Citations

PURPOSE: Myxopapillary ependymomas (MPE) have an indolent clinical course, corresponding to WHO Grade I designation. 13 pediatric MPEs have been reported in the literature to show “anaplastic features”, including elevated proliferative activity (≥5 mitoses per 10 high-power fields and/or Ki67 labeling index of >10%), necrosis, and microvascular proliferation. No consensus exists regarding the prognostic significance of such features. PROCEDURE: Retrospective clinicopathologic review of pediatric MPEs diagnosed between 1996-2018 at Mayo Clinic. RESULTS: The study included 8 pediatric MPEs (6 male; age range 7.52-16.88 years). 3 had disseminated disease at presentation. All patients underwent surgical resection (7 gross-total; 1 subtotal). 5 cases harbored ≥5 mitoses per 10 high-powered fields (range: 5-9), 3 of which showed necrosis (2 with disseminated disease). Following surgery, 2 patients received radiation; one with widely disseminated disease and another with increased mitotic activity and necrosis; neither has recurred at last follow-up (1.18 and 3.19 years). 2 patients with disseminated disease, elevated mitotic activity, and necrosis had new metastatic disease/progression of non-resected metastatic foci (2.6 and 26.8 months). Both received radiation therapy and have remained progression free (3.01 and 9.34 years). All patients are alive (median follow-up 1.31 years, range: 0.66-11.75 years). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that among pediatric MPEs, the concurrent presence of elevated mitotic activity and necrosis may be associated with a more aggressive clinical course, warranting closer surveillance and consideration of adjuvant therapies such as radiation. Attention to the presence of mitotic activity and necrosis may help identify children at higher risk for tumor recurrence/progression.

Abstract Background: Previous research studies have demonstrated abnormalities in the metabolism of mothers of young children with autism.Method: Metabolic analysis was performed on blood samples from 30 mothers of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD-M) and from 29 mothers of young typically-developing children (TD-M). Targeted metabolic analysis focusing on the folate one-carbon metabolism (FOCM) and the transsulfuration pathway (TS) as well as broad metabolic analysis were performed. Statistical analysis of the data involved both univariate and multivariate statistical methods.Results: Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in 5 metabolites from the folate one-carbon metabolism and the transsulfuration pathway and differences in an additional 48 metabolites identified by broad metabolic analysis, including lower levels of many carnitine-conjugated molecules. Multivariate analysis with leave one-out cross validation allowed classification of samples as belonging to one of the two groups with 93% sensitivity and 97% specificity with five metabolites. Furthermore, each of these five metabolites correlated with 8-15 other metabolites indicating that there are five clusters of correlated metabolites. In fact, all but 5 of the 50 metabolites with the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were associated with the five identified groups. Many of the abnormalities appear linked to low levels of folate, vitamin B12, and carnitine-conjugated molecules.Conclusions: Mothers of children with ASD have many significantly different metabolite levels compared to mothers of typically developing children at 2-5 years after birth.

