Citations

e16326 Background: Cholelithiasis or Gallstone disease (GSD), is one of the most common and costly digestive disorders in adults worldwide, presenting 10-20% of the general population but in greater than 30% of Latina and Hispanic American women aged 40 years or older. Moreover, GSD individuals contribute significantly to the incidence and mortality of gallbladder and other digestive system cancers; specifically, the excessive risk of gallbladder cancer is 3-10-fold. Parallel to gallbladder cancer, an appalling female preponderance of GSD has been documented for decades; thus, precisely defining high-risk populations and properly managing patients with GSD would lead to reduced disease burden from GSD and multiple cancers. Several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the past have identified genes associated with GSD but few were focused on Latinx population. Methods: To identify genetic risk factors for GSD in Latinx population, we used the Sangre Por Salud cohort (SPS) where participants are Latinx adult individuals aged 18-85 years who were current patients in the Mountain Park Health Center in Arizona. This sample represents historically underrepresented population with low socioeconomic status that are primarily Spanish-speaking, majority being born outside of the US, with low rates of health insurance coverage. A total of 172 GSD cases were identified, each matched with 6 controls (n = 1032) who were people from the same community but without history of GSD diagnosis; matching variables are age at enrollment to SPS, sex, height and weight, dyslipidemia, and HbA1C level indicative of type 2 diabetes. We characterized genome-wide interrogation for biomarkers predicting GSD and contributing to the observed gender disparity by performing a GWAS using a matched case-control design. Results: We identified several novel loci associated with GSD and validated few loci that were reported in previous GWAS. The top 3 loci (MATN2, GPRIN3, GPC6) were strongly associated with GSD in our overall analysis; follow-up pathway enrichment analysis suggests enrichment of GO terms that are associated with immunological pathways, enzymatic processes in gallbladder, liver and gastrointestinal tract and GSD pathology. In a sex-specific analysis, CDHR3 and RPL31P35-SEC61G were identified for females, which have been associated respectively with rhinovirus C infection and HbA1c level in previous studies. Conclusions: Our findings suggest directions towards better and deeper understanding of sex differences in GSD pathology, biological mechanisms, and disease progression among Latinx people. Knowing approximately 80% of gallbladder cancer patients harbored gallstones, our optimal goal is to provide evidence for an innovative strategy to early detect and effectively intervene the modifiable risk factors to reduce gallbladder cancer burden in high risk populations.

2002 Background: Elderly patients with glioblastoma have a poor prognosis with phase III trials reporting median overall survival (OS) and global time to deterioration of 6–9 and 1.2 months respectively. 18F-DOPA (3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]-fluoro-L-phenylalanine) positron emission tomography (PET) is sensitive and specific for identifying regions of high density and biologically aggressive glioblastoma. Proton beam therapy (PBT) can spare more healthy tissue that may improve quality of life for this patient population. With improved targeting of disease along with dosimetric advantages of PBT, this phase II trial tested whether hypofractionated PBT can offer both improved survival and quality of life. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma aged ≥65 years without contraindications to 18F-DOPA were eligible. Target volumes were defined by PET (tumor/normal brain SUV ≥2.0) and MRI areas of contrast enhancement including surgical cavity. Patients received dose escalated hypofractionated PBT of 35-40 GyE to PET/MRI over 5-10 treatments with 10 mm margin. Patients received concurrent/adjuvant temozolomide. With an alpha of 0.1, 18 of 39 patients would be required to be alive at 12 months for the study to be considered a success. Kaplan-Meier/Cox regression analysis was performed for progression free survival (PFS) and OS. Toxicities were evaluated with CTCAE v4.0. Patients completed EORTC BN20, QLQ-C30, and MMSE questionnaires. Time to deterioration, defined as a 10-point decrease in the score of the function domain or 10-point increase in score of symptom domain, was evaluated. Results: Between 5/2019-6/2021, 43 patients were enrolled, with 4 patients withdrawing due to progression/insurance denial prior to beginning protocol therapy. The median age was 70.2 yrs. and median follow-up was 12.5 months. MGMT methylation was present in 13 (33%). Tumors were multifocal in 10 (26%) and unifocal in 29 (74%). The primary endpoint was met with median PFS/OS was 6.5/12.9 months for all patients and for MGMT methylated patients 11.9/29.8 months respectively. Grade 3 baseline adjusted treatment related adverse events included 1 (3%) confusion, 2 (5%) fatigue, and 1 (3%) seizure. There were no grade 4/5 events. Multivariate analysis revealed MGMT unmethylated, ECOG 2 and biopsy only patients had worse survival. PET volume was more predictive than MRI volume for OS with PET volume>26 cc having a hazard ratio of 3.7. The median time to global deterioration per QLC-C30 was 6.3 months. Conclusions: This phase II trial incorporating 18F-DOPA PET-guided dose escalated hypofractionated proton beam treatment for elderly patients with glioblastoma met its primary endpoint for improved OS and patient reported quality of life compared to historical controls. Further investigation is warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT03778294 .

