Differences in tumor-associated T cell receptor repertoires between young-onset and average-onset colorectal cancer.

Abstract

207 Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) among individuals younger than age 50 (young-onset CRC; YOCRC) has increased, yet the etiology and molecular mechanisms underlying this alarming rise remain unclear. Some studies suggest that YOCRCs have more aggressive biology. Here, we compare tumor-associated T cell repertoires between patients with YOCRC and average-onset CRC (AOCRC). A robust, focused T cell response is a positive prognostic indicator; therefore, we hypothesized that YOCRCs demonstrate lower T cell abundance and greater T cell diversity than AOCRCs. Methods: The discovery cohort included 242 patients with histologically confirmed Stage I-IV CRC who underwent surgical resection at Cleveland Clinic from 2000 to 2020 and consented to a biorepository. YOCRC was defined as < 50 years at diagnosis (N = 126), and AOCRC as > 60 years (N = 116). DNA was extracted from frozen tumors, and T Cell Receptor (TCR) abundance and clonality were measured using immunoSEQ (Adaptive Biotechnologies). Following quality control, logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between TCR repertoire features and age of onset, adjusting for sex, race, tumor location, and stage. Findings were replicated in 152 YOCRC and 1,984 AOCRC cases from the Molecular Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Study with adjustment for sex, Jewish ethnicity, tumor location, and stage. Results: YOCRC patients were more likely to have left-sided tumors and be diagnosed at advanced stages in both cohorts. In the discovery cohort, YOCRC tumors had significantly lower TCR clonality (higher T cell diversity) compared to AOCRC tumors in a multivariable model adjusting for sex, race, tumor location and stage (OR: 0.38, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.25-0.56, p < 0.0001). This association was also observed in the replication cohort (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.62-0.89, p = 0.0013). In the replication cohort, further adjustment for microsatellite instability status did not substantially change the association (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.61-0.88 p = 0.0012). When restricting to microsatellite stable tumors, clonality remained statistically significant in both the discovery and replication cohorts. No significant difference in TCR abundance was observed between YOCRC and AOCRC in either cohort. Conclusions: Higher T cell repertoire diversity, indicating a less focused intratumoral T cell response, is more frequently observed in YOCRC. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of T cell diversity in the etiology and outcomes of YOCRC.