Yadav, Siddhartha

Abstract BACKGROUND: Brain metastatic disease occurs in 10-30% of metastatic breast cancer cases. The incidence of brain metastases is increasing, yet overall survival remains < 2 years. Treatment of brain metastases is limited with current clinical practice centered on radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Although these treatments may prolong survival in the short term, targeting oncogenic alterations in brain metastases may deliver a more sustained clinical benefit. In this multicenter study, we comprehensively characterized DNA and RNA alterations that aberrantly drive specific oncogenic pathway activity pertinent to breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM). METHODS: RNA sequencing was performed on a cohort of patient-matched primary and resected brain metastatic tumours (45 patients; N=90 samples). Whole exome DNA sequencing (WXS) was performed for 18/45 patients (54 trios consisting of primary tumor, brain metastasis and matched normal tissue). An independent brain metastatic WXS cohort (N=21 patients) (PMID: 26410082) was also analysed resulting in a total of 39 patient samples. Recurrent somatic copy number alterations (SCNA), somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and mutational signatures were identified from WXS data. Expressed gene fusions were detected computationally from RNA-Seq (N=45 cases) RESULTS: Of the 45 BCBM patients, median age at diagnosis was 51 years [25, 67], median overall survival 57 months (range 18-255) with median brain metastases free survival 34 months (range 5-216).Clinical molecular subtype of the primary tumour included 13 ER+/HER2- (29%), 16 HER2+ (35.5%) and 16 TNBC (35.5%). Regions of significant recurrent amplifications and deletions in BCBM (N=39 patients) were identified in 4q12, 10q11.21, 8p11.23, 8q23.3 and 17q12 (FDR < 0.10). Recurrent expressed gene fusions identified in known cancer driver genes were associated with chromatin modification, MAPK and HER signaling pathways. Mutational signature analysis of SNVs identified signatures associated with ageing, mismatch repair and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) mutational processes. The relative contribution of the HRD signature was significantly increased in brain metastases compared to matched primary tumour (p < 0.05). Concordantly increased HRD in the brain metastatic transcriptome was confirmed in these patients by gene set variation analysis (GSVA) of homologous recombination pathway genes from KEGG database in RNA-Seq data. Moreover, in the extended BCBM RNA-Seq (N=45 patients) GSVA pathway scores were elevated in brain metastases relative to primary tumours, validating the functional significance of altered DNA repair defects in brain metastases CONCLUSIONS: Here, we report recurrent genetic drivers, supported by altered functional transcriptome, unique to brain metastasis that may have clinical implications for prognosis and treatment choice. Specifically, targeting defects in the homologous recombination repair mechanism may represent new therapeutic strategies and management opportunities for breast cancer brain metastases patients. Citation Format: Nicola S Cosgrove, Damir Varešlija, Stephen Keelan, Simon Furney, Jodi M Carter, Steven N Hart, Siddhartha Yadav, Arnold DK Hill, Steffi Oesterreich, Adrian V Lee, Fergus J Couch, Leonie Young. Homologous recombination deficiency represents a new therapeutic strategy for breast cancer brain metastases [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD13-01.

