Cancer Surveillance Strategies Research Articles

Skin cancer risk after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has improved outcomes for severe hematologic, malignant, and immune disorders, yet poses an increased risk of subsequent malignancies. This study aimed to examine the risk of skin cancer following HSCT and identify potential risk factors. The search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases until December 2023. Cohort studies reporting standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for post-HSCT skin cancer or investigating risk factors were included. SIRs, or hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated using random-effects inverse-variance models. Outcome endpoints were SIRs of skin cancer post-HSCT and risk factors, including gender, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), voriconazole exposure, and total body irradiation (TBI). Twenty-six studies involving 164,944 HSCT recipients (allogeneic HSCT, n = 68,637; autologous HSCT, n = 95,435; mean age: 38.5 ± 13.8 years; 71,354 females [43.3%]) were analyzed. Overall, SIR for skin cancer post-HSCT was 7.21 (95% CI 3.98-13.08), with SIRs of 2.25 (95% CI: 1.37-3.68) for autologous HSCT, and 10.18 (95% CI 5.07-20.43) for allogeneic HSCT. Risk factors for skin cancer risk included cGVHD (HR = 2.86 [95% CI: 2.01-4.07]), specifically for basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (HR = 1.80 [95% CI: 1.31-2.46] and HR = 3.68 [95% CI: 2.39-5.68], respectively), male gender (HR = 1.56 [95% CI: 1.15-2.13]), especially for SCC (HR = 1.70 [95% CI: 1.03-2.80]), and voriconazole exposure (HR = 2.01 [95% CI: 1.12-3.61]). TBI showed no statistically significant association with subsequent skin cancer (HR = 1.12 [95% CI: 0.73-1.71]). These findings highlight the importance of rigorous skin cancer surveillance and preventive strategies in HSCT recipients, particularly in male individuals undergoing allogeneic transplants and those with identifiable risk factors, to enable early detection and intervention.

Utilization of personalized tumor-specific methylation haplotypes of circulating DNA to monitor minimal residual disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing curative resection.

e16245 Background: Minimal residual disease (MRD) is considered an essential factor leading to early relapse after radical surgery, which is challenging to be detected by conventional imaging. The majority of MRD studies in HCC are based on mutation detection. Simultaneously, in certain cancers such as lung and colorectal cancers, the use of methylation detection for MRD has been demonstrated to possess significant detection capabilities. In this study, we present a personalized methylation haplotype (MHP) method for MRD detection in HCC patients underwent curative resection. Methods: Tumor and paracancerous tissue samples were obtained from HCC patients undergoing surgical resections. WBC and plasma samples (T0) were collected before surgery, while plasma samples (T1) were collected in one month after surgery, and subsequent follow-up plasma samples were obtained every three months. All samples were tested using the GutSeer Panel. A personalized tumor-informed MRD detection approach, named TORNADO (Tumor-infORmed DNAm hAplotype DetectiOn), was then developed. Individual seed MHPs were pinpointed based on their presence in cancer tissue or plasma samples collected before surgery (T0 plasma), excluding those in para-cancer tissue and blood cells. The relapse risk score was determined by assessing the proportion of these MHPs detectable in follow-up evaluations. Results: We enrolled 39 early-stage HCC patients who have undergone surgical resections. All the patients have completed at least one year of regular clinical follow-up. Among them, 13 out of 39 patients (33.3%) were identified as MRD-positive based on predictions from T1. Of the MRD-positive patients, 6 experienced tumor relapse. In contrast, only 7.7% relapses were observed among the remaining 26 MRD-negative patients. When considering the T1 and T2 MRD cumulative risk score, 53.8% (21/39) of patients were classified as MRD-positive, and none of the MRD-negative patients experienced relapse. Regardless of whether based on T1 plasma alone or cumulative results, recurrence-free survival (RFS) was significantly correlated with MRD status. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that MRD-positive patients had significantly poorer RFS (p-value < 0.05). Cox regression analysis further revealed that MRD status was a significant variable for predicting recurrence-free survival (HR=16.00, 95% CI 2-130, P=0.009). Conclusions: The MRD status detected byTORNADOmethod emerged as a significant prognostic indicator for disease relapse in early-stage HCC patients undergoing curative resection, underscoring the clinical relevance of MHP-based MRD detection guided by tumor information. These discoveries pave the way for the development of effective postoperative cancer surveillance strategies specifically tailored for early-stage liver cancer.

