ImmuneMirror: A machine learning-based integrative pipeline and web server for neoantigen prediction.

Neoantigens are derived from somatic mutations in the tumors but are absent in normal tissues. Emerging evidence suggests that neoantigens can stimulate tumor-specific T-cell-mediated antitumor immune responses, and therefore are potential immunotherapeutic targets. We developed ImmuneMirror as a stand-alone open-source pipeline and a web server incorporating a balanced random forest model for neoantigen prediction and prioritization. The prediction model was trained and tested using known immunogenic neopeptides collected from 19 published studies. The area under the curve of our trained model was 0.87 based on the testing data. We applied ImmuneMirror to the whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing data obtained from gastrointestinal tract cancers including 805 tumors from colorectal cancer (CRC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We discovered a subgroup of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) CRC patients with a low neoantigen load but a high tumor mutation burden (> 10 mutations per Mbp). Although the efficacy of PD-1 blockade has been demonstrated in advanced MSI-H patients, almost half of such patients do not respond well. Our study identified a subset of MSI-H patients who may not benefit from this treatment with lower neoantigen load for major histocompatibility complex I (P < 0.0001) and II (P = 0.0008) molecules, respectively. Additionally, the neopeptide YMCNSSCMGV-TP53G245V, derived from a hotspot mutation restricted by HLA-A02, was identified as a potential actionable target in ESCC. This is so far the largest study to comprehensively evaluate neoantigen prediction models using experimentally validated neopeptides. Our results demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of ImmuneMirror for neoantigen prediction.

ARHGAP15 promotes metastatic colonization in gastric cancer by suppressing RAC1-ROS pathway.

The molecular mechanism of tumor metastasis, especially how metastatic tumor cells colonize in a distant site, remains poorly understood. Here we reported that ARHGAP15, a Rho GTPase activating protein, enhanced gastric cancer (GC) metastatic colonization, which was quite different from its reported role as a tumor suppressor gene in other cancers. It was upregulated in metastatic lymph nodes and significantly associated with a poor prognosis. Ectopic expression of ARHGAP15 promoted metastatic colonization of gastric cancer cells in murine lungs and lymph nodes in vivo or protected cells from oxidative-related death in vitro. However, genetic downregulation of ARHGAP15 had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, ARHGAP15 inactivated RAC1 and then decreased intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus enhancing the antioxidant capacity of colonizing tumor cells under oxidative stress. This phenotype could be phenocopied by inhibition of RAC1 or rescued by the introduction of constitutively active RAC1 into cells. Taken together, these findings suggested a novel role of ARHGAP15 in promoting gastric cancer metastasis by quenching ROS through inhibiting RAC1 and its potential value for prognosis estimation and targeted therapy.

Association of sarcopenia with severe chemotherapy toxicities and survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia or skeletal muscle depletion is a poor prognostic factor for gastric cancer (GC). However, existing cutoff values of skeletal muscle index (SMI) for defining sarcopenia have been found to have limitations when clinically applied. This study aimed to determine the optimal cutoff for SMI to predict severe toxicities of chemotherapy and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced GC. METHODS: Patients with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma who received first-line palliative chemotherapy between January 2014 and December 2021 at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, were included in this study. The SMI was determined via a pre-chemotherapy computed tomography scan. Optimal cutoff points of SMI were identified by recursive partitioning analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses evaluating risk factors of severe chemotherapy toxicities and OS were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 158 patients (male: 108 (68.4%), median age: 65.3) were included. The SMI cutoff to define low SMI was ≤33 cm2/m2 for males and ≤28 cm2/m2 for females; 30 patients (19.0%) had low SMI. Patients with low SMI had a higher incidence of hematological toxicities (63.3% vs 32.0%, P = .001) and non-hematological toxicities (66.7% vs 36.7%, P = .003). Multivariable analysis indicated that low SMI and low serum albumin (≤28 g/L) were independent predictive factors of hematological toxicity, while low SMI and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio ≥5 were predictive factors of non-hematological toxicity. Moreover, patients with low SMI had a significantly shorter OS (P = .011), lower response rate to chemotherapy (P = .045), and lower utilization of subsequent lines of treatment (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Using pre-chemotherapy SMI cutoff (≤33 cm2/m2 for males and 28 cm2/m2 for females) one can identify individuals with a higher risk of severe chemotherapy toxicities and worse prognosis.

Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-FU Triplet Therapy as Conversion Therapy for Locoregionally Advanced Unresectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for locoregionally advanced unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was radical chemoradiotherapy. However, the prognosis was modest. Emerging evidence showed the concept of induction chemotherapy with a goal of conversion surgery. METHODS: We reviewed the long-term, clinical outcomes and safety data of induction chemotherapy using docetaxel-cisplatin-5FU (DCF) and subsequent definitive treatment, either surgery or radical chemoradiotherapy (CRT), in locally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. A total of 47 patients (median age 62 years, male: 41 (87.2%)) with locoregionally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer received induction DCF. The response rate was 65.9% (complete/partial response: n = 31). After induction DCF, 24 patients (41.4%) had radical surgery and 7 (14.9%) had definitive CRT. RESULTS: The median overall survival (mOS) was significantly longer in patients received subsequent surgery compared with those with definitive CRT (mOS: 40.2 vs. 9.1 months, hazard ratio 3.33, 95% confidence interval 1.22-9.07, p = 0.02) and no definitive treatment (mOS: 40.2 vs. 6.3 months, hazard ratio 8.51, 95% confidence interval 3.7-19.73, p < 0.001). Patients who received surgery, female, and those with supraclavicular lymph node involvement had a better OS. Twenty-one patients (44.7%) developed grade 3/4 adverse events during induction DCF, and two died after chemotherapy because of trachea-esophageal fistula complicated with sepsis. Eleven patients who had surgery had postoperative complications and none had postoperative mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Induction DCF and subsequent conversion surgery offered a chance of cure with long-term survival benefit and manageable toxicities in patients with locoregionally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer.

Pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus standard of care chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: Asian subgroup analysis of KEYNOTE-062.

OBJECTIVE: First-line pembrolizumab with/without chemotherapy versus chemotherapy was evaluated in programmed death ligand 1 combined positive score ≥1, locally advanced/unresectable or metastatic gastric cancer/gastrooesophageal junction cancer in the KEYNOTE-062 study. We present results for patients enrolled in Asia. METHODS: Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to pembrolizumab 200 mg, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (cisplatin + 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine) or placebo plus chemotherapy Q3W. End points included overall survival (primary) in combined positive score ≥1 and combined positive score ≥10 populations and safety and tolerability (secondary). RESULTS: A total of 187 patients were enrolled in Asia (pembrolizumab, n = 62; pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, n = 64; chemotherapy, n = 61). Compared with the global population, higher proportions of patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 and a diagnosis of stomach cancer. In the programmed death ligand 1 combined positive score ≥1 population, median overall survival was numerically longer with pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy (22.7 vs 13.8 months; hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.82) and pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy (16.5 vs 13.8 months; hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-1.16). In the programmed death ligand 1 combined positive score ≥10 population, median overall survival was also numerically longer with pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy (28.5 vs 14.8 months; hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.21-0.89) and pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy (17.5 vs 14.8 months; hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-1.64). The grade 3-5 treatment-related adverse event rate was 19.4%, 75.8% and 64.9% for patients receiving pembrolizumab, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy and chemotherapy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This post hoc analysis showed pembrolizumab monotherapy was associated with numerically improved overall survival and a favourable tolerability profile versus chemotherapy in Asians with programmed death ligand 1-positive advanced gastric cancer/gastrooesophageal junction cancer.This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02494583.

International recommendations for plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA measurement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in resource-constrained settings: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to constrain health-care staff and resources worldwide, despite the availability of effective vaccines. Aerosol-generating procedures such as endoscopy, a common investigation tool for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, are recognised as a likely cause of SARS-CoV-2 spread in hospitals. Plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is considered the most accurate biomarker for the routine management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A consensus statement on whether plasma EBV DNA can minimise the need for or replace aerosol-generating procedures, imaging methods, and face-to-face consultations in managing nasopharyngeal carcinoma is urgently needed amid the current pandemic and potentially for future highly contagious airborne diseases or natural disasters. We completed a modified Delphi consensus process of three rounds with 33 international experts in otorhinolaryngology or head and neck surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, and clinical oncology with vast experience in managing nasopharyngeal carcinoma, representing 51 international professional societies and national clinical trial groups. These consensus recommendations aim to enhance consistency in clinical practice, reduce ambiguity in delivering care, and offer advice for clinicians worldwide who work in endemic and non-endemic regions of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, in the context of COVID-19 and other airborne pandemics, and in future unexpected settings of severe resource constraints and insufficiency of personal protective equipment.