Abstract Background: About 10-20% of breast cancers (BC) are hereditary. Patients (pts) with BC and pathogenic variants (PVs) in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are at increased risk of contralateral breast cancer (CBC). However, risks of CBC and recurrent BC associated with PVs in other established BC predisposition genes (e.g. PALB2, CHEK2, ATM) are less well established. We performed research genetic testing of over 4000 pts with BC treated at Mayo Clinic. Because most pts were unaware of their mutation status prior to selection of therapy, this cohort provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the natural history of BC recurrence after treatment of the index BC in pts with a deleterious mutation in predisposition genes. Methods: Women diagnosed and treated for BC at Mayo Clinic between 2001-2016 were enrolled in an IRB-approved research cohort. Pts were not selected for age of diagnosis or family history. Coding regions and consensus splice sites of established BC predisposition genes were subjected to amplicon-based deep sequencing using the QIAseq method in germline DNA extracted from peripheral blood or buccal samples. PVs in the genes were identified using GATK haplotype caller and Vardict. Patient, tumor, oncologic management and follow up data were reviewed. Herein we report on the differences in the incidence of local recurrence and CBC, among carriers and non- carriers and by predisposition gene using the cumulative incidence estimator and Fine and Gray regression to account for competing risks. Results: Of 4272 women with BC (median age 57, range 21-94), a PV in a BC predisposition gene was identified in 287 (6.7%). The most common PVs were seen in CHEK2 (67, 1.6%), BRCA1 (62, 1.5%), BRCA2 (60, 1.4%), ATM (47, 1.1%); 8 (0.2%) patients had more than one PV. Pts with any PVs presented at younger age (median 51 vs 58 years, p<0.001), were more likely to have stage IV disease (4.5% vs 2.3%, p=0.02), estrogen receptor (ER) negative BC (19.5% vs 13.5%, p=0.005), and bilateral cancer (8.8% vs 4.3%, p<0.001). ER- BC proportion varied by gene - 38.9% in pts with PVs associated with ER- BC (BRCA1, BARD1, BRIP1, RAD51C, RAD51D) and 11.9% in those with PVs associated with ER+ BC (BRCA2, ATM, CDH1, CHEK2), p<0.001. NCCN criteria for genetic testing were assessed for 3763, with 69.9% of those with PVs qualifying for testing compared to 46.3% of those without PVs (p<0.001). Among 3973 pts (249 with PVs, 3724 without) with unilateral stage 0-III cancer, 168 pts developed local recurrence, 131 pts developed CBC and 248 pts developed distant disease with median 5 years of follow-up. Patients with any PV had higher rates of local recurrence after breast conserving surgery (HR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.2-4.2, p=0.01) but overall did not have significantly higher risk of CBC if contralateral prophylactic mastectomy was not performed (HR 1.7, 95% CI: 0.9-3.2, p=0.11). Specifically, pts with PVs in genes other than BRCA1 or BRCA2 did not have a higher risk of CBC compared to pts with no PV (HR 1.0, 95% CI: 0.4-2.7, p=0.96); the comparison of CBC risk in BRCA1 or BRCA2 versus those with no PV was HR 2.9 (95% CI: 1.3-6.5, p=0.01), while BRCA1 or BRCA2 compared to those with other PVs was HR 2.7 (95% CI: 0.8-9.3, p=0.13). In pts with CHEK2 PVs, the probability of CBC at 10-years follow-up was 5.4%, which was similar to pts without a mutation (5.3%), p=0.47. Conclusion: While PVs in known BC predisposition genes increase risk of BC development, risk of CBC in carriers of PVs in non-BRCA predisposition genes with BC are not as high as seen with BRCA1 or 2 PV carriers. This information regarding future BC will be helpful in personalizing decisions on the extent of surgery in carriers of PVs in BC predisposition genes. Citation Format: Judy C. Boughey, Tanya L. Hoskin, Siddhartha Yadav, Fergus J. Couch. The influence of pathogenic variants in breast cancer predisposition genes on secondary breast cancer events in a prospectively collected cohort of breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD10-02.

Approximately 5% to 10% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will have a pathogenic variant (PV) in a hereditary cancer susceptibility gene, and this has significant implications for the management of these patients and their relatives. Despite the benefits of genetic testing, many eligible patients with breast cancer never undergo testing because of various barriers, including complicated testing criteria such as those from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). In 2019, the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) proposed germline genetic testing for all patients with breast cancer to increase the identification of PV carriers. In 2020, a Mayo Clinic study highlighted the limitations of these 2 genetic testing guidelines (NCCN and ASBrS) and proposed a hybrid approach of testing all women diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 65 years and using NCCN criteria for older patients. This commentary presents an updated analysis of the Mayo Clinic data and discusses the rationale for using the age of 60 years rather than 65 years as the cutoff for this hybrid approach. Using an age at diagnosis of ≤60 or ≤65 years for the universal testing of patients with breast cancer detected more PVs (11.9% [16 of 134] and 15.7% [21 of 134], respectively) in comparison with using the NCCN criteria. Lowering the age for universal testing from 65 to 60 years maintained the sensitivity of detecting a PV at >90% while sparing testing for an additional 10% of women. Compared with the testing of all patients, the hybrid approach would allow 31% of all women with breast cancer to forgo testing and result in fewer variants of uncertain significance identified and, therefore, would decrease the chance of harm from misinterpretation of these variants.

Abstract To evaluate the racial and ethnic differences in prevalence of germline pathogenic variants (PVs) and the effect of race and ethnicity on breast cancer (BC) risk among carriers, results of multigene testing of 77 900 women with BC (non-Hispanic White [NHW] = 57 003; Ashkenazi-Jewish = 4798; Black = 6722; Hispanic = 5194; and Asian = 4183) were analyzed, and the frequency of PVs in each gene were compared between BC patients (cases) and race- and ethnicity-matched gnomAD reference controls. Compared with NHWs, BRCA1 PVs were enriched in Ashkenazi-Jews and Hispanics, whereas CHEK2 PVs were statistically significantly lower in Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians (all 2-sided P < .05). In case-control studies, BARD1 PVs were associated with high risks (odds ratio > 4.00) of BC in Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians; ATM PVs were associated with increased risk of BC among all races and ethnicities except Asians, whereas CHEK2 and BRIP1 PVs were associated with increased risk of BC among NHWs and Hispanics only. These findings suggest a need for personalized management of BC risk in PV carriers based on race and ethnicity.