TPS1115 Background: The current first-line (1L) standard of care (SOC) for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is trastuzumab (T) plus pertuzumab (P) and a taxane. Despite advances in 1L SOC, most patients progress during maintenance therapy with T + P. Tucatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved in combination with T and capecitabine for adults with HER2+ MBC, with and without brain metastases (BM). In HER2CLIMB, the addition of tucatinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with HER2+ MBC and was well tolerated. Adding tucatinib also reduced the risk of disease progression or death in patients with untreated and/or active BM (Murthy et al. 2020, Curigliano et al. 2021). HER2CLIMB-05 investigates whether adding tucatinib to 1L SOC as maintenance therapy will extend PFS while maintaining quality of life (QOL). Methods: HER2CLIMB-05 (NCT05132582) is a phase 3, randomized, double-blind study evaluating tucatinib plus T + P as maintenance therapy for HER2+ MBC. Approximately 650 patients will be enrolled. Eligible patients will have advanced HER2+ disease, no progression on 4–8 cycles of prior 1L SOC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of 0 or 1, and no or asymptomatic BM. Exclusion criteria include prior treatment with anti-HER2 and/or anti-epidermal growth factor receptor TKI (prior SOC for early BC is permitted) or inability to undergo contrast magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive either tucatinib or placebo twice daily, with T + P once every 21 days. Patients with hormone receptor-positive disease may receive endocrine therapy. The primary endpoint is investigator-assessed PFS. Secondary endpoints include OS (key endpoint), PFS by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR), time to deterioration of health-related QOL, central nervous system PFS, safety, and pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters. PFS and OS will be compared using a 2-sided stratified log-rank test between treatment groups. Time-to-event endpoints will be summarized using the Kaplan–Meier method. PK and safety data will be summarized using descriptive statistics. Enrollment is ongoing in the US, Canada, Brazil, APAC and EU countries with additional sites planned. Clinical trial information: NCT05132582 .

TPS3631 Background: The current standard of care (SOC) for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is multi-agent chemotherapy, with or without a VEGF or EGFR inhibitor. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) is a validated clinical target in breast and gastric cancers. HER2 amplification occurs in 3%–5% of patients with mCRC; the rate of HER2 amplification can increase to approximately 10% in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type mCRC tumors. Tucatinib (TUC)—a highly selective, HER2-directed tyrosine kinase inhibitor—is approved in multiple regions for HER2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer, approved in the US for HER2+ metastatic colorectal cancer, and under investigation in gastrointestinal cancers. MOUNTAINEER (NCT03043313) evaluated the safety and efficacy of TUC and trastuzumab (Tras) in patients with treatment-refractory RAS wild-type, HER2+ mCRC. Results from the primary endpoint analysis showed clinically meaningful activity, with a confirmed objective response rate (ORR) per blinded independent central review (BICR) of 38.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.7, 49.3) and median duration of response per BICR of 12.4 months (95% CI 8.5, 20.5). Results also demonstrated TUC + Tras was well tolerated, with a low discontinuation rate (5.8%) and no deaths due to adverse events. MOUNTAINEER-03 will further investigate TUC in combination with modified FOLFOX (mFOLFOX) and Tras in patients with RAS wild-type HER2+ mCRC. Methods: MOUNTAINEER-03 (NCT05253651) is a global, open-label, randomized, phase III study for first-line treatment of HER2+ and RAS wild-type mCRC. Approximately 400 patients will be randomized 1:1 to the TUC experimental arm (TUC [300 mg orally twice daily] + Tras + mFOLFOX) or the SOC arm (mFOLFOX alone or in combination with either bevacizumab or cetuximab). HER2 status is determined centrally with tissue-based HER2 immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization assays. Eligible patients must not have received prior treatment in the metastatic setting but may have received adjuvant treatment if completed > 6 months prior to enrollment. Patients must be ≥18 years old with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of ≤1 and RAS wild-type mCRC. Patients with treated stable central nervous system metastases are eligible. Randomization is stratified by primary tumor location (left-sided vs other) and liver metastases (presence/absence). The primary endpoint is progression-free survival per RECIST v1.1 assessed by BICR. Key secondary endpoints are overall survival and confirmed ORR per RECIST v1.1 assessed by BICR. Enrollment is ongoing in North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Clinical trial information: NCT05253651 .

Abstract Non‐follicular low‐grade B‐cell lymphomas (LGBCL) are biologically diverse entities that share clinical and histologic features that make definitive pathologic categorization challenging. While most patients with LGBCL have an indolent course, some experience aggressive disease, highlighting additional heterogeneity across these subtypes. To investigate the potential for shared biology across subtypes, we performed RNA sequencing and applied machine learning approaches that identified five clusters of patients that grouped independently of subtype. One cluster was characterized by inferior outcome, upregulation of cell cycle genes, and increased tumor immune cell content. Integration of whole exome sequencing identified novel LGBCL mutations and enrichment of TNFAIP3 and BCL2 alterations in the poor survival cluster. Building on this, we further refined a transcriptomic signature associated with early clinical failure in two independent cohorts. Taken together, this study identifies unique clusters of LGBCL defined by novel gene expression signatures and immune profiles associated with outcome across diagnostic subtypes.