Abstract Background: Earlier cancer detection could identify tumors when they are more treatable and thus may improve clinical outcomes. A blood-based multicancer early detection test using circulating tumor cell-free DNA (cfDNA) offers the potential to address this unmet need. Our previous discovery work identified whole-genome bisulfite sequencing as outperforming whole-genome and targeted sequencing approaches for multicancer detection across stages. We thus developed a targeted methylation (TM) assay for multicancer detection and tissue-of-origin (TOO) localization. Methods: Participants were from the Circulating Cell-free Genome Atlas (CCGA; NCT02889978) and STRIVE (NCT03085888) studies, both prospective, multicenter, observational studies with longitudinal follow-up. cfDNA samples spanning >20 cancer types of all stages were divided into a cross-validated training set and an independent validation set; there were 3,583 evaluable samples in training (1,530 cancer; 2,053 noncancer) and 1,803 in validation (678 cancer; 1,125 noncancer). Performance in a prespecified set of 12 high-signal cancers was also reported (anus, bladder, colon/rectum, esophagus, head and neck, liver/bile-duct, lung, lymphoma, ovary, pancreas, plasma cell neoplasm, stomach). This multicancer early detection test evaluated cfDNA for the presence of cancer and localization of TOO; the TM classifier was trained to target >99% specificity. Precision was defined as the fraction of correct calls. Results: Participants with and without cancer were similar in age. Specificity across all cancer types in the training and validation sets was 99.8% (95% CI, 99.2-99.9%) and 99.3% (98.3-99.8%), respectively, which reflects a consistent (P=0.292) false positive rate of <1%. Across all cancer types, aggregate sensitivity was also consistent between the training and validation sets (55% [53-58%] and 55% [51-59], respectively; P=0.897). In the validation set, aggregate sensitivity in the prespecified group was 76% (73-78%); detection was 39% (27–52%) in stage I (n=62), 69% (56–80%) in stage II (n=62), 83% (75–90%) in stage III (n=102), and 92% (86–96%) in stage IV (n=130). Overall, the classifier assigned a TOO across >20 cancer types in 96% of samples (344/359); of these, the TOO was correct in 93% (321/344) of cases, which was consistent with training set analyses. Conclusions: This multicancer early detection test detected cancer signal across >20 cancer types with a single, fixed, low false positive rate and highly accurate TOO localization. Importantly, results in the independent validation set were consistent with the training set, demonstrating the robustness of machine learning classifier training, and confirms that data were not overfitted. These data support the feasibility of a single blood-based test that can detect multiple cancers, supporting further clinical development in preparation for the return of results. Citation Format: Anne-Renee Hartman, Geoffrey Oxnard, Eric Klein, Michael Seiden, Earl Hubbell, Oliver Venn, Arash Jamshidi, Nan Zhang, John Beausang, Samuel Gross, Kathryn Kurtzman, Eric Fung, Brian Allen, Alexander Fields, Hai Liu, Mikkael Sekeres, Donald Richards, Peter Yu, Alexander Aravanis, Minetta Liu. Multicancer detection of early-stage cancers with simultaneous tissue localization using a plasma cfDNA-based targeted methylation assay [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Liquid Biopsies; Jan 13-16, 2020; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(11_Suppl):Abstract nr IA02.

Abstract We report 8 cases of coccidioidomycosis associated with ruxolitinib treatment. Among 135 patients living in the coccidioidal-endemic region receiving ruxolitinib, 5 cases were diagnosed after starting and 4 had extrathoracic dissemination. Periodic serological screening while on ruxolitinib is warranted for patients residing in the coccidioidal-endemic region.

AbstractObjectiveYoung breast cancer patients experience greater psychosocial distress compared with older patients, which raises concern for their risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We sought to characterize the prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of PTSD and associated factors among breast cancer survivors diagnosed at a young age.MethodsThe Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study, enrolled 1302 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤ 40 between 2006 and 2016. Participants complete serial surveys, and we obtained additional information from medical record review. Socio‐demographics, anxiety and depression, social support, and psychiatric co‐morbidities and medications were assessed at study baseline (median, 5 months post‐diagnosis). We defined a participant as having clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) by scoring ≥50 on the PTSD Checklist‐Specific Version, administered on the 30‐month survey.ResultsAmong 700 women with stage 1‐3 disease, the prevalence of PTSS was 6.3% (95%CI = 4.5‐8.1). In multivariable analyses, PTSS was significantly associated with anxiety (OR 12.43, 95%CI = 5.81‐26.59, P < .0001) and stage 2 vs 1 disease (OR 2.26, 95%CI = 1.04‐4.93, P = .04). PTSS was inversely associated with having a college degree (OR 0.29, 95%CI = 0.13‐0.62, P = .002) and greater social support (OR 0.44, 95%CI = 0.21‐0.94, P = .03).ConclusionsWe found similar rates of cancer‐related PTSS in breast cancer survivors diagnosed at a young age compared with the general breast cancer population despite their well‐documented increased risk of overall distress. Nevertheless, factors associated with posttraumatic stress should be considered at diagnosis and in survivorship to identify young patients who may benefit from psychosocial resources.