Abstract Purpose: To compare the clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) of germline mutation carriers in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes and noncarriers with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Experimental Design: Germline DNA from 3,078 patients with PDAC enrolled in a prospective registry at Mayo Clinic between 2000 and 2017 was analyzed for mutations in 37 cancer predisposition genes. Characteristics and OS of patients with mutations in eight genes (ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D) involved in HRR were compared with patients testing negative for mutations in all 37 genes. Results: The 175 HRR mutation carriers and 2,730 noncarriers in the study had a median duration of follow-up of 9.9 years. HRR mutation carriers were younger (median age at diagnosis: 63 vs. 66 years, P < 0.001) and more likely to have metastatic disease at diagnosis (46% vs. 36%, P = 0.004). In a multivariable model adjusting for sex, age at diagnosis, and tumor staging, patients with germline HRR mutations had a significantly longer OS compared with noncarriers [HR, 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–0.97; P = 0.02]. Further gene-level analysis demonstrated that germline ATM mutation carriers had longer OS compared with patients without germline mutations in any of the 37 genes (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55–0.94; P = 0.01). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that germline mutation carrier status in PDAC is associated with longer OS compared with noncarriers. Further research into tumor biology and response to platinum-based chemotherapy in germline mutation carriers with PDAC are needed to better understand the association with longer OS.

Abstract Purpose: Blood-based candidate biomarkers of disease can be monitored by analyzing CTCs and/or circulating cfDNA isolated from the peripheral blood. Our primary objective is to understand the relative contributions of these circulating factors (i.e., CTCs and cfDNA) to the overall disease profile in MBC. Methods: Clinically archived FFPE tumor tissue and prospective blood samples are collected through a minimal risk protocol approved by the Mayo Clinic IRB (#16-001540) from patients with MBC and objective evidence of disease progression. Blood samples include 20 mL whole blood in Streck blood collection tubes (BCTs) for platelet poor plasma (PPP); 20 mL whole blood in AccuCyte BCTs for CTCs, WBCs, and PPP; and 10 mL whole blood in EDTA BCTs for PPP. Nucleated, EpCAM+/cytokeratin+/CD45- CTCs are identified, assessed for ER/HER2 status, and isolated using a centrifugation and direct imaging platform that allows for single cell retrieval (RareCyte). DNA is extracted from PPP, CTCs, WBCs, and FFPE tumor tissue using established methods. Targeted sequencing for SNVs/indels is performed on paired WBCs and CTC-DNA, AccuCyte-cfDNA, Streck-cfDNA, EDTA-cfDNA, and tumor tissue derived DNA using the same NGS panel and informatics pipeline (65 genes; CleanPlex OncoZoom; Paragon Genomics). Results: Tissue and blood samples were collected from 40 patients with metastatic breast cancer. 10 cases were selected for initial analyses on the basis of CTC yield (range 3-113 per 3.75 mL blood); up to 5 CTCs per subject were isolated and pooled for DNA extraction. Plasma cfDNA yields and variant allele frequencies were highly comparable between AccuCyte and Streck collected blood samples. Mutations (range 1-3) were identified in CTC-DNA and/or cfDNA in 9 of 10 cases for a total of 18 detected mutations: 10 in CTC-DNA and cfDNA (BRCA2 N372H, PIK3CA E542K, PIK3CA E545K (x3), PIK3CA H1047R, PTEN R130P, RET G691S, TP53 C135W, TP53 Q192*); 5 in CTC-DNA only (EGFR R521K, EGFR T790M, PIK3CA H1047R, SMAD4 C363Y, TP53 N263D); and 3 in cfDNA only (DNMT3A W893S, DNMT3A S714C, TP53 Q136E). Parallel analyses of samples from 10 more subjects are in progress. Analysis of tumor tissue for all 20 subjects and of EDTA-cfDNA and single CTCs for a subset of cases is ongoing. Updated results will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions: It is feasible to isolate high quality CTCs and cfDNA from the same blood collection tube to perform targeted sequencing; this streamlines specimen processing, decreases overall costs, and minimizes required blood volumes. Importantly, there is overlap in the majority of mutations identified in CTC-DNA and cfDNA, but actionable mutations (e.g., PIK3CA, EGFR) were detected in CTC-DNA only. The clinical and theranostic relevance of these findings is unclear and warrants further investigation. Citation Format: Minetta C. Liu, Karthik V. Giridhar, Roberto A. Leon Ferre, Jamie L. Carroll, Matthew P. Goetz, Tufia C. Haddad, Deanne R. Smith, Siddhartha Yadav, Vidushi Kapoor, Guoying Liu, Tad George, Nolan Ericson, Arturo B. Ramirez, Eric Kaldjian, Keegan E. Haselkorn. Comparison of circulating tumor cell (CTC) derived DNA and circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from simultaneous blood sampling of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3119.