Background: The effectiveness of ultrasound-based surveillance for HCC in patients with cirrhosis is limited by suboptimal sensitivity for early tumor detection and poor adherence. Emerging blood-based biomarkers have been proposed as an alternative surveillance strategy. We aimed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of a multitarget HCC blood test (mt-HBT)—with and without improved adherence—against ultrasound-based HCC surveillance. Methods: We developed a Markov-based mathematical model that simulated a virtual trial in patients with compensated cirrhosis comparing potential surveillance strategies: biannual surveillance using ultrasound, ultrasound plus AFP, and mt-HBT with or without improved adherence (+10% increase). We used published data to inform underlying liver disease progression rates, HCC tumor growth patterns, performance characteristics of surveillance modalities, and efficacy of treatments. Primary outcomes of interest were the number of early-stage HCCs detected and life years gained. Results: Per 100,000 patients with cirrhosis, mt-HBT detected 1680 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound alone and 350 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound + AFP, yielding an additional 5720 and 1000 life years, respectively. mt-HBT with improved adherence detected 2200 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound and 880 more early-stage HCCs than ultrasound + AFP, yielding an additional 8140 and 3420 life years, respectively. The number of screening tests needed to detect one HCC case was 139 with ultrasound, 122 with ultrasound + AFP, 119 with mt-HBT, and 124 with mt-HBT with improved adherence. Conclusions: mt-HBT is a promising alternative to ultrasound-based HCC surveillance, particularly given anticipated improved adherence with blood-based biomarkers could increase HCC surveillance effectiveness.

Background: The role of minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production ( / CO2) slope, a ventilation efficiency marker, in predicting short-term and long-term health outcomes for patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing lung resection has not been well investigated. Material and Methods: This prospective cohort study consecutively enrolled NSCLC patients who underwent a presurgical cardiopulmonary exercise test from November 2014 to December 2019. The association of / CO2 slope with relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and perioperative mortality was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards and logistic models. Covariates were adjusted using propensity score overlap weighting. The optimal cut-off point of the E/ CO2 slope was estimated using the receiver operating characteristics curve. Internal validation was completed through bootstrap resampling. Results: A cohort of 895 patients [median age (interquartile range), 59 (13) years; 62.5% male] was followed for a median of 40 (range, 1–85) months. Throughout the study, there were 247 relapses or deaths and 156 perioperative complications. The incidence rates per 1000 person-years for relapses or deaths were 108.8 and 79.6 among patients with high and low E/ CO2 slopes, respectively [weighted incidence rate difference per 1000 person-years, 29.21 (95% CI, 7.30–51.12)]. A E/ CO2 slope of greater than or equal to 31 was associated with shorter RFS [hazard ratio for relapse or death, 1.38 (95% CI, 1.02–1.88), P=0.04] and poorer OS [hazard ratio for death, 1.69 (1.15–2.48), P=0.02] compared to a lower / CO2 slope. A high E/ CO2 slope increased the risk of perioperative morbidity compared with a low E/ CO2 slope [odds ratio, 2.32 (1.54–3.49), P<0.001]. Conclusions: In patients with operable NSCLC, a high E/ CO2 slope was significantly associated with elevated risks of poorer RFS, OS, and perioperative morbidity.

Background and Aims: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an accurate, continuous biomarker of liver fibrosis; however, the optimal combination with clinical factors to predict the risk of incident hepatic decompensation is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate an MRE-based prediction model for hepatic decompensation for patients with NAFLD. Approach and Results: This international multicenter cohort study included participants with NAFLD undergoing MRE from 6 hospitals. A total of 1254 participants were randomly assigned as training (n = 627) and validation (n = 627) cohorts. The primary end point was hepatic decompensation, defined as the first occurrence of variceal hemorrhage, ascites, or HE. Covariates associated with hepatic decompensation on Cox-regression were combined with MRE to construct a risk prediction model in the training cohort and then tested in the validation cohort. The median (IQR) age and MRE values were 61 (18) years and 3.5 (2.5) kPa in the training cohort and 60 (20) years and 3.4 (2.5) kPa in the validation cohort, respectively. The MRE-based multivariable model that included age, MRE, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, and platelets had excellent discrimination for the 3- and 5-year risk of hepatic decompensation (c-statistic 0.912 and 0.891, respectively) in the training cohort. The diagnostic accuracy remained consistent in the validation cohort with a c-statistic of 0.871 and 0.876 for hepatic decompensation at 3 and 5 years, respectively, and was superior to Fibrosis-4 in both cohorts (p < 0.05). Conclusions: An MRE-based prediction model allows for accurate prediction of hepatic decompensation and assists in the risk stratification of patients with NAFLD.