Prospective Study of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma on Waitlist for Liver Transplant.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are no prospective data on stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as a bridge to liver transplantation for HCC. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SBRT as bridging therapy, with comparison with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). APPROACH AND RESULTS: Patients were prospectively enrolled for SBRT under a standardized protocol from July 2015 and compared with a retrospective cohort of patients who underwent TACE or HIFU from 2010. The primary endpoint was tumor control rate at 1 year after bridging therapy. Secondary endpoints included cumulative incidence of dropout, toxicity, and posttransplant survival. During the study period, 150 patients were evaluated (SBRT, n = 40; TACE, n = 59; HIFU, n = 51). The tumor control rate at 1 year was significantly higher after SBRT compared with TACE and HIFU (92.3%, 43.5%, and 33.3%, respectively; P = 0.02). With competing risk analysis, the cumulative incidence of dropout at 1 and 3 years after listing was lower after SBRT (15.1% and 23.3%) compared with TACE (28.9% and 45.8%; P = 0.034) and HIFU (33.3% and 45.1%; P = 0.032). Time-to-progression at 1 and 3 years was also superior after SBRT (10.8%, 18.5% in SBRT, 45%, 54.9% in TACE, and 47.6%, 62.8% in HIFU; P < 0.001). The periprocedural toxicity was similar, without any difference in perioperative complications and patient and recurrence-free survival rates after transplant. Pathological complete response was more frequent after SBRT compared with TACE and HIFU (48.1% vs. 25% vs. 17.9%, respectively; P = 0.037). In multivariable analysis, tumor size <3 cm, listing alpha-fetoprotein <200 ng/mL, Child A, and SBRT significantly reduced the risk of dropout. CONCLUSIONS: SBRT was safe, with a significantly higher tumor control rate, reduced the risk of waitlist dropout, and should be used as an alternative to conventional bridging therapies.

Long-term survival in colorectal liver metastasis.

INTRODUCTION: Liver resection is the best treatment option for patients with resectable colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). A 10-year follow-up can reflect the true curative potential of resection. This retrospective study investigated factors for long-term survival of CRLM patients. METHOD: Data of patients who underwent liver resection for CRLM without extrahepatic disease from 1990 to 2012 at our hospital were reviewed. Patients who survived for > 10 years were compared with those who survived for < 10 years. RESULTS: Totally, 315 patients were included in the study. They were divided into 2 groups: < 10-year group and > 10-year group. Patients in the < 10-year group had more tumor nodules (P = 0.016), more bilobar involvement (P = 0.004), narrower resection margin (P < 0.001), and worse disease-free and overall survival (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, low preoperative hemoglobin level, large number of tumor nodules, and bilobar involvement were poor prognostic factors for overall survival, while adjuvant chemotherapy was a favorable factor. Further analysis of patients with bilobar disease showed that perioperative blood transfusion was a poor prognostic factor for overall survival while adjuvant chemotherapy was a favorable one. In patients with multiple bilobar tumor nodules, adjuvant chemotherapy had a positive impact on disease-free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who survived for > 10 years after liver resection for CRLM tended to have normal preoperative hemoglobin level, unilobar disease, fewer tumor nodules, and have received adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy favorably affected long-term survival of CRLM patients.

Supportive and palliative care in hemato-oncology: how best to achieve seamless integration and subspecialty development?

