Citations

AbstractBackgroundMolecular studies have tried to address the unmet need for prognostic biomarkers in prostate cancer (PCa). Some gene expression tests improve upon clinical factors for prediction of outcomes, but additional tools for accurate prediction of tumor aggressiveness are needed.MethodsBased on a previously published panel of 23 gene transcripts that distinguished patients with metastatic progression, we constructed a prediction model using independent training and testing datasets. Using the validated messenger RNAs and Gleason score (GS), we performed model selection in the training set to define a final locked model to classify patients who developed metastatic‐lethal events from those who remained recurrence‐free. In an independent testing dataset, we compared our locked model to established clinical prognostic factors and utilized Kaplan‐Meier curves and receiver operating characteristic analyses to evaluate the model's performance.ResultsThirteen of 23 previously identified gene transcripts that stratified patients with aggressive PCa were validated in the training dataset. These biomarkers plus GS were used to develop a four‐gene (CST2, FBLN1, TNFRSF19, and ZNF704) transcript (4GT) score that was significantly higher in patients who progressed to metastatic‐lethal events compared to those without recurrence in the testing dataset (P = 5.7 × 10−11). The 4GT score provided higher prediction accuracy (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69‐0.83; partial area under the ROC curve [pAUC] = 0.008) than GS alone (AUC = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.56‐0.70; pAUC = 0.002), and it improved risk stratification in subgroups defined by a combination of clinicopathological features (ie, Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment‐Surgery).ConclusionOur validated 4GT score has prognostic value for metastatic‐lethal progression in men treated for localized PCa and warrants further evaluation for its clinical utility.

Background: The sex- and gender-specific health (SGSH) multimedia case-based learning modules (MCBLMs) were developed to address the absence of validated or peer-reviewed material that incorporates topics of sex and gender differences into medical curricula. This article provides the methodology for development of the modules and reports the results of a field test of the modules in different medical educational settings. Methods: MCBLMs were created by a multidisciplinary committee of scientists, health profession educators, and students. Two modules, osteoporosis and diabetes, were tested in various settings based on the curricular needs at each of the five accredited institutions. Each module consisted of a pretest and three interactive, multimedia stand-alone sections with post-tests. Scores on the tests were compared using a paired-samples t -test. A postmodule survey was used to evaluate the format. Results: Four hundred eighteen students participated in the field testing. For the 194 who completed the osteoporosis module, the post-test scores (M = 13.71, standard deviation [SD] = 2.09) were significantly higher than the pretest scores (M = 10.54, SD = 2.41), p < 0.001. Post-test scores for the 285 who completed the diabetes module (M = 16.55, SD = 2.46) were also significantly higher than the pretest scores (M = 13.71, SD = 2.09), p < 0.001. The postmodule survey showed positive acceptance of the format with an average score of 3.54/4 for osteoporosis and 3.45/4 for diabetes. Conclusion: The SGSH MCBLM field testing results show that the modules have a positive effect on content knowledge in multiple settings and are well accepted by learners.

Abstract Adult spinal cord ependymomas are typically low grade and have a relatively favorable clinical course following gross total resection. We report 4 cases of anaplastic spinal cord ependymoma with MYCN amplification, an exceptionally rare finding. All cases occurred in the spinal cord of adolescent and young adult women and had morphological and immunohistochemical features of anaplastic ependymomas (World Health Organization grade III). Chromosomal microarray analysis demonstrated amplification of 2p24 (including MYCN) in all cases. One patient died 6 months after surgery. Another patient recently had removal of metastatic nodules in the thoracic region, following gross total resection and adjuvant radiation therapy of a lumbar ependymoma 1 year previously. One patient responded well after chemotherapy but died after multiple relapses 82 months after diagnosis. We found MYCN amplification reported in 2 other ependymomas, both anaplastic and arising in the spinal cord of adult females (Brain Pathol 2001;11:133–43). One patient had multiple recurrences in the spinal cord and an intracranial metastasis. Although MYCN amplification is rare in ependymomas, the current and previously reported cases suggest that this is associated with higher-grade histology, spinal location, and often unfavorable prognosis. The clinical significance and therapeutic implications of MYCN amplification in ependymomas require further evaluation.