Baseline surveillance in Li Fraumeni syndrome using whole-body MRI: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

e22555 Background: Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a cancer syndrome associated with early-onset neoplasias. Risk management through a routine cancer surveillance strategy is critical. Since patients with LFS are susceptible to radiation-induced cancers, the use of whole-body MRI (WBMRI) is recommended for regular cancer screening. However, the guidelines for clinical management and the evidence supporting the benefits of WBMRI surveillance in asymptomatic LFS patients are limited. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the clinical utility of WBMRI in germline TP53 mutation carriers at baseline and at follow up. Methods: We systematically searched Pubmed, Cochrane, and Embase libraries for studies evaluating WBMRI as an early detection method for tumor screening in patients with LFS. We pooled the prevalence and presented the overall rate with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the individuals found to have one or more investigable lesions, the lesions found to be new cancers among suspicious lesions, and the individuals with one or more new cancers among the total population. Statistical analysis was performed using R software version 4.3.1 and heterogeneity was evaluated with I2 statistics. Results: From 1,547 initial studies, 11 (10 observational cohort and 1 case control) comprising 703 patients (359 females [51%]; mean [SD] age, 29.5 [+/-25] years) were included from 7 different countries. Median follow-up of lesions ranged from 2 to 11 years. We found an estimated detection rate of 31% (95% CI 28-34, I2 55%) of any suspicious lesions in asymptomatic TP53 carriers who underwent baseline WBMRI was found. In total, 277 lesions that required clinical follow-up in 215 patients were identified. Cancer was confirmed in 46 lesions in 39 individuals. Most of the cancers found were Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors (n = 16), followed by sarcomas (n = 12) and breast cancer (n = 11). The estimated cancer diagnosis rate among suspicious lesions was 18% (95%CI 13-25, I2 5%). WBMRI detected 41 of 46 cancers in the early disease stage, with an overall detection rate of 6% (95% CI 5-8, I2 47%). Incidence rate was 2% per patient-round of WBMRI (95% CI 1-4, I2 0%), including baseline plus follow up. Conclusions: Our systematic review and meta-analysis supports that surveillance with WBMRI is effective in detecting cancers in patients with LFS. Additionally, WBMRI surveillance was successful in diagnosing almost 90% of cancers in early-disease stage, which increases the chances os cure in this young population.

Expanding access to genetic testing for pancreatic cancer.

Among individuals with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) 5-10% have a pathogenic germline variant (PGV) in a PDAC susceptibility gene. Guidelines recommend genetic testing among all individuals with PDAC. Additionally, at-risk relatives of PDAC patients benefit from their own genetic education, risk assessment, and testing. Multigene panel testing (MGPT) can identify individuals with inherited cancer risk who can benefit from early cancer surveillance and risk reduction strategies. This manuscript discusses various healthcare delivery models for MGPT including traditional in-person genetic counseling, novel integrated in-person infrastructures, telemedicine genetics care via telephone- or video-visits and direct-to-consumer testing. Barriers and facilitators to care on the individual, provider, and system level are also outlined including specific considerations for historically marginalized communities.

Cancer germline predisposing variants and late mortality from subsequent malignant neoplasms among long-term childhood cancer survivors: a report from the St Jude Lifetime Cohort and the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