Abstract Background: Sex differences in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) outcomes have been described. Immune-related adverse events (IRAEs) have emerged as a serious clinical problem in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Risk factors for IRAEs and their association with response to therapy remain controversial. Sex differences in innate and adaptive immune responses have been observed but the association of these differences with IRAEs remains unclear. Therefore, we studied sex differences in IRAEs and their association with response to therapy. Methods: All patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with anti-PD1 and anti-PDL1 therapy at Mayo Clinic Rochester and Florida from 2015 to 2018 were reviewed. Patients receiving treatment at an outside facility with history autoimmune disorders or radiation-induced pneumonitis were excluded. Chi-square test was used to estimate differences in categorical data. Kaplan-Meier method was used for time-to-event analysis. Results: A total of 231 patients were identified; 120 (52%) were women and 111 (48%) were men. Baseline characteristics and ICI distribution were similar among groups. Women were more likely to experience IRAEs compared to men (48% vs. 31%, p<0.008). Among patients with IRAEs, women were more likely to be prescribed systemic steroids (63% vs. 41%, p<0.02). On the other hand, no significant differences were observed in the administration of intravenous steroids. Women were more likely to develop pneumonitis (23% vs. 12%, p<0.03) and arthralgias (17% vs. 3%, p<0.04). However, dermatologic toxicities (35% vs. 9%, p<0.002) were more commonly seen in men. In 17% of women the ICI was discontinued due to toxicity (men 7%). Besides sex, no other clinical characteristic was associated with increased IRAEs. Women with IRAEs were more likely to have a radiographic response compared with women without IRAEs (78% vs. 23%, p<0.0001), although this was not observed in men (37% vs. 26%, p>0.22). Better PFS was observed in women with IRAEs (10 months vs. 3.3 months, p<0.0006) compared to women without IRAEs. Conclusions: Women with metastatic NSCLC are more likely to experience IRAEs compared to men. We also observed sex differences in the frequency of certain IRAEs. In addition, an association between IRAEs and response to therapy was observed in women. Larger studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these associations. Citation Format: Narjust Duma, Abdel-Ghani Azzouqa, Siddhartha Yadav, Kahterine Hoversten, Clay Reed, Andrea Sitek, Elizabeth Enninga, Jonas Paludo, Lisa Kottschade, Aaron Mansfield, Rami Manochakian, Roxana Dronca, Alex Adjei. Sex differences in tolerability and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A120.

e13690 Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is rare accounting for less than 0.5% of all cancer diagnoses in men. We used the term secondary male breast cancer (sMBC) to refer to ipsilateral and contralateral recurrences in addition to new primary MBC. Given its low incidence, data regarding the risk of developing sMBC and its characteristics are scarce. Methods: Multiple Primary Standardized Incidence Ratios (MP-SIR) session was conducted from the SEER*Stat software. We included all patients diagnosed with stage I,II and III MBC between 1990 to 2015 from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 18 registry. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated as an estimate of the risk of a second primary malignancy based on the incidence in the general population. Descriptive statistics and Kaplan-Meier analysis were performed using SPSS software. Results: Among all 2321 men diagnosed with a first primary MBC during the study period, 28 patients had a subsequent diagnosis of MBC. The risk of sMBC was significantly elevated with SIR of 33.12 (95% CI, 22.18 – 47.56). The median latency period between the initial and subsequent diagnoses was 5.9 years. 82.1% of the patients were White, 14.3% Black and 3.6% Asian/Pacific Islander. Majority of the cases constituting 85.7% of sMBC were diagnosed in the contralateral breast. 67.8% of the sMBC remained hormone receptors status positive similar to the initial status of the primary diagnosis. 42.9% of the sMBC patients were diagnosed with stage I, 17.9% with stage II, 3.6% with stage III, 17.9% with stage IV and 17.9% of unknown stage. The median overall survival for sMBC was 96 months (95% CI, 11.3-180.6). We also found an increased risk of developing liver cancer (SIR: 2.16), prostate cancer (SIR: 1.29), thyroid cancer (SIR: 3.08) and acute myeloid leukemia (SIR: 2.4) in individuals after a diagnosis of MBC. Conclusions: Men diagnosed with breast cancer are at increased risk of sMBC in addition to other malignancies which require careful monitoring after completing initial treatment. Contralateral mammogram screening or prophylactic contralateral mastectomy can be considered based on patient’s preferences and values.