Background Neprilysin is a metalloprotease involved in proteolysis of numerous peptides, including natriuretic peptides, and is of prognostic and therapeutic importance in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. No studies have investigated circulating neprilysin in the community, its clinical correlates, or its relationship to cardiovascular disease in the general population. Methods and Results Plasma neprilysin was measured in 1536 participants from Olmsted County, Minnesota, using a commercially available sandwich ELISA assay. Clinical and echocardiographic correlates and subsequent outcomes were determined. Soluble neprilysin is non‐normally distributed in the community (median: 3.9 ng/mL; interquartile range: 1.0–43.0 ng/mL). There was no relationship between plasma neprilysin and age (Spearman correlation: −0.04, P =0.16); body mass index (Spearman correlation: −0.04, P =0.16); glomerular filtration rate (Spearman correlation: −0.007, P =0.8); or A‐, B‐, or C‐type natriuretic peptides (Spearman correlation: 0.03, P =0.22; −0.001, P =0.96; 0.01, P =0.67, respectively). Among tertiles of neprilysin, the lowest tertile group had the highest prevalence of smokers ( P <0.001), hypertension ( P =0.04), dyslipidemia ( P =0.03), and diastolic dysfunction ( P =0.02). Soluble neprilysin was not prospectively associated with death or heart failure over a median of 10.7 years. Conclusions In a large community‐based cohort, for the first time, we described the distribution of circulating neprilysin in the general community. We observed that neprilysin does not correlate with natriuretic peptide levels and is not independently associated with adverse outcomes. The novel associations observed between low soluble neprilysin levels and an adverse cardiometabolic and smoking profile requires further investigation.

AbstractBackgroundGlioblastoma (GBM) represents an aggressive cancer type with a median survival of only 14 months. With fewer than 5% of patients surviving 5 years, comprehensive profiling of these rare patients could elucidate prognostic biomarkers that may confer better patient outcomes. We utilized multiple molecular approaches to characterize the largest patient cohort of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)–wildtype GBM long-term survivors (LTS) to date.MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed on 49 archived formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor specimens from patients diagnosed with GBM at the Mayo Clinic between December 1995 and September 2013. These patient samples were subdivided into 2 groups based on survival (12 LTS, 37 short-term survivors [STS]) and subsequently examined by mutation sequencing, copy number analysis, methylation profiling, and gene expression.ResultsOf the 49 patients analyzed in this study, LTS were younger at diagnosis (P = 0.016), more likely to be female (P = 0.048), and MGMT promoter methylated (UniD, P = 0.01). IDH-wildtype STS and LTS demonstrated classic GBM mutations and copy number changes. Pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes showed LTS enrichment for sphingomyelin metabolism, which has been linked to decreased GBM growth, invasion, and angiogenesis. STS were enriched for DNA repair and cell cycle control networks.ConclusionsWhile our findings largely report remarkable similarity between these LTS and more typical STS, unique attributes were observed in regard to altered gene expression and pathway enrichment. These attributes may be valuable prognostic markers and are worth further examination. Importantly, this study also underscores the limitations of existing biomarkers and classification methods in predicting patient prognosis.

AbstractAccurate pathologic diagnoses and molecularly informed treatment decisions for a wide variety of cancers depend on robust clinical molecular testing that uses genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic-based tools. Nowhere is this more essential than in the workup of brain tumors, as emphasized by the incorporation of molecular criteria into the 2016 World Health Organization classification of central nervous system tumors and the updated official guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Despite the medical necessity of molecular testing in brain tumors, access to and utilization of molecular diagnostics is still highly variable across institutions, and a lack of reimbursement for such testing remains a significant obstacle. The objectives of this review are (i) to identify barriers to adoption of molecular testing in brain tumors, (ii) to describe the current molecular tools recommended for the clinical evaluation of brain tumors, and (iii) to summarize how molecular data are interpreted to guide clinical care, so as to improve understanding and justification for their coverage in the routine workup of adult and pediatric brain tumor cases.

Interindividual differences in DNA repair systems may play a role in modulating the individual risk of developing colorectal cancer. To better ascertain the role of DNA repair gene polymorphisms on colon and rectal cancer risk individually, we evaluated 15,419 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 185 DNA repair genes using GWAS data from the Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR) and the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO), which included 8,178 colon cancer, 2,936 rectum cancer cases and 14,659 controls. Rs1800734 (in MLH1 gene) was associated with colon cancer risk (p‐value = 3.5 × 10−6) and rs2189517 (in RAD51B) with rectal cancer risk (p‐value = 5.7 × 10−6). The results had statistical significance close to the Bonferroni corrected p‐value of 5.8 × 10−6. Ninety‐four SNPs were significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk after Binomial Sequential Goodness of Fit (BSGoF) procedure and confirmed the relevance of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) and homologous recombination pathways for colon and rectum cancer, respectively. Defects in MMR genes are known to be crucial for familial form of colorectal cancer but our findings suggest that specific genetic variations in MLH1 are important also in the individual predisposition to sporadic colon cancer. Other SNPs associated with the risk of colon cancer (e.g., rs16906252 in MGMT) were found to affect mRNA expression levels in colon transverse and therefore working as possible cis‐eQTL suggesting possible mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