Carriers of cancer predisposing variants are at an increased risk of developing subsequent malignant neoplasms among those who have survived childhood cancer. We aimed to investigate whether cancer predisposing variants contribute to the risk of subsequent malignant neoplasm-related late mortality (5 years or more after diagnosis). In this analysis, data were included from two retrospective cohort studies, St Jude Lifetime Cohort (SJLIFE) and the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), with prospective follow-up of patients who were alive for at least 5 years after diagnosis with childhood cancer (ie, long-term childhood cancer survivors) with corresponding germline whole genome or whole exome sequencing data. Cancer predisposing variants affecting 60 genes associated with well-established autosomal-dominant cancer-predisposition syndromes were characterised. Subsequent malignant neoplasms were graded using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.03 with modifications. Cause-specific late mortality was based on linkage with the US National Death Index and systematic cohort follow up. Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models were used to estimate subsequent malignant neoplasm-related late mortality starting from the first biospecimen collection, treating non-subsequent malignant neoplasm-related deaths as a competing risk, adjusting for genetic ancestry, sex, age at diagnosis, and cancer treatment exposures. SJLIFE (NCT00760656) and CCSS (NCT01120353) are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. 12 469 (6172 male and 6297 female) participants were included, 4402 from the SJLIFE cohort (median follow-up time since collection of the first biospecimen 7·4 years [IQR 3·1-9·4]) and 8067 from the CCSS cohort (median follow-up time since collection of the first biospecimen 12·6 years [2·2-16·6]). 641 (5·1%) of 12 469 participants carried cancer predisposing variants (294 [6·7%] in the SJLIFE cohort and 347 [4·3%] in the CCSS cohort), which were significantly associated with an increased severity of subsequent malignant neoplasms (CTCAE grade ≥4 vs grade <4: odds ratio 2·15, 95% CI 1·18-4·19, p=0·0085). 263 (2·1%) subsequent malignant neoplasm-related deaths (44 [1·0%] in the SJLIFE cohort; and 219 [2·7%] in the CCSS cohort) and 426 (3·4%) other-cause deaths (103 [2·3%] in SJLIFE; and 323 [4·0%] in CCSS) occurred. Cumulative subsequent malignant neoplasm-related mortality at 10 years after the first biospecimen collection in carriers of cancer predisposing variants was 3·7% (95% CI 1·2-8·5) in SJLIFE and 6·9% (4·1-10·7) in CCSS versus 1·5% (1·0-2·1) in SJLIFE and 2·1% (1·7-2·5) in CCSS in non-carriers. Carrying a cancer predisposing variant was associated with an increased risk of subsequent malignant neoplasm-related mortality (SJLIFE: subdistribution hazard ratio 3·40 [95% CI 1·37-8·43]; p=0·0082; CCSS: 3·58 [2·27-5·63]; p<0·0001). Identifying participants at increased risk of subsequent malignant neoplasms via genetic counselling and clinical genetic testing for cancer predisposing variants and implementing early personalised cancer surveillance and prevention strategies might reduce the substantial subsequent malignant neoplasm-related mortality burden. American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities and US National Institutes of Health.

Exocrine pancreatic cancer as a second primary malignancy: A population-based study.

Although cancer survivors are at higher risk of developing second primary malignancies, cancer surveillance strategies for them have not yet been established. This study aimed to identify first primary cancers that had high risks of developing second primary exocrine pancreatic cancer (EPC). Data on individuals diagnosed with primary cancers between 1993 and 2017 were obtained from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of second primary EPCs were analyzed according to the primary tumor sites and follow-up periods. Among the 3,205,840 eligible individuals, 4,836 (0.15%) had second primary EPCs, which accounted for 5.8% of the total EPC patients in Korea. Between 1 and 5 years after the diagnosis of first primary cancers, SIRs of second primary EPCs were increased in patients whose first primary cancers were in the bile duct (males 2.99; females 5.03) in both sexes, and in the small intestine (3.43), gallbladder (3.21), and breast (1.26) in females. Among those who survived 5 or more years after the diagnosis of first primary cancers, SIRs of second primary EPCs were elevated in patients whose first primary cancers were in the bile duct (males 2.61; females 2.33), gallbladder (males 2.29; females 2.22), and kidney (males 1.39; females 1.73) in both sexes, and ovary (1.66) and breast (1.38) in females. Survivors of first primary bile duct, gallbladder, kidney, ovary, and female breast cancer should be closely monitored for the occurrence of second primary EPCs, even after 5 years of follow-up.

Associations between birth defects with neural crest cell origins and pediatric embryonal tumors.