While recent medical advances have led to cure, remission, or long-term disease control for patients with hematologic malignancy, many still portend poor prognoses, and frequently are associated with significant symptom and quality of life burden for patients and families. Patients with hematological cancer are referred to palliative care (PC) services less often than those with solid tumors, despite higher inpatient mortality and shorter interval between first consultation and death. The complexity of individual prognostication, ongoing therapeutic goals of cure, the technical nature and complications of treatment, the intensity of medical care even when approaching end of life, and the speed of change to a terminal event all pose difficulties and hinder referral. A modified palliative care model is an unmet need in hemato-oncology, where PC is introduced early from the diagnosis of hematological malignancy, provided alongside care of curative or life-prolonging intent, and subsequently leads to death and bereavement care or cure and survivorship care depending on disease course. From current evidence, the historical prioritization of cancer care at the center of palliative medicine did not guarantee that those diagnosed with a hematological malignancy were assured of referral, timely or otherwise. Hopefully, this article can be a catalyst for debate that will foster a new direction in integration of clinical service and research, and subspecialty development at the interface of hemato-oncology and palliative care.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Asian Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is important for differentiated thyroid cancer survivors, but data for Asian survivors is lacking. This study aimed to have an overview of, and identify any disease-or treatment-related factors associated with, HRQoL in Asian differentiated thyroid cancer survivors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thyroid cancer survivors were recruited from the thyroid clinics at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong from February 2016 to December 2016. All adult differentiated thyroid cancer patients with stable disease more than or equal to 1 year received a survey on HRQoL using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Thyroid cancer specific quality of life (THYCA-QoL) questionnaire. Clinical information was collected retrospectively from the computerized clinical management system. To identify factors associated with poor HRQoL, univariable and stepwise multivariable regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: A total of 613 survivors completed the questionnaires (response rate: 82.1%; female: 80.1%; median survivorship: 7.4 years (range: 1.0-48.2 years)). The QLQ-C30 summary score mean was 84.4 (standard deviation (SD): 12.7) while the THYCA-QoL summary score mean was 39.9 (SD: 9.7). The 2 highest symptom subscales were fatigue (mean: 26.4, SD: 20.6) and insomnia (mean: 26.2, SD: 27.6). Factors associated with worse HRQoL included serum thyrotropin (TSH) greater than 1.0 mIU/L, unemployment, and concomitant psychiatric disorders. Concomitant psychiatric illness (n = 40/613, 6.5%) also showed significant association with most of the symptom and functional subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue and insomnia were the 2 most common symptoms experienced by our differentiated thyroid cancer survivors. Long-term survivorship care with monitoring serum TSH level, supporting return-to-work and screening for concomitant psychiatric disorders should be offered.

Incidence and Demographics of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Cheung Chau Island of Hong Kong-A Distinct Geographical Area With Minimal Residential Mobility and Restricted Public Healthcare Referral Network.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic in Hong Kong with a skewed geographical and ethnic distribution. We performed an epidemiological study of NPC in Cheung Chau Island, a fishing village with very minimal residential mobility, and compared its demographics and survival with the rest of Hong Kong. METHODS: NPC data in Cheung Chau and non-Cheung Chau residents between 2006 and 2017 treated in our tertiary center were collected. The incidence, stage distribution, and mortality of Cheung Chau NPC residents were compared with those of their counterparts in the whole Hong Kong obtained from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed between Cheung Chau and non-Cheung Chau cases in a 1:4 ratio. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were compared between these two cohorts by product limit estimation and log-rank tests. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients residing in Cheung Chau were identified between 2006 and 2017. There was a significantly higher NPC incidence (P < .001) but an insignificant difference in the mortality rate in Cheung Chau compared to the whole Hong Kong data. After PSM with 237 non-Cheung Chau patients, the Cheung Chau cohort revealed a stronger NPC family history (P < .001). However, there were no significant differences in OS (P = .170), PFS (P = .053), and CSS (P = .160) between these two cohorts. CONCLUSION: Our results revealed that Cheung Chau had a higher NPC incidence but similar survival outcomes compared to the whole of Hong Kong. Further prospective studies are warranted to verify this finding and to explore the possible underlying mechanisms.