Background: Clinician adherence to antiemetic guidelines for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) caused by highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) remains poorly characterized. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate individual clinician adherence to HEC antiemetic guidelines. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients receiving HEC was conducted using the IBM Watson Explorys Electronic Health Record Database (2012–2018). HEC antiemetic guideline adherence was defined as prescription of triple prophylaxis (neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist [NK1 RA], serotonin type-3 receptor antagonist, dexamethasone) at initiation of cisplatin or anthracycline + cyclophosphamide (AC). Clinicians who prescribed ≥5 HEC courses were included and individual guideline adherence was assessed, noting the number of prescribing clinicians with >90% adherence. Results: A total of 217 clinicians were identified who prescribed 2,543 cisplatin and 1,490 AC courses. Patients (N=4,033) were primarily women (63.3%) and chemotherapy-naïve (92%) with a mean age of 58.6 years. Breast (36%) and thoracic (19%) cancers were the most common tumor types. Guideline adherence rates of >90% were achieved by 35% and 58% of clinicians using cisplatin or AC, respectively. Omission of an NK1 RA was the most common practice of nonadherence. Variation in prophylaxis guideline adherence was considerable for cisplatin (mean, 71%; SD, 29%; coefficient of variation [CV], 0.40) and AC (mean, 84%; SD, 26%; CV, 0.31). Conclusions: Findings showed substantial gaps in clinician adherence to HEC CINV guidelines, including a high variability across clinicians. Clinicians should review their individual clinical practices and ensure adherence to evidence-based CINV guidelines to optimize patient care.

e24133 Background: The impact of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) on work loss and activity impairment is important to patients yet not well described in literature. We sought to evaluate CINV-related work loss and activity impairment and their associations with CINV duration. Methods: In a prospective CINV prophylaxis trial of oral or intravenous netupitant/palonestron (NEPA) + dexamethasone (DEX) (12mg day 1 only) for patients with breast cancer receiving anthracycline + cyclophosphamide (AC), we defined CINV as vomiting or use of rescue medication during days 1-5 after AC. Pre-specified endpoints included CINV duration (0-5 days), patient reported CINV-associated work loss (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment survey), and CINV-related impaired activity [0 (none) - (worst) Likert scale] for chemotherapy cycles 1 and 2. CINV-related work loss and activity impairment could involve nausea with or without vomiting or rescue medication use. We categorized CINV duration as 1-2 days (d) or ≥3 d, and compared results using the chi-squared test. We report here on the first 2 cycles. Results: Survey data was captured for 792 cycles in 402 female patients including 132 (32.8%) employed patients. Mean age was 55.4. CINV was observed in 173 (21.8%) of total cycles. CINV-related work loss was reported in 26 (3.3% of all cycles, 15.0% of cycles with CINV, 38.2% of employed patient cycles with CINV) while 142 had related activity impairment. When we categorized cycles by CINV duration, CINV-related work loss was seen in 25.9% of 81 cycles with ≥3 d CINV duration vs. 5.4% for 92 cycles of 1-2 d of CINV (p < 0.001); mean scores of CINV-related impaired activity were 5.0 for ≥3 d CINV vs 3.0 for 1-2 d CINV (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite guideline recommended prophylaxis, CINV occurred in > 20% of AC cycles. In cycles with CINV, CINV-related work loss occurred in 38.2% for employed patients while activity impairment occurred in 82.1% for all patient cycles. The majority of CINV lasted 1-2 d. Notably, ≥3 d of CINV was associated with considerably higher levels of work loss and activity impairment suggesting that duration may be a meaningful measure of CINV impact. Clinical trial information: NCT03403712 . [Table: see text]