3144 Background: Updated ASCO/CAP Guidelines for HER2 testing in breast cancer have been most impactful on the resolution of certain challenging groups of FISH results. We review the change in assignment of HER2 status in a large series of breast cancers referred to a large national reference laboratory for FISH testing since the introduction of the 2018 updated guidelines. Methods: Patient samples submitted to the Mayo Clinic Cytogenetics Laboratory (N = 2208) were analyzed by FISH. Samples with Group 2, Group 3, or Group 4 FISH results were reflexed to immunohistochemistry (IHC) in our central laboratory; FISH slides for those cases with equivocal 2+ IHC results were re-scored in the regions of invasive cancer showing more intense membranous staining. A subset of 202 samples with Group 4 FISH results were also reflexed to the previously employed reflex FISH assay (HER2/D17S122), and these were also re-analyzed according to the new reflex IHC/FISH process. Results: 382 of 2208 breast cancer samples tested (17.3%) had FISH results categorized as Group 2 (N = 17, 0.8%), Group 3 (N = 34, 1.5%), or Group 4 (N = 331, 15%) and required reflex IHC testing, and of those, 75% were 2+ equivocal and required targeted re-analysis of the FISH slide according to the 2018 updated guidelines. Re-analysis of the FISH slide resulted in switching between Groups 1-5 in 19.4% of cases, but HER2 status was changed by FISH re-scoring in only 7.7% of cases re-scored (1.0% of all samples), generally due to only minor shifts in HER2 copy number and HER2/control ratios between the initial and IHC-guided reflex FISH scores. In the subset of 202 cases tested by both reflex methods, the previously employed HER2/D17S122 reflex probe set was positive in 123 cases (60.9%), whereas reflex IHC/FISH was positive in only 10 cases (7.9%). Including positive reflex IHC (0.4%) and positive reflex FISH results (2.1%), the overall assignment of positive HER2 status on our series of 2208 cases was 11.5%. Conclusions: Overall rates of HER2 positive FISH results have declined under the most recent ASCO/CAP guideline update as a consequence of new recommendations for reflex testing for Groups 2-4. This change is largely due to reassignment of Group 2 and Group 4 results as negative in the absence of positive IHC.

e13145 Background: A multiplexed biomarker panel was developed for detection of MSI that is more sensitive than currently available systems. Preliminary data showed an increased MSI sensitivity for colon polyps, endometrial (EC) and skin cancers. This study expands that finding to 14 different types of cancer. Methods: Selection of the best microsatellite markers was done using a cohort of 160 patients ≤55 years with ≥1 colon polyp and 100 EC patients ≤ 50 years. To validate the new panel, a cohort of 100 Lynch syndrome CRC, 100 sporadic MSI-High CRC, 100 sporadic MSI stable CRC and 219 extra-colonic cancers from the Colon Cancer Family Registry were tested for MSI. Samples were screened using a new 8-marker panel and Promega’s MSI Analysis System. Mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutation status and expression were determined. To compare the relative sensitivity of the 8-marker panel across all cancer types we developed a quantitative “MSI-score” for each cancer type. Results: Considerable differences in MSI phenotypes were observed between cancer types and a new approach to scoring MSI in extra-colonic cancers is proposed. Relative intensity of the MSI phenotype was characterized by MSI-Scores ranging from high of 66 (small intestine) to 6 (brain). The mutations in MSI samples were significantly more common and allele size shifts larger with the new biomarkers, making MSI classification more accurate and robost. MSI, IHC and MMR gene mutation status were highly correlated. Conclusions: The MSI sensitivity of the new biomarker panel for most cancer types was significantly higher than currently available PCR-based MSI systems. Development of the new pan-cancer PCR-based MSI system allows laboratories to leverage established equipment and known analysis techniques to keep turnaround time and costs, quick and affordable compared with emerging NGS-based technologies.

Background. The role of liver transplantation (LT) in the management of portopulmonary hypertension (POPH) is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to better understand provider attitudes and practice patterns regarding the management of patients with POPH and to assess the concordance between clinical practice and current guidelines. Methods. We performed a multicenter survey study of hepatologists and pulmonary hypertension (PH) physicians at US LT centers that performed >50 transplants per year. Survey responses are summarized as number (%). Associations were assessed using a Wilcoxon-rank sum, chi-square, or Fisher exact test, as appropriate. Results. Seventy-four providers from 35 centers were included. There was marked variability regarding screening practices, management, and attitudes. Forty-two percent responded that POPH nearly always or often improves with LT, and 15.5% reported that POPH rarely or never improves. In contrast to current guidelines, 50.7% agreed that treated POPH should be an indication for LT in patients with compensated cirrhosis. Hepatologists were more likely than PH physicians to agree that POPH should be an indication for LT (P = 0.02). Forty-nine percent of respondents thought that the current POPH Model for End-stage Liver Disease exception criteria should be modified, and management of patients with an elevated mean pulmonary arterial pressure and normal pulmonary vascular resistance differed from current policies. Conclusions. There is marked variability in provider attitudes and practice patterns regarding the management of POPH. This study highlights the need for prospective studies to inform practice and for improved implementation of practice guidelines in order to standardize care.