There are few assessments evaluating associations between birth defects with neural crest cell developmental origins (BDNCOs) and embryonal tumors, which are characterized by undifferentiated cells having a molecular profile similar to neural crest cells. The effect of BDNCOs on embryonal tumors was estimated to explore potential shared etiologic pathways and genetic origins. With the use of a multistate, registry-linkage cohort study, BDNCO-embryonal tumor associations were evaluated by generating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with Cox regression models. BDNCOs consisted of ear, face, and neck defects, Hirschsprung disease, and a selection of congenital heart defects. Embryonal tumors included neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, and hepatoblastoma. Potential HR modification (HRM) was investigated by infant sex, maternal race/ethnicity, maternal age, and maternal education. The risk of embryonal tumors among those with BDNCOs was 0.09% (co-occurring n=105) compared to 0.03% (95% CI, 0.03%-0.04%) among those without a birth defect. Children with BDNCOs were 4.2 times (95% CI, 3.5-5.1 times) as likely to be diagnosed with an embryonal tumor compared to children born without a birth defect. BDNCOs were strongly associated with hepatoblastoma (HR, 16.1; 95% CI, 11.3-22.9), and the HRs for neuroblastoma (3.1; 95% CI, 2.3-4.2) and nephroblastoma (2.9; 95% CI, 1.9-4.4) were elevated. There was no notable HRM by the aforementioned factors. Children with BDNCOs are more likely to develop embryonal tumors compared to children without a birth defect. Disruptions of shared developmental pathways may contribute to both phenotypes, which could inform future genomic assessments and cancer surveillance strategies of these conditions.

Multicenter analysis of immunosuppressive medications on the risk of malignancy following adult solid organ transplantation.

This study aimed to assess the risk of maintenance immunosuppression on the post-transplant risk of malignancy across all solid organ transplant types. This is a retrospective cohort study from a multicenter hospital system in the United States. The electronic health record was queried from 2000 to 2021 for cases of solid organ transplant, immunosuppressive medications, and post-transplant malignancy. A total of 5,591 patients, 6,142 transplanted organs, and 517 post-transplant malignancies were identified. Skin cancer was the most common type of malignancy at 52.8%, whereas liver cancer was the first malignancy to present at a median time of 351 days post-transplant. Heart and lung transplant recipients had the highest rate of malignancy, but this finding was not significant upon adjusting for immunosuppressive medications (heart HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.72 - 1.3, p = 0.88; lung HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.77 - 1.33, p = 0.94). Random forest variable importance calculations and time-dependent multivariate cox proportional hazard analysis identified an increased risk of cancer in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy with sirolimus (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.05 - 1.9, p = 0.04), azathioprine (HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.58 - 2.79, p < 0.001), and cyclosporine (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.17 - 2.17, p = 0.007), while tacrolimus (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.44 - 0.81, p < 0.001) was associated with low rates of post-transplant neoplasia. Our results show varying risks of immunosuppressive medications associated with the development of post-transplant malignancy, demonstrating the importance of cancer detection and surveillance strategies in solid organ transplant recipients.

Cancer incidence and surveillance strategies in individuals with RASopathies.

RASopathies are a set of clinical syndromes that have molecular and clinical overlap. Genetically, these syndromes are defined by germline pathogenic variants in RAS/MAPK pathway genes resulting in activation of this pathway. Clinically, their common molecular signature leads to comparable phenotypes, including cardiac anomalies, neurologic disorders and notably, elevated cancer risk. Cancer risk in individuals with RASopathies has been estimated from retrospective reviews and cohort studies. For example, in Costello syndrome, cancer incidence is significantly elevated over the general population, largely due to solid tumors. In some forms of Noonan syndrome, cancer risk is also elevated over the general population and is enriched for hematologic malignancies. Thus, cancer surveillance guidelines have been developed to monitor for the occurrence of such cancers in individuals with some RASopathies. These include abdominal ultrasound and urinalyses for individuals with Costello syndrome, while complete blood counts and splenic examination are recommended in Noonan syndrome. Improved cancer risk estimates and refinement of surveillance recommendations will improve the care of individuals with RASopathies.

What happens in the long term: Uptake of cancer surveillance and prevention strategies among at-risk relatives with pathogenic variants detected via cascade testing.