Tuberculosis reactivation at ileum following immune checkpoint inhibition with pembrolizumab for metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) reactivation has been increasingly identified following immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for cancer patients. However there has been no report on TB reactivation in the gastrointestinal tract. In the report, we describe a patient who developed TB ileitis after pembrolizumab for her metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Rechallenge with pembrolizumab after its temporary interruption together with anti-TB therapy produced continuous tumor response but without further TB reactivation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 29-year-old lady with metastatic NPC involving the cervical nodes, lungs and bones started pembrolizumab after failure to multiple lines of chemotherapy. She complained of sudden onset of abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea with mucus 21 months after pembrolizumab. Colonoscopy revealed terminal ileitis with multiple caseating granulomas with Langerhan cells. Serum interferon gamma release assay was strongly positive. She was treated with anti-TB medication and was later rechallenged with pembrolizumab for her progressive lung metastases without further TB relapse while her lung metastases were brought under control again. CONCLUSION: To date, this is the first gastrointestinal TB reactivation after ICI therapy for cancer. Guidelines to screen for TB before initiation of ICIs in endemic areas should be established.

Clinical utility of serial analysis of circulating tumour cells for detection of minimal residual disease of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an important cancer in Hong Kong. We aim to utilise liquid biopsies for serial monitoring of disseminated NPC in patients to compare with PET-CT imaging in detection of minimal residual disease. METHOD: Prospective serial monitoring of liquid biopsies was performed for 21 metastatic patients. Circulating tumour cell (CTC) enrichment and characterisation was performed using a sized-based microfluidics CTC chip, enumerating by immunofluorescence staining, and using target-capture sequencing to determine blood mutation load. PET-CT scans were used to monitor NPC patients throughout their treatment according to EORTC guidelines. RESULTS: The longitudinal molecular analysis of CTCs by enumeration or NGS mutational profiling findings provide supplementary information to the plasma EBV assay for disease progression for good responders. Strikingly, post-treatment CTC findings detected positive findings in 75% (6/8) of metastatic NPC patients showing complete response by imaging, thereby demonstrating more sensitive CTC detection of minimal residual disease. Positive baseline, post-treatment CTC, and longitudinal change of CTCs significantly associated with poorer progression-free survival by the Kaplan-Meier analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We show the potential usefulness of application of serial analysis in metastatic NPC of liquid biopsy CTCs, as a novel more sensitive biomarker for minimal residual disease, when compared with imaging.

Accuracy of detecting residual disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (preSINO trial): a prospective multicenter diagnostic cohort study.

BACKGROUND: After neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for esophageal cancer, high pathologically complete response (pCR) rates are being achieved especially in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). An active surveillance strategy has been proposed for SCC patients with clinically complete response (cCR) after nCRT. To justify omitting surgical resection, patients with residual disease should be accurately identified. The aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of response evaluations after nCRT based on the preSANO trial, including positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET-CT), endoscopy with bite-on-bite biopsies and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in patients with potentially curable esophageal SCC. METHODS: Operable esophageal SCC patients who are planned to undergo nCRT according to the CROSS regimen and are planned to undergo surgery will be recruited from four Asian centers. Four to 6 weeks after completion of nCRT, patients will undergo a first clinical response evaluation (CRE-1) consisting of endoscopy with bite-on-bite biopsies. In patients without histological evidence of residual tumor (i.e. without positive biopsies), surgery will be postponed another 6 weeks. A second clinical response evaluation (CRE-2) will be performed 10-12 weeks after completion of nCRT, consisting of PET-CT, endoscopy with bite-on-bite biopsies and EUS with FNA. Immediately after CRE-2 all patients without evidence of distant metastases will undergo esophagectomy. Results of CRE-1 and CRE-2 as well as results of the three single diagnostic modalities will be correlated to pathological response in the resection specimen (gold standard) for calculation of sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value. DISCUSSION: If the current study shows that major locoregional residual disease (> 10% residual carcinoma or any residual nodal disease) can be accurately (i.e. with sensitivity of 80.5%) detected in patients with esophageal SCC, a prospective trial will be conducted comparing active surveillance with standard esophagectomy in patients with a clinically complete response after nCRT (SINO trial). TRIAL REGISTRATION: The preSINO trial has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03937362 (May 3, 2019).

The addition of pretreatment plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA into the eighth edition of nasopharyngeal cancer TNM stage classification.

The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage classification (TNM) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was launched. It remains unknown if incorporation of nonanatomic factors into the stage classification would better predict survival. We prospectively recruited 518 patients with nonmetastatic NPC treated with radical intensity-modulated radiation therapy ± chemotherapy based on the eighth edition TNM. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) incorporating pretreatment plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA derived new stage groups. Multivariable analyses to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) derived another set of stage groups. Five-year progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were: Stage I (PFS 100%, OS 90%, CSS 100%), II (PFS 88%, OS 84%, CSS 95%), III (PFS 84%, OS 84%, CSS 90%) and IVA (PFS 71%, OS 75%, CSS 80%) (p < 0.001, p = 0.066 and p = 0.002, respectively). RPA derived four new stages: RPA-I (T1-T4 N0-N2 & EBV DNA <500 copies per mL; PFS 94%, OS 89%, CSS 96%), RPA-II (T1-T4 N0-N2 & EBV DNA ≥500 copies per mL; PFS 80%, OS 83%, CSS 89%), RPA-III (T1-T2 N3; PFS 64%, OS 83%, CSS 83%) and RPA-IVA (T3-T4 N3; PFS 63%, OS 60% and CSS 68%) (all with p < 0.001). AHR using covariate adjustment also yielded a valid classification (I: T1-T2 N0-N2; II: T3-T4 N0-N2 or T1-T2 N3 and III: T3-T4 N3) (all with p < 0.001). However, RPA stages better predicted survival for PS and CSS after bootstrapping replications. Our RPA-based stage groups revealed better survival prediction compared to the eighth edition TNM and the AHR stage groups.

Negative plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA nasopharyngeal carcinoma in an endemic region and its influence on liquid biopsy screening programmes.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in endemic regions may have undetectable plasma EBV DNA. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 518 patients with non-metastatic NPC and measured their pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA. The stage distribution and prognosis between pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA-negative (0-20 copies/ml) and EBV DNA-positive (>20 copies/ml) patients following radical treatment were compared. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients (15.1%) were plasma EBV DNA-negative, and 62 in this subset (12.0%) had 0 copy/ml. Only 23/78 (29.5%) plasma EBV DNA-negative patients with advanced NPC (stage III-IVA) had strong EBV encoded RNA (EBER) positivity (score 3) in their tumours compared to 342/440 (77.7%) EBV DNA-positive patients of the same stages (p < 0.001). Though EBV DNA-negative patients had more early-stage disease (p < 0.001) and smaller volumes of the primary tumour and the positive neck nodes (p < 0.001), they had similar 5-year overall survival and cancer-specific survival to those EBV DNA-positive counterparts by stage. Similar results were also seen when plasma EBV DNA cut-off was set at 0 copy/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low-volume NPC may not be identified by plasma/serum tumour markers and caution should be taken in its utility as a screening tool for NPC even in endemic regions. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02476669.

Global comparison of cancer outcomes: standardization and correlation with healthcare expenditures.

BACKGROUND: Cancer outcomes vary widely among different countries. However, comparisons of cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of different systems are complex because the incidences of different cancers vary across countries and their chances of cure also differ substantially. We aim to propose a new standardized method for global comparison and to explore its relationship with economic indicators. METHODS: Cancer statistics from all 184 countries and 27 cancers listed in GLOBOCAN 2012 were analyzed. The complement of age-standardized mortality/incidence ratio [1 - (ASM/ASI)] was taken as the proxy relative survival (RS). Accounting for various country-specific cancer patterns, the cancer site-standardized proxy RS (proxy SS-RS) of individual countries were calculated by weighting the proportion of specific cancer sites as compared with the global pattern of incidence. Economic indicators of different countries listed by the World Bank were correlated with corresponding proxy SS-RS. RESULTS: Substantial variation in site-specific survival and new case distribution supported the use of proxy SS-RS, which ranged from 0.124 to 0.622 (median 0.359). The median total health expenditure per capita (HEpc) increased from US$44 for countries with proxy SS-RS < 0.25, to US$4643 for countries with proxy SS-RS ≥0.55. Results from logarithmic regression model showed exponential increase in total HEpc for better outcome. The expenditure varied widely among different strata, with the widest difference observed among countries with SS-RS ≥0.55 (total HEpc US$1412-$9361). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to age-standardization, cancer site-standardization adjusted for variation in pattern of cancer incidence provides the best available and feasible strategies for comparing cancer survivals across countries globally. Furthermore, cancer outcome correlated significantly with economic indicators and the amount of HEpc escalated exponentially. Our findings call for more in-depth studies applying cancer-site standardization to provide essential data for sharing of experience and urgent actions by policy makers to develop comprehensive and financially sustainable cancer plan for greater equity.

Whole-exome sequencing identifies MST1R as a genetic susceptibility gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Multiple factors, including host genetics, environmental factors, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, contribute to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development. To identify genetic susceptibility genes for NPC, a whole-exome sequencing (WES) study was performed in 161 NPC cases and 895 controls of Southern Chinese descent. The gene-based burden test discovered an association between macrophage-stimulating 1 receptor (MST1R) and NPC. We identified 13 independent cases carrying the MST1R pathogenic heterozygous germ-line variants, and 53.8% of these cases were diagnosed with NPC aged at or even younger than 20 y, indicating that MST1R germline variants are relevant to disease early-age onset (EAO) (age of ≤20 y). In total, five MST1R missense variants were found in EAO cases but were rare in controls (EAO vs. control, 17.9% vs. 1.2%, P = 7.94 × 10(-12)). The validation study, including 2,160 cases and 2,433 controls, showed that the MST1R variant c.G917A:p.R306H is highly associated with NPC (odds ratio of 9.0). MST1R is predominantly expressed in the tissue-resident macrophages and is critical for innate immunity that protects organs from tissue damage and inflammation. Importantly, MST1R expression is detected in the ciliated epithelial cells in normal nasopharyngeal mucosa and plays a role in the cilia motility important for host defense. Although no somatic mutation of MST1R was identified in the sporadic NPC tumors, copy number alterations and promoter hypermethylation at MST1R were often observed. Our findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of NPC by highlighting the involvement of the MST1R-mediated signaling pathways.

Whole-exome sequencing identifies multiple loss-of-function mutations of NF-κB pathway regulators in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy with a unique geographical distribution. The genomic abnormalities leading to NPC pathogenesis remain unclear. In total, 135 NPC tumors were examined to characterize the mutational landscape using whole-exome sequencing and targeted resequencing. An APOBEC cytidine deaminase mutagenesis signature was revealed in the somatic mutations. Noticeably, multiple loss-of-function mutations were identified in several NF-κB signaling negative regulators NFKBIA, CYLD, and TNFAIP3 Functional studies confirmed that inhibition of NFKBIA had a significant impact on NF-κB activity and NPC cell growth. The identified loss-of-function mutations in NFKBIA leading to protein truncation contributed to the altered NF-κB activity, which is critical for NPC tumorigenesis. In addition, somatic mutations were found in several cancer-relevant pathways, including cell cycle-phase transition, cell death, EBV infection, and viral carcinogenesis. These data provide an enhanced road map for understanding the molecular basis underlying NPC.

Leukocyte telomere length associates with nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk and survival in Hong Kong Chinese.

Telomere shortening occurs as an early event in tumorigenesis. The TERT-CLPTM1L locus associates with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) risk. It remains unknown if leukocyte telomere length (LTL) associates with NPC risk and survival. The relative LTL (rLTL) was measured by quantitative-PCR in 2,996 individuals comprised of 1,284 NPC cases and 1712 matched controls. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by logistic regression. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI were calculated by Cox regression for survival analysis with rLTL and other clinical parameters in 1,243 NPC with a minimum follow-up period of 25 months. NPC patients had significantly shorter telomere length than controls. Shorter rLTL significantly associated with increased NPC risk, when the individuals were dichotomized into long and short telomeres based on median-split rLTL in the control group (OR = 2.317; 95% CI = 1.989-2.700, p = 4.10 × 10-27 ). We observed a significant dose-response association (ptrend  = 3.26 × 10-34 ) between rLTL and NPC risk with OR being 3.555 (95% CI = 2.853-4.429) for the individuals in the first quartile (shortest) compared with normal individuals in the fourth quartile (longest). A multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusted by age demonstrated an independent effect of rLTL on NPC survival for late-stage NPC patients, when the individuals were categorized into suboptimal rLTL versus the medium rLTL based on a threshold set from normal (HR = 1.471, 95% CI = 1.056-2.048, p = 0.022). Shorter blood telomeres may be markers for higher susceptibility for NPC risk. Suboptimal rLTL may be a poor prognostic factor for advanced NPC patients, as it associates independently with poor survival.