e24103 Background: Many of the 200,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) annually in the United States receive anthracycline-based therapy, increasing their risk of future congestive heart failure. N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has been used as a biomarker of asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction in the general population and is of interest to identify patients who might benefit from echocardiography during survivorship. This study aimed to assess how age, baseline comorbidities, and time since BC diagnosis impact NT-proBNP levels after anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Methods: This retrospective study, using samples collected in our ongoing prospective Mayo Clinic Breast Disease Registry, included 20 survivors of non-metastatic BC patients per year for each of the first 5 years after anthracycline-based chemotherapy (n=100 total). NT-pro-BNP levels were assessed using a Roche immunoassay. Cardiac risk factors were obtained by chart review. Multivariable linear regression models assessed associations between NT-proBNP values and these independent variables: baseline cardiac risk factors (including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and smoking), tumor ER status (surrogate for possible endocrine therapy), time between diagnosis and serum collection, T and N status, use of trastuzumab, and age. Results: The mean age at the time of BC diagnosis was 52.2 (SD 9.8). 13% of tumors were human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)-positive and 71% were estrogen receptor (ER) positive. NT-proBNP was elevated in 34%. Mean NT-BNP level was higher (p=0.047) for those in years 4-5 (158 pg/mL) compared to those in years 1-3 (106 pg/mL) (See Table.) Models revealed years from diagnosis to serum draw (p=0.026), older age (p=0.006), more cardiac risk factors (p=0.064), and N2-3 (p=0.001) were associated with elevated NT-pro-BNP level. Use of trastuzumab, ER status, and tumor size were not associated with NT-proBNP. Conclusions: NT-proBNP is elevated in 1/3 of survivors who received anthracycline therapy for BC. As expected, cardiac risk factors and advancing age are associated with higher NT-proBNP. NT-proBNP values >300 were only found in patients who were 4-5 years after diagnosis. Additional research will be needed to further define the diagnostic and prognostic merit of NT-proBNP in survivors after receipt of anthracycline therapy. [Table: see text]

11012 Background: The proportion of women in the field of hematology and oncology (H&O) has increased over recent decades, but representation by women in leadership positions remains a challenge. Our aim was to examine representation of winners of recognition awards by gender and race from the major international hematology and oncology societies. Methods: Published award recipients from the seven major H&O societies were reviewed, with 26 years of data included (1994-2019). Awardee demographics and academic rank were collected and included in the analysis. Gender was determined based on awardee full name and verified by public data. Chi-square and Cochran-Armitage tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Over the past 26 years, 942 awards were presented at the 7 major H&O societies. We excluded 27 gender specific awards from the analysis. Of the 915 awardees included in analysis, award recipients were overwhelmingly men (77.9%) and non-Hispanic white (84.7%). Gender breakdown by society is described in table. ESMO and ASTRO represented the lowest distribution of women at 9.1% and 11.1%, respectively. Women awardees received 30.3% of the awards categorized as humanistic and education-related, while only receiving 16.0% of awards in the basic sciences category (p<0.01). The Cochran-Armitage test demonstrated an upward trend in the number of women awardees, from 10% between 1994-1998 to 25.6% between 2014-2019 (p=0.0004). Over the past five years, the average proportion of women medical oncologists was 35.6% per the AAMC. In this time period, women oncologists have received only 24.0% of all awards, suggesting the awardees included in the study period do not represent the proportion women in the field (p=0.00424). Black, Hispanic, and Asian awardees represented 3.7%, 3.3%, and 6.8% of the total awardees, respectively. Of the 64 Black and Hispanic awardees, 60.9% of the awards were for investigating healthcare disparities and only 4.6% were given for basic science research. Conclusions: During our study period, women physicians and investigators were less likely to receive recognition awards from the seven major H&O societies compared to men. We also observed a considerable low proportion of minority awardees in all oncology subspecialties. While the proportion of women awardees has increased over time, significant underrepresentation remains. [Table: see text]