Cascade genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes offers affected relatives the opportunity to pursue cancer screening and risk-reducing surgery and thus reduces morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to measure the long-term utilization of targeted cancer prevention and quality of life among at-risk relatives offered clinician-facilitated cascade genetic testing. In a pilot study, at-risk relatives of patients with a hereditary cancer syndrome were contacted directly by the clinical team and offered telephone genetic counseling and genetic testing via an at-home, mailed saliva kit. Two-year follow-up results evaluating the use of targeted cancer prevention strategies and the quality of life for enrolled relatives were reported. Quality-of-life was measured with validated surveys, and scores were compared to the time of initial contact by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Ninety-five at-risk relatives were enrolled in the initial pilot study, and 72 (76%) participated in the 2-year follow-up; 57 of these (79%) had completed genetic testing. Twenty-five of those 57 relatives (44%) were found to harbor an inherited pathogenic variant. Guideline-based cancer surveillance was recommended to 18 relatives; 13 (72%) completed at least one recommended screening, and six (33%) completed all recommended screenings. Risk-reducing surgery was recommended to 10 relatives; four (40%) completed a total of eight procedures. Quality-of-life surveys demonstrated low levels of anxiety, depression, distress, and uncertainty. The 2-year follow-up of the original pilot study revealed that clinician-facilitated cascade testing resulted in genetically targeted cancer screening and prevention with preserved quality of life. These results, to be confirmed by larger randomized controlled trials, suggest that medical systems should consider supporting clinician-facilitated cascade testing programs.

Oral epithelial cell segmentation from fluorescent multichannel cytology images using deep learning

Background and objectivesCytology is a proven, minimally-invasive cancer screening and surveillance strategy. Given the high incidence of oral cancer globally, there is a need to develop a point-of-care, automated, cytology-based screening tool. Oral cytology image analysis has multiple challenges such as, presence of debris, blood cells, artefacts, and clustered cells, which necessitate a skilled expertise for single-cell detection of atypical cells for diagnosis. The main objective of this study is to develop a semantic segmentation model for Single Epithelial Cell (SEC) separation from fluorescent, multichannel, microscopic oral cytology images and classify the segmented images. MethodsWe have used multi-channel, fluorescent, microscopic images (number of images; n = 2730), which were stained differentially for cytoplasm and nucleus. The cytoplasmic and cell membrane markers used in the study were Mackia Amurensis Agglutinin (MAA; n: 2364) and Sambucus Nigra Agglutinin-1 (SNA-1; n: 366) with a nuclear stain DAPI. The cytology images were labelled for SECs, cluster of cells, artefacts, and blood cells. In this study, we used encoder-decoder models based on the well-established U-Net architecture, modified U-Net and ResNet-34 for multi-class segmentation. The experiments were performed with different class combinations of data to reduce imbalance. The derived MAA dataset (n: 14,706) of SEC, cluster, and artefacts/blood cells were used for developing a classification model. InceptionV3 model and a new custom Convolutional-Neural-Network (CNN) model (Artefact-Net) were trained to classify SNA-1 marker stained segmented images (n:6101). For segmentation models, Intersection Over Union (IoU) and F1 score were used as the evaluation matrices, while the classification models were evaluated using the conventional classification metrics like precision, recall and F1-Score. ResultsThe U-Net and the modified U-Net models gave the best IoU overall (0.73–0.76) as well as for SEC segmentation (079). The images segmented using the modified U-Net model were classified by Artefact-Net and Inception V3 model with F1 scores of 0.96 and 0.95 respectively. The Artefact-Net, when compared to InceptionV3, provided a better precision and F1 score in classifying clusters (Precision: 0.91 vs 0.80; F1: 0.91 vs 0.86). ConclusionThis study establishes a pipeline for SEC segmentation with the segmented component containing only single cells. The pipline will enable automated, cytology-based early detection with reduced bias.

Cost-Effectiveness of Colorectal Cancer Surveillance in Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors Treated with Procarbazine and/or Infradiaphragmatic Radiotherapy.

Hodgkin lymphoma survivors treated with infradiaphragmatic radiotherapy (IRT) and/or procarbazine have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. We investigated the cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer surveillance in Dutch Hodgkin lymphoma survivors to determine the optimal surveillance strategy for different Hodgkin lymphoma subgroups. The Microsimulation Screening Analysis-Colon model was adjusted to reflect colorectal cancer and other-cause mortality risk in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors. Ninety colorectal cancer surveillance strategies were evaluated varying in starting and stopping age, interval, and modality [colonoscopy, fecal immunochemical test (FIT, OC-Sensor; cutoffs: 10/20/47 μg Hb/g feces), and multi-target stool DNA test (Cologuard)]. Analyses were also stratified per primary treatment (IRT and procarbazine or procarbazine without IRT). Colorectal cancer deaths averted (compared with no surveillance) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were primary outcomes. The optimal surveillance strategy was identified assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold of €20,000 per life-years gained (LYG). Overall, the optimal surveillance strategy was annual FIT (47 μg) from age 45 to 70 years, which might avert 70% of colorectal cancer deaths in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors (compared with no surveillance; ICER:€18,000/LYG). The optimal surveillance strategy in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors treated with procarbazine without IRT was biennial FIT (47 μg) from age 45 to 70 years (colorectal cancer mortality averted 56%; ICER:€15,000/LYG), and when treated with IRT and procarbazine, annual FIT (47 μg) surveillance from age 40 to 70 was most cost-effective (colorectal cancer mortality averted 75%; ICER:€13,000/LYG). Colorectal cancer surveillance in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors is cost-effective and should commence earlier than screening occurs in population screening programs. For all subgroups, FIT surveillance was the most cost-effective strategy. Colorectal cancer surveillance should be implemented in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors.

Association strength of E6 to E6AP/p53 complex correlates with HPV-mediated oncogenesis risk.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is recognized as the causative agent of cervical cancer in women, and it is associated with other anogenital and head/neck cancers. More than 120 types of HPV have been identified and many classified as high- or low-risk according to their oncogenic potential. One of its proteins, E6, has evolved to overcome the oncosuppressor functions of p53 by targeting this protein for degradation via interaction with the human ubiquitin-ligase E6AP. This study evaluates the correlation between the association strength of 40 HPV E6 types to the E6AP/p53 complex and the HPV oncogenesis risk using molecular simulations and machine and deep learning (ML/DL). In addition, a ML/DL-driven prediction is proposed for the HPV unclassified oncogenic risk type. The results indicate that thermodynamics play a pivotal role in the establishment of HPV-associated cancer and highlight the need to include some viral types in the HPV-related cancer surveillance and prevention strategies.

Clinical spectrum of rectal cancer identifies hallmarks of early-onset patients and next-generation treatment strategies.

The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing among young adults and more rectal cancers are reported. This study aimed to identify the clinical features specific for early-onset rectal cancer and provide insights on cancer management. Early-onset (<50 years) and late-onset (≥50 years) rectal cancer patients from a referral tertiary care center (SYSU cohort) and Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database (SEER cohort) were included to perform a comprehensive comparison on clinical information. A total of 552 and 80,341 patients with stages I-III rectal cancer were included in the SYSU and SEER cohorts, respectively. In the SYSU cohort, early-onset diseases had significantly higher prevalence of family history of cancer and history of HBV infection and lower incidence of comorbidities (p < 0.05). In addition, early-onset patients presented more frequently with advanced node stage (N2 stage: 16.9 vs. 9.3%, p=0.017) and high-risk features, including mucinous or signet cell carcinomas (21.8 vs. 12.9%, p=0.014), poorly differentiated tumors (28.8 vs. 15.4%, p=0.002), and perineural invasion (14.5 vs. 7.9%, p=0.027) compared with late-onset patients. However, early-onset patients received more neoadjuvant (18.5 vs. 11.2%, p=0.032) and adjuvant treatments (71.0 vs. 45.8%, p < 0.001), and they had better overall survival in both SYSU (HR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.95; p=0.029) and SEER (HR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.37-0.40; p < 0.001) cohorts. Early-onset rectal cancers are distinct from late-onset cases in clinicopathological features, treatment modalities, and outcomes. The clinical trials and studies that are specific for young populations are needed to develop optimal strategies for cancer screening, treatment, and surveillance.

Novel machine learning models outperform risk scores in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

Background & AimsAccurate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk prediction facilitates appropriate surveillance strategy and reduces cancer mortality. We aimed to derive and validate novel machine learning models to predict HCC in a territory-wide cohort of patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) using data from the Hospital Authority Data Collaboration Lab (HADCL).MethodsThis was a territory-wide, retrospective, observational, cohort study of patients with CVH in Hong Kong in 2000–2018 identified from HADCL based on viral markers, diagnosis codes, and antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B and/or C. The cohort was randomly split into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. Five popular machine learning methods, namely, logistic regression, ridge regression, AdaBoost, decision tree, and random forest, were performed and compared to find the best prediction model.ResultsA total of 124,006 patients with CVH with complete data were included to build the models. In the training cohort (n = 86,804; 6,821 HCC), ridge regression (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC] 0.842), decision tree (0.952), and random forest (0.992) performed the best. In the validation cohort (n = 37,202; 2,875 HCC), ridge regression (AUROC 0.844) and random forest (0.837) maintained their accuracy, which was significantly higher than those of HCC risk scores: CU-HCC (0.672), GAG-HCC (0.745), REACH-B (0.671), PAGE-B (0.748), and REAL-B (0.712) scores. The low cut-off (0.07) of HCC ridge score (HCC-RS) achieved 90.0% sensitivity and 98.6% negative predictive value (NPV) in the validation cohort. The high cut-off (0.15) of HCC-RS achieved high specificity (90.0%) and NPV (95.6%); 31.1% of patients remained indeterminate.ConclusionsHCC-RS from the ridge regression machine learning model accurately predicted HCC in patients with CVH. These machine learning models may be developed as built-in functional keys or calculators in electronic health systems to reduce cancer mortality.Lay summaryNovel machine learning models generated accurate risk scores for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. HCC ridge score was consistently more accurate than existing HCC risk scores. These models may be incorporated into electronic medical health systems to develop appropriate cancer surveillance strategies and reduce cancer death.

Pathogenic Variant Profile of Hereditary Cancer Syndromes in a Vietnamese Cohort.

BackgroundHereditary cancer syndromes (HCS) are responsible for 5-10% of cancer cases. Genetic testing to identify pathogenic variants associated with cancer predisposition has not been routinely available in Vietnam. Consequently, the prevalence and genetic landscape of HCS remain unknown.Methods1165 Vietnamese individuals enrolled in genetic testing at our laboratory in 2020. We performed analysis of germline mutations in 17 high- and moderate- penetrance genes associated with HCS by next generation sequencing.ResultsA total of 41 pathogenic variants in 11 genes were detected in 3.2% individuals. The carrier frequency was 4.2% in people with family or personal history of cancer and 2.6% in those without history. The percentage of mutation carriers for hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes was 1.3% and for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome was 1.6%. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations were the most prevalent with the positive rate of 1.3% in the general cohort and 5.1% in breast or ovarian cancer patients. Most of BRCA1 mutations located at the BRCA C-terminus domains and the top recurrent mutation was NM_007294.3:c.5251C>T (p.Arg1751Ter). One novel variant NM_000038.6(APC):c.6665C>A (p.Pro2222His) was found in a breast cancer patient with a strong family history of cancer. A case study of hereditary cancer syndrome was illustrated to highlight the importance of genetic testing.ConclusionThis is the first largest analysis of carrier frequency and mutation spectrum of HCS in Vietnam. The findings demonstrate the clinical significance of multigene panel testing to identify carriers and their at-risk relatives for better cancer surveillance and management strategies.

Risk of Hepatobiliary-Gastrointestinal Malignancies and Appropriate Cancer Surveillance in Patients With Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are at risk of hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancers. Increased risk of cancer is a result of the chronic, progressive fibro-inflammatory state which ultimately results in the destruction of biliary ducts. PSC is often associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients with PSC are at significant risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), gall bladder malignancy and those with IBD are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. It is important to implement cancer surveillance protocols in these patients. The aim of these protocols is the prevention or early detection of cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions. Given that PSC is rare, large prospective studies evaluating the risk of malignancy in these patients are not available. A great deal of uncertainty exists regarding how to best implement cancer surveillance in these patients. About 50% of deaths in PSC patients are due to malignancy and many patients eventually progress to end-stage liver disease and succumb to hepatic failure. In this review, we cover cancer surveillance strategies in PSC patients based on existing literature and expert opinions.

CanStaging+: an electronic staging tool for population-based cancer registries.

Cancer staging—the anatomical extent to which a cancer has spread at diagnosis—is crucial in guiding the clinical care of individual patients. At the population level, staging provides useful information on health system performance relevant to a broad range of cancer control activities, including evaluation and monitoring of the impact of health campaigns, screening programmes, and cancer management. The collection of population-based staging data is undertaken by population-based cancer registries (PBCRs), which assign stage at diagnosis for each of the residents of the catchment population based on data from multiple clinical sources using internationally agreed rules. This exercise, however, remains fraught with challenges, with many PBCRs unable to easily report important stage parameters. From the completed questionnaires of Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, volume XI, 347 (75%) of 465 registries reported having collected cancer staging information for diagnoses registered from 2008 to 2012. The proportion varied greatly by cancer site and geographical region, with 96% of registries in North America and Europe reporting the collecting of staging information compared with only 52% in Latin America and the Caribbean. The comparability of staging across populations is also hampered by missing or poorly documented information in clinical systems, or a lack of consistency in the staging systems used by PBCRs. Even in high-income countries, staging data collection and completeness vary—for example, between 2010 and 2014, around 6–37% of staging data were missing for colorectal cancer in PBCRs across seven countries within the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership. Development of paediatric non-stage prognosticator guidelines for population-based cancer registries and updates to the 2014 Toronto Paediatric Cancer Stage GuidelinesPopulation-based cancer registries (PBCRs) generate measures of cancer incidence and survival that are essential for cancer surveillance, research, and cancer control strategies. In 2014, the Toronto Paediatric Cancer Stage Guidelines were developed to standardise how PBCRs collect data on the stage at diagnosis for childhood cancer cases. These guidelines have been implemented in multiple jurisdictions worldwide to facilitate international comparative studies of incidence and outcome. Robust stratification by risk also requires data on key non-stage prognosticators (NSPs). Full-Text PDF

Abstract 886: Prediction of outcome in Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: Development of an integrative function-based prognostic model

Abstract Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a highly penetrant familial cancer disorder caused by germline TP53 mutations. Hundreds of different germline TP53 mutations with a wide gradient of functional consequences have been found in association with LFS, which has a remarkably diverse clinical spectrum in terms of tumor type, age of onset, penetrance, and survival rates. Clinical tools for prognostication and risk stratification are needed to guide clinical decision making. We performed an integrated analysis combining five large-scale mutant p53 functional screens to identify three functionally distinct groups of mutations. Combined functional scores measuring multiple parameters (loss-of-function, dominant negative activity, growth inhibition, oligomeric status, and transcriptional activity) were used to classify mutations as high, intermediate, or low pathogenicity. Patients identified with germline TP53 mutations at The Hospital for Sick Children and other institutes (174 patients from 50 families) provided the discovery set. An external validation cohort included 1674 patients from 1522 families with germline TP53 mutations collected from the International Agency for Research on Cancer database. Our mutation classifications stratified carriers into three distinct risk groups with significantly different overall survival outcomes in the discovery (P=0.02) and validation cohorts (P&amp;lt;0.0001). In the discovery dataset, patients in the high-risk group had considerably shorter median life expectancy (28 years; n=21) compared to the intermediate-risk group (61 years; n=51) and low-risk group (median survival not reached; n=10). On average, 92% (24/26) of patients in the high-risk group developed tumors compared to only 63% (32/51) in the low-risk group (P=0.005). This model remained significant when applied to the validation cohort. In conclusion, patients at increased risk of cancer mortality can be identified to guide treatment and cancer surveillance strategies. Citation Format: Nicholas Fischer, David Malkin. Prediction of outcome in Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: Development of an integrative function-based prognostic model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 886.

Colorectal cancer screening and surveillance strategy for patients with Diamond Blackfan anemia: Preliminary recommendations from the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Registry.

Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by red cell failure, congenital anomalies, poor linear growth, and cancer predisposition. Two previous analyses from the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Registry have quantified DBA as a cancer predisposition syndrome of moderate cancer penetrance. Patients with DBA have a 4.8-fold higher relative risk of developing cancer with an overall cumulative incidence of 13.7% by age 45 years. The two most prevalent solid tumors are colorectal cancer (CRC) and osteogenic sarcoma. Current and evolving data support the institution of cancer screening and surveillance strategies for CRC in DBA.