Implications of the COVID-19 San Francisco Bay Area Shelter-in-Place Announcement: A Cross-Sectional Social Media Survey

BACKGROUND

The U.S. has experienced an unprecedented number of shelter-in-place orders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited empirical research that examines the impact of these orders. We aimed to rapidly ascertain whether social distancing; difficulty with daily activities (obtaining food, essential medications and childcare); and levels of concern regarding COVID-19 changed after the March 16, 2020 announcement of shelter-in-place orders for seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

METHODS

We conducted an online, cross-sectional social media survey from March 14 - April 1, 2020. We measured changes in social distancing behavior; experienced difficulties with daily activities (i.e., access to healthcare, childcare, obtaining essential food and medications); and level of concern regarding COVID-19 after the March 16 shelter-in-place announcement in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in the U.S.

RESULTS

The percentage of respondents social distancing all of the time increased following the shelter-in-place announcement in the Bay Area (9.2%, 95% CI: 6.6, 11.9) and elsewhere in the U.S. (3.4%, 95% CI: 2.0, 5.0). Respondents also reported increased difficulty with obtaining food, hand sanitizer, and medications, particularly with obtaining food for both respondents from the Bay Area (13.3%, 95% CI: 10.4, 16.3) and elsewhere (8.2%, 95% CI: 6.6, 9.7). We found limited evidence that level of concern regarding the COVID-19 crisis changed following the shelter-in-place announcement.

CONCLUSION

These results capture early changes in attitudes, behaviors, and difficulties. Further research that specifically examines social, economic, and health impacts of COVID-19, especially among vulnerable populations, is urgently needed. =.

Testing for causality between systematically identified risk factors and glioma: a Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Whilst epidemiological studies have provided evidence of associations between certain risk factors and glioma onset, inferring causality has proven challenging. Using Mendelian randomization (MR), we assessed whether associations of 36 reported glioma risk factors showed evidence of a causal relationship.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE from inception to October 2018 to identify candidate risk factors and conducted a meta-analysis of two glioma genome-wide association studies (5739 cases and 5501 controls) to form our exposure and outcome datasets. MR analyses were performed using genetic variants to proxy for candidate risk factors. We investigated whether risk factors differed by subtype diagnosis (either glioblastoma (n = 3112) or non-glioblastoma (n = 2411)). MR estimates for each risk factor were determined using multiplicative random effects inverse-variance weighting (IVW). Sensitivity analyses investigated potential pleiotropy using MR-Egger regression, the weighted median estimator, and the mode-based estimator. To increase power, trait-specific polygenic risk scores were used to test the association of a genetically predicated increase in each risk factor with glioma onset.

RESULTS

Our systematic search identified 36 risk factors that could be proxied using genetic variants. Using MR, we found evidence that four genetically predicted traits increased risk of glioma, glioblastoma or non-glioblastoma: longer leukocyte telomere length, liability to allergic disease, increased alcohol consumption and liability to childhood extreme obesity (> 3 standard deviations from the mean). Two traits decreased risk of non-glioblastoma cancers: increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and triglyceride levels. Our findings were similar across sensitivity analyses that made allowance for pleiotropy (genetic confounding).

CONCLUSIONS

Our comprehensive investigation provides evidence of a causal link between both genetically predicted leukocyte telomere length, allergic disease, alcohol consumption, childhood extreme obesity, and LDLc and triglyceride levels, and glioma. The findings from our study warrant further research to uncover mechanisms that implicate these traits in glioma onset.

Identification of novel epithelial ovarian cancer loci in women of African ancestry

Women of African ancestry have lower incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) yet worse survival compared to women of European ancestry. We conducted a genome-wide association study in African ancestry women with 755 EOC cases, including 537 high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSOC) and 1,235 controls. We identified four novel loci with suggestive evidence of association with EOC (p < 1 × 10-6 ), including rs4525119 (intronic to AKR1C3), rs7643459 (intronic to LOC101927394), rs4286604 (12 kb 3' of UGT2A2) and rs142091544 (5 kb 5' of WWC1). For HGSOC, we identified six loci with suggestive evidence of association including rs37792 (132 kb 5' of follistatin [FST]), rs57403204 (81 kb 3' of MAGEC1), rs79079890 (LOC105376360 intronic), rs66459581 (5 kb 5' of PRPSAP1), rs116046250 (GABRG3 intronic) and rs192876988 (32 kb 3' of GK2). Among the identified variants, two are near genes known to regulate hormones and diseases of the ovary (AKR1C3 and FST), and two are linked to cancer (AKR1C3 and MAGEC1). In follow-up studies of the 10 identified variants, the GK2 region SNP, rs192876988, showed an inverse association with EOC in European ancestry women (p = 0.002), increased risk of ER positive breast cancer in African ancestry women (p = 0.027) and decreased expression of GK2 in HGSOC tissue from African ancestry women (p = 0.004). A European ancestry-derived polygenic risk score showed positive associations with EOC and HGSOC in women of African ancestry suggesting shared genetic architecture. Our investigation presents evidence of variants for EOC shared among European and African ancestry women and identifies novel EOC risk loci in women of African ancestry.

Abstract IA22: A comprehensive and integrated approach to identify factors associated with aggressive prostate cancer in African-Americans: The RESPOND Study

African American (AA) men have a &gt;60% higher incidence, are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive and potentially lethal PCa, and are more than twice as likely to die from PCa than white (WH) men. Reasons for the greater burden of aggressive disease in AA men are unknown but are likely to include a multitude of factors including social factors such as lifetime stress, inherited susceptibility, and tumor-related features such as somatic alterations and local inflammation in the microenvironment. RESPOND (Research on Prostate Cancer in Men of African Ancestry: Defining the Roles of Genetics, Immunity and Social Stress) has been funded to study the reasons for increased risk of aggressive disease among AA and will include a comprehensive approach including the role of stress and the contextual environment (Project 1), germline susceptibility (Project 2), tumor somatic genetics (Project 3), inflammatory tumor microenvironment (Project 4), and, the integrated synergistic effects of these factors. Project 1: Social stress: AA men are uniquely exposed to high levels of social adversity such as discrimination, violence, crime, financial strain, and residence in poor-resourced environments, over their lifetime. These social stressors are experienced at multiple levels, including individual, neighborhood, and institutional, ultimately leading to chronic and long-term stress. Social stressors may be a contributor to the development of aggressive PCa and high mortality. Project 2: Germline genetic factors: There is evidence to suggest genetic differences in the allelic architecture of PCa across populations. We found a region of the genome (8q24) that harbored genetic risk alleles that may contribute to the greater risk of PCa in AA men. Substantially larger collections of AA cases are needed to reveal a common susceptibility locus that is specific to high-risk disease. We will be expanding genome-wide efforts to identify susceptibility alleles for aggressive PCa in AA men. Project 3: Somatic genetic factors. PCa is a heterogeneous and multifocal disease with a diverse genetic component. Few genetic or molecular drivers of aggressive disease have been identified, and studies in AA men are critically limited. This is due to the fact that the majority of PCa profiling studies have focused on localized disease and largely on men of European ancestry. We will address this issue through the comprehensive and integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis of a large number of clinically annotated aggressive vs. nonaggressive PCas in AA men. We anticipate that this study will identify genomic markers of aggressive PCa in general and AA PCa in particular, with some of these somatic events being therapeutically actionable, leading to new treatment paradigms for this lethal disease. Project 4: Inflammatory tumor microenvironment. There is evidence to suggest that inflammation drives the formation of precursor lesions to PCa development and may contribute to PCa progression. The consistent observation of overexpression of genes involved in inflammatory pathways in PCa tumors from AA men points to a proinflammatory immune cell component in the tumors of these men that may contribute to PCa progression and their higher PCa mortality. Integration of social and genetic information: Independently evaluating germline, somatic genome, and tumor microenvironment characteristics of PCa ignores the potential for shared biologic mechanism(s). The integration of data across these domains will lead to the identification of shared genes and/or pathways that define more homogeneous, and clinically important, subsets of PCa tumors. The vast genomic and molecular data generated in the same individuals will facilitate the estimation of tumor subgroups as a function of somatic and tumor microenvironment and an assessment of their relationship with other potential PCa risk factors, such as socioeconomic factors, lifetime stress, and genomic germline variation. We will evaluate the association of integrated molecular profiles with recurrence and survival in the future. The RESPOND Cohort: We are in the process of recruiting a cohort of 10,000 incident AA PCa cases to support the four research projects. The men, diagnosed between 2015-2018, are being recruited through cancer registries in 7 states (California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas). The fieldwork procedures include enrolling the men by completion of a mailed (or online) survey, followed by a request to obtain a saliva sample and HIPAA authorization to obtain tumor tissue. Of the ~23,000 AA PCa patients we will contact, we estimate to receive a survey from 45% (10,050), DNA from 33% (7,543), HIPAA release from 26% (6,030) and tumor samples for 13% (3,015). Impact: In Project 1, we are studying the impact of multilevel stressors over the lifecourse on risk of developing aggressive and lethal PCa, providing both a means of identifying high-risk men for targeted prevention and treatment, as well as informing the etiology by which tumor aggressiveness arises. In Project 2, the ability to better understand, based on inherited variation, which AA men are at greater risk of developing aggressive and lethal PCa will help in the development of targeted screening and prevention strategies. In Project 3, delineating the genomic events that are acquired during the development of PCa in AA men may guide the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for men whose tumors display aggressive molecular signatures. In Project 4, the ability to define immune profiles associated with aggressive PCa in AA men could inform the development of cancer prevention and/or treatment strategies. Altogether, this body of research will provide impactful information as to the underlying factors that contribute to aggressive PCa in AA men.

Citation Format: Ann S. Hamilton, Scarlett Gomez, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Kevin Ward, Melissa Bondy, Rosemary Cress, Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer, Karen Pawlish, Jong Park, Iona Cheng, Antoinette Stroup, Thomas Sellers, Susan Gundell, Angelo Demarzo, Denise Modjeski, Stephen Chanock, Salma Shariff-Marco, Mindy DeRouen, John Carpten, Franklin Huang, Karen Sfanos, Tamara Lotan, David Conti, Christopher Haiman. A comprehensive and integrated approach to identify factors associated with aggressive prostate cancer in African-Americans: The RESPOND Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr IA22.

PDTM-33. EUROPEAN GENETIC ANCESTRY ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF CHILDHOOD EPENDYMOMA

BACKGROUND

Ependymoma is a histologically-defined central nervous system tumor most commonly occurring in children. Incidence differs by race/ethnicity, with individuals of European ancestry at highest risk. No large-scale genomic analyses of ependymoma predisposition have been conducted to date. We aimed to determine whether extent of European genetic ancestry is associated with ependymoma risk.

METHODS

In a multi-ethnic study of Californian children (327 cases, 1970 controls), we estimated the proportions of European, African, and Native American ancestry among admixed Hispanic and African-American subjects and estimated European substructure among non-Hispanic white subjects using genome-wide data. We tested whether genome-wide ancestry differences were associated with ependymoma risk and performed admixture mapping to identify associations with local European ancestry. We also re-analyzed CBTRUS data to examine subtype-specific differences in ependymoma incidence across racial/ethnic groups.

RESULTS

Each 20% increase in European ancestry was associated with 1.31-fold greater odds of ependymoma among Hispanic and African-American subjects (95% CI: 1.08–1.59, Pmeta=6.7×10–3). Among non-Hispanic whites, European ancestral substructure was also significantly associated with ependymoma risk. Local admixture mapping revealed a peak at 20p13 associated with increased local European ancestry, and genotype association analysis in the region identified an association upstream of R-spondin 4 that survived Bonferroni correction (P=2.2x10-5) but was not validated in an independent set of posterior fossa type A (PF-EPN-A) patients. In complementary CBTRUS analyses, American Indian/Alaskan Natives were at reduced risk relative to non-Hispanic whites (RR=0.64, 95% CI:0.46–0.87), as were African-Americans (RR=0.67, 95% CI:0.60–0.74) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (RR=0.86, 95% CI:0.73–1.00). Although overall ependymoma rates were similar in U.S. Hispanics (RR=0.96, 95% CI:0.88–1.05), lower rates were observed for myxopapillary ependymoma and other spinal ependymoma.

CONCLUSION

Inter-ethnic differences in ependymoma risk vary by histopathologic and potentially molecular subgroup, and are recapitulated in the genomic ancestry of ependymoma patients.

QOLP-30. CLINICAL PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN GLIOBLASTOMA

INTRODUCTION

The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains high for patients with glioblastoma (GBM) throughout the disease trajectory. Our previous work demonstrated the Khorana scale lacks specificity in this population. We therefore constructed, and attempted to validate a predictive model specific for the development of VTE during adjuvant chemotherapy in glioblastoma patients.

METHODS

A prior study of GBM patients treated at MD Anderson (MDACC) during the years 2005–2011 found from a multivariate analysis that male sex, BMI ≥ 35, KPS ≤ 80, and steroid therapy were significantly associated with the development of VTE. A predictive model from the MDACC cohort was created using these risk factors, and we attempted to validate the model in an independent cohort of GBM patients treated at Henry Ford from 2010–2015.

RESULTS

To develop the model 315 patients from the MDACC cohort were randomly divided into two parts: training (75% of data) used for model building, and validation (25% of data) used for model validation. Using the predictive model, the MDACC validation cohort found 80% sensitivity and 80% specificity. We then validated the model in the Henry Ford cohort of 190 GBM patients of which 50 developed a VTE. In the external validation set, the predictive model was found to have a sensitivity = 78% and specificity = 49.3% (Fisher test p-value = 0.0008).

CONCLUSIONS

Our predictive model for the development of VTE during adjuvant chemotherapy in GBM patients retained high sensitivity in an external data set, however high specificity was lost. While the specificity in our model was higher than in previous studies examining the Khorona scale in GBM patients, further refinement to improve the models reliability to correctly identify people who will not later develop a VTE may be helpful.

GENE-21. ROLE OF POT1 MUTATION IN GLIOMA PROLIFERATION AND SEXUAL DIVERGENCE OF SURVIVAL

Germline POT1 mutations are associated with risk of several cancers including glioma. In The Cancer Genome Atlas, we found that the level of POT1 gene expression in tumors is associated with overall survival in IDH wild-type glioma independent of age and tumor grade (P=0.036). To assess if POT1 expression in a native mouse model of IDH wild-type glioma (referred to as C3 tumors) affects survival, we targeted both mouse POT1 orthologs (Pot1a/Pot1b) in C3 tumors using CRISPR/Cas9, generating C5 tumors. Interestingly, we noted a sexual divergence of survival, with female C5 mice dying faster than males (P=0.0034), whereas C3 mice show no sexual divergence in survival. To assess the genes and pathways underlying this divergence, we performed RNAseq profiling on C3 and C5 tumors and normalized the sex differences in the C5 profile for baseline sex differences in the C3 profile. Compared to males, female C5 tumors had lower enrichment of numerous gene sets related to immune surveillance. To specifically assess the effects of glioma-associated human POT1 variants, we expressed these variants in a mouse tumor sphere culture. We noted that expression of POT1-G95C variant increased the rate of sphere formation in vitro. In vivo expression of this variant in embryonic mouse brain during the gliogenic period increased the proliferative rate as assessed by BrdU uptake (P=0.008). These findings suggest a potential role for human POT1 variants in growth and proliferation of glial progenitor cells as well as glioma tumor cells. Additionally, the sexual divergence of survival in C5 tumors points to a differential interaction between POT1 loss and sex in regulation of immune response to these tumors.

MNGI-12. PLEIOTROPIC MLLT10 VARIATION CONFERS RISK OF MENINGIOMA, BREAST, AND OVARIAN CANCERS

BACKGROUND

Women ages 35–44 have three-fold higher risk of meningioma compared to men. Epidemiologic studies have implicated exogenous hormone use, but endogenous hormonal factors are inconsistently associated. Elevated body mass index (BMI) is consistently associated with meningioma risk in both men and women, and personal history of breast cancer has also been associated with meningioma risk. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a meningioma risk locus on chromosome 10p12 near previous GWAS hits for breast and ovarian cancers.

METHODS

To elucidate the pleiotropic role of 10p12 variation in predisposition to diverse tumors - possibly via a common mediating factor - we performed imputation‐based fine‐mapping in three case-control datasets of meningioma (927 cases, 790 controls), female breast cancer (28108 cases, 22209 controls), and ovarian cancer (25509 cases, 40941 controls). Analyses were stratified by sex (meningioma), estrogen receptor status (breast), and histotype (ovarian), then combined using ASSET meta-analysis. Lead variants were queried for association with >700 additional traits to identify potential effect-mediators.

RESULTS

Two-sided ASSET meta-analysis identified a lead variant near the MLLT10 promoter (P=1.4x10-13) associated with significantly increased risk of meningioma in women (OR=1.42, 95% CI: 1.20–1.69) and non-significantly increased risk in men (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 0.91–1.57). The meningioma risk allele was also associated with ovarian cancer risk (OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.06–1.12) and ER+ breast cancer risk (OR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.08), but protected against ER- breast cancer (OR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.86–0.96). The risk allele was associated with higher body fat percentage, waist circumference and BMI at genome-wide levels (P< 5.0x10-8), but mediation analysis adjusting for BMI did not attenuate its association with meningioma risk.

CONCLUSION

We identify a MLLT10 eQTL that confers risk of female meningioma, ER+ breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and obesity, but which protects against ER- breast cancer. Our results implicate a possible estrogenic mechanism underlying meningioma tumorigenesis.

GENE-11. LDSCORE REGRESSION IDENTIFIES NOVEL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN GLIOMA AND AUTO-IMMUNE CONDITIONS

BACKGROUND

Prior epidemiological studies in glioma have identified 25 germline risk variants, as well as risk associations with exposure to ionizing radiation (which increases risk) and history of allergies and aspirin use (which decrease risk). In this analysis we LDscore regression, which leverages single SNP associations and known patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) to estimate the genetic correlation between phenotypes, to confirm prior associations as well as attempt to identify novel phenotype associations for traits not previously assessed that may improve genetic prediction for glioma.

METHODS

Summary statistics for all glioma, GBM, and non-GBM were obtained from a prior meta-analysis conducted by Melin, et al. Summary statistics for 13 immune- and atopy-related traits were obtained from the prior case-control studies and the UK biobank. Data were filtered to include only SNPs with imputation INFO value >0.7, and minor allele frequency >0.01, excluding SNPs within the HLA region. Pairwise genetic correlation between these traits was generated using LDSC. Associations were considered significant at p< 0.05

RESULTS

Significant negative correlations were identified between glioma and ulcerative colitis (rg= -0.4039, p=4.91x10-10), celiac disease (rg= -0.2028, p=1.18x10-4), lupus (rg= -0.0956, p=0.0083), and multiple sclerosis (rg= -0.5755, p=4.46x10-9). These associations were generally consistent in both GBM and non-GBM. There was a significant correlation between both self-reported (rg= -0.102, p=0.0233) and doctor diagnosed (rg= -0.116, p=0.0305) hayfever/allergic rhinitis and GBM only.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis demonstrates a genetic basis for previously identified protective effect of allergic rhinitis on GBM, and identifies novel associations between multiple auto-immune traits and glioma. Further studies are necessary in order to confirm these associations and identify the mechanism through which increased immune activity may lower risk of glioma.

EPID-19. SHARED GENOMIC ARCHITECTURE OF GLIOMA AND NEURO-COGNITIVE AND NEURO-PSYCHIATRIC TRAITS REVEALED BY LD-SCORE REGRESSION

BACKGROUND

Genome-wide analyses estimate glioma heritability at 25%, yet known risk loci account for just one-third of this risk and suggest that sporadic glioma is a highly polygenic disease with hitherto unaccounted for genomic architecture. LD-score regression leverages results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and known patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) to estimate correlation between the genetic architecture of multiple phenotypes. We applied LD-score regression to identify associations with neuro-cognitive and neuro-psychiatric traits not amenable to study in prior glioma case-control analyses.

METHODS

GWAS summary statistics were obtained from the Glioma International Case-Control Consortium (GICC) meta-analysis (Melin, et al. 2017) and for 64 neuro-cognitive and neuro-psychiatric traits primarily from the UK Biobank. Included SNPs had quality scores ≥0.70 and minor allele frequency ≥0.01. Pairwise genetic correlations between traits were estimated using the LDSC package. P-values < 7.8x10-4 (i.e. 0.05/64) were considered significant.

RESULTS

Significant negative correlations were identified between the genetic architectures of glioma and bipolar disorder (Rg=-0.41, P=1.4x10-9) and schizophrenia (Rg=-0.29, P=7.1x10-9), consistent in both GBM and LGG. Significant positive correlations were identified with measures of educational attainment, including age at educational completion (Rg=0.11, P=2.0x10-4), obtaining a college degree (Rg=0.086, P=4.9x10-4), college attendance (Rg=0.086, P=5.9x10-4), and years of education (Rg=0.081, P=7.7x10-4). These associations were notably stronger with LGG. A number of additional nominal associations were observed, including with anorexia (anti-correlated) and performance on a pair-matching cognitive test (positively correlated). Importantly, LD-score regression did not identify an association between glioma risk in GICC data and Townsend deprivation index in UK Biobank data.

CONCLUSIONS

These results implicate a shared genetic basis for glioma and several psychiatric and cognitive traits. Further research is needed to understand these associations and to explore underlying mechanisms, including the mediating effects of neuro-inflammation, developmental differences in neural‒glial cell circuitry, and inter-individual variation in myelination.

Farmers’ health and wellbeing in the context of changing farming practice: a qualitative study

Background

Farming continues to change globally, with steady industrialization, globalization and climate change and disproportionately high reports of stress and suicide. Little research has been done to understand how changes to farming impact mental health. We aimed to understand how Canadian farmers understand their stressors and experience their health.

Methods

We recruited 16 small-medium scale, diversified farmers through farm organizations in Grey-Bruce counties in Canada. We interviewed them about their perception of changes in farming, associated stressors, mental health and well-being, and community supports. Using a constructivist paradigm, we coded each interview, discussed results, and formulated emergent themes using thematic analysis.

Results

Farmers’ relationship to change was complex with both benefits and challenges of changing farm practices, technology and weather for health - a “double-edged sword”. Farmers described the resilience associated with farming which connects them to the land “essentially being at one with place.” Farmers’ work required them to be active, an asset for keeping them healthy, but also a challenge if mobility became restricted. Farmers’ noted overwhelming stress but stated “...the last thing most farmers want to do is admit that they are stressed or have a mental health issue.” Yet “...if you don’t have strong mental health then you can’t really be resilient and cope with the stresses of climate change and all the things that will happen on a farm.” They voiced a perceived lack of support from governments - dealing with bureaucracy, community - experience of isolation or stigma, and health services - an over-stretched, often distant system.

Conclusions

Farmers’ understandings from Canada will be compared to literature from Europe to demonstrate relevance inform public health programs promoting mental health in rural communities, advocacy for government supports to diversified farmers and evaluation of intervention programs.

Key messages

Farmers experience change as a double edged sword with benefits and challenges for health and mental health. Public health needs to intervene to meet farmers where they are and to advocate with farmers for further support.

Phenome-wide association analysis of LDL-cholesterol lowering genetic variants in PCSK9

BACKGROUND

We characterised the phenotypic consequence of genetic variation at the PCSK9 locus and compared findings with recent trials of pharmacological inhibitors of PCSK9.

METHODS

Published and individual participant level data (300,000+ participants) were combined to construct a weighted PCSK9 gene-centric score (GS). Seventeen randomized placebo controlled PCSK9 inhibitor trials were included, providing data on 79,578 participants. Results were scaled to a one mmol/L lower LDL-C concentration.

RESULTS

The PCSK9 GS (comprising 4 SNPs) associations with plasma lipid and apolipoprotein levels were consistent in direction with treatment effects. The GS odds ratio (OR) for myocardial infarction (MI) was 0.53 (95% CI 0.42; 0.68), compared to a PCSK9 inhibitor effect of 0.90 (95% CI 0.86; 0.93). For ischemic stroke ORs were 0.84 (95% CI 0.57; 1.22) for the GS, compared to 0.85 (95% CI 0.78; 0.93) in the drug trials. ORs with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were 1.29 (95% CI 1.11; 1.50) for the GS, as compared to 1.00 (95% CI 0.96; 1.04) for incident T2DM in PCSK9 inhibitor trials. No genetic associations were observed for cancer, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or Alzheimer's disease - outcomes for which large-scale trial data were unavailable.

CONCLUSIONS

Genetic variation at the PCSK9 locus recapitulates the effects of therapeutic inhibition of PCSK9 on major blood lipid fractions and MI. While indicating an increased risk of T2DM, no other possible safety concerns were shown; although precision was moderate.

Genome-wide association analysis identifies a meningioma risk locus at 11p15.5

Background

Meningiomas are adult brain tumors originating in the meningeal coverings of the brain and spinal cord, with significant heritable basis. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have previously identified only a single risk locus for meningioma, at 10p12.31.

Methods

To identify a susceptibility locus for meningioma, we conducted a meta-analysis of 2 GWAS, imputed using a merged reference panel from the 1000 Genomes Project and UK10K data, with validation in 2 independent sample series totaling 2138 cases and 12081 controls.

Results

We identified a new susceptibility locus for meningioma at 11p15.5 (rs2686876, odds ratio = 1.44, P = 9.86 × 10^–9). A number of genes localize to the region of linkage disequilibrium encompassing rs2686876, including RIC8A, which plays a central role in the development of neural crest-derived structures, such as the meninges.

Conclusions

This finding advances our understanding of the genetic basis of meningioma development and provides additional support for a polygenic model of meningioma.

P13.06 Transcriptome-wide Mendelian randomization study to identify brain-specific causal genes influencing glioma

BACKGROUND

The drug treatment regimen for glioma has remained relatively static since the introduction of temozolomide, although new drugs and drug combinations are being trialled. The human transcriptome can provide promising insights into causal genes as potential drug interventions for glioma treatment and may guide drug discovery methods.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We apply two sample Mendelian randomisation and colocalisation to explore the influence of genetically-predicted gene expression across 12 tissue types located in the brain (4,554 genes from GTEx) and whole blood (16,112 genes from eQTLGen) on glioma risk (5,739 cases, 5,501 controls from a meta-analysis of GICC and MDA glioma GWAS). We used the MR-Base R package to conduct these analyses.

RESULTS

We identify 9 genes whose genetically-predicted expression was strongly associated with glioma risk. Of these genes, 7/9 are shown to have tissue-specific expression while the other two genes showed an association with glioma across multiple brain tissues and whole blood. For example, JAK1, involved in the well-known JAK-STAT pathway, is found in the frontal cortex (OR=1.49 for glioma per standard deviation increase in gene expression; 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.73; P=1.79 × 10−7), the cerebellar hemisphere (OR=1.32; 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.47; P=2.64 × 10−7), the cerebellum (OR=1.27; 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.39; P=2.64 × 10−7) and the cortex (OR=1.38; 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.57; P=2.64 × 10−7). This pathway has been highlighted in previous research as a potential intervention target for glioma therapies. We found that 5/9 of the genes from the MR analysis are expressed in the cerebellum. However malignant cerebellar glioma is a rare tumour (~3% of all malignant gliomas). This suggests that tumourigenesis elsewhere in the brain may be affected by other tissue-specific genes, specifically in the cerebellum, though this will require further research to elucidate. We further triangulate the MR findings with evidence from the OpenTargets platform to strengthen the putative causal associations. OpenTargets aims to “generate evidence on the validity of therapeutic targets based on genome-scale experiments and analysis”. For example, JAK1 receives an overall OpenTargets score of 0.89 out of 1, with most of the evidence for this JAK1-glioma association coming from affected pathways data.

CONCLUSION

This study has combined genetic epidemiological approaches to the analysis of the human transcriptome on glioma incidence. We provide evidence that these genes may inform putative drug targets for tertiary treatment of glioma. Future research specifically towards this aim will be required to fully elucidate intervention targets.

Proceedings of the fourth international molecular pathological epidemiology (MPE) meeting

An important premise of epidemiology is that individuals with the same disease share similar underlying etiologies and clinical outcomes. In the past few decades, our knowledge of disease pathogenesis has improved, and disease classification systems have evolved to the point where no complex disease processes are considered homogenous. As a result, pathology and epidemiology have been integrated into the single, unified field of molecular pathological epidemiology (MPE). Advancing integrative molecular and population-level health sciences and addressing the unique research challenges specific to the field of MPE necessitates assembling experts in diverse fields, including epidemiology, pathology, biostatistics, computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, immunology, and nutritional and environmental sciences. Integrating these seemingly divergent fields can lead to a greater understanding of pathogenic processes. The International MPE Meeting Series fosters discussion that addresses the specific research questions and challenges in this emerging field. The purpose of the meeting series is to: discuss novel methods to integrate pathology and epidemiology; discuss studies that provide pathogenic insights into population impact; and educate next-generation scientists. Herein, we share the proceedings of the Fourth International MPE Meeting, held in Boston, MA, USA, on 30 May-1 June, 2018. Major themes of this meeting included 'integrated genetic and molecular pathologic epidemiology', 'immunology-MPE', and 'novel disease phenotyping'. The key priority areas for future research identified by meeting attendees included integration of tumor immunology and cancer disparities into epidemiologic studies, further collaboration between computational and population-level scientists to gain new insight on exposure-disease associations, and future pooling projects of studies with comparable data.

Evaluation of vitamin D biosynthesis and pathway target genes reveals UGT2A1/2 and EGFR polymorphisms associated with epithelial ovarian cancer in African American Women

An association between genetic variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) was previously reported in women of African ancestry (AA). We sought to examine associations between genetic variants in VDR and additional genes from vitamin D biosynthesis and pathway targets (EGFR, UGT1A, UGT2A1/2, UGT2B, CYP3A4/5, CYP2R1, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, CYP11A1, and GC). Genotyping was performed using the custom-designed 533,631 SNP Illumina OncoArray with imputation to the 1,000 Genomes Phase 3 v5 reference set in 755 EOC cases, including 537 high-grade serous (HGSOC), and 1,235 controls. All subjects are of African ancestry (AA). Logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We further evaluated statistical significance of selected SNPs using the Bