agent(s) were correlated in 2 CRC donors including (1) BRAFV600E-mutated PDO responded to vemurafenib + panitumumab, as did the donor who had partial response (PDO drug-testing data were available 55 days post-biopsy, 23 days prior to restaging scan); (2) KRAS/FGF-dual amplified PDO had stable disease status to regorafenib, as did the biopsied lesion from the donor (73 days post-biopsy, 5 days post-scan). Conclusions: We showed the feasibility of completing PDO drug sensitivity testing in metastatic GI cancer patients within a short time that could impact clinical decision making, particularly in CRC. PDO drug response showed correlation with clinical response. With further refinement, PDO can be a powerful tool for personalizing cancer therapy in metastatic GI cancer patients.

The Hedgehog/GLI signaling pathway plays an important role in normal embryonic tissue development and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human cancers. In this review article, we summarize pre-clinical evidence supporting the suitability of targeting this signaling pathway in cancers. We review agents blocking both the ligand-dependent and ligand-independent cascades, and discuss the clinical evidence, which has led to the FDA approval of Hedgehog receptor Smoothened inhibitors, vismodegib, and sonidegib, in different malignancies. Finally, we provide an overview of published and ongoing clinical trial data on single agent or combination therapeutic strategies, targeting Hedgehog/GLI signaling pathway, in both advanced solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

Telomere length (TL) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is also linked to higher risk of CVD and cancer, and to TL. We investigated the association between TL and risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and cancer in OSA patients. We studied 210 individuals undergoing sleep-related studies between 2000 and 2007. Baseline characteristics and follow-up data (available in 164 subjects) were obtained from clinic records. Incidence rates were calculated for the entire group and by OSA status. Hazard ratios were calculated to estimate effects of OSA and TL on risk of MACE and cancer. In total, 32 individuals (20%) developed MACE and/or cancer during 12.7-year follow-up. The OSA group had a higher likelihood of cancer (16.0 vs. 4.9 events per 1000 person-years, P = 0.044) but no clear evidence of an elevated incidence of MACE (10.8 vs. 4.8 events per 1000 person-years, P = 0.293) compared to the non-OSA group. There was no association between TL and MACE- (HR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.78–1.28), or cancer-risk (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 0.96–1.43). Our study warrants further investigation of any modulating effect of OSA on TL and the risk of MACE and cancer.

Abstract Depression is a seriously disabling psychiatric disorder with a significant burden of disease. Metabolic abnormalities have been widely reported in depressed patients and animal models. However, there are few systematic efforts that integrate meaningful biological insights from these studies. Herein, available metabolic knowledge in the context of depression was integrated to provide a systematic and panoramic view of metabolic characterization. After screening more than 10 000 citations from five electronic literature databases and five metabolomics databases, we manually curated 5675 metabolite entries from 464 studies, including human, rat, mouse and non-human primate, to develop a new metabolite-disease association database, called MENDA (http://menda.cqmu.edu.cn:8080/index.php). The standardized data extraction process was used for data collection, a multi-faceted annotation scheme was developed, and a user-friendly search engine and web interface were integrated for database access. To facilitate data analysis and interpretation based on MENDA, we also proposed a systematic analytical framework, including data integration and biological function analysis. Case studies were provided that identified the consistently altered metabolites using the vote-counting method, and that captured the underlying molecular mechanism using pathway and network analyses. Collectively, we provided a comprehensive curation of metabolic characterization in depression. Our model of a specific psychiatry disorder may be replicated to study other complex diseases.

Abstract White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are frequently seen on brain magnetic resonance imaging scans of older people. Usually interpreted clinically as a surrogate for cerebral small vessel disease, WMHs are associated with increased likelihood of cognitive impairment and dementia (including Alzheimer's disease [AD]). WMHs are also seen in cognitively healthy people. In this collaboration of academic, clinical, and pharmaceutical industry perspectives, we identify outstanding questions about WMHs and their relation to cognition, dementia, and AD. What molecular and cellular changes underlie WMHs? What are the neuropathological correlates of WMHs? To what extent are demyelination and inflammation present? Is it helpful to subdivide into periventricular and subcortical WMHs? What do WMHs signify in people diagnosed with AD? What are the risk factors for developing WMHs? What preventive and therapeutic strategies target WMHs? Answering these questions will improve prevention and treatment of WMHs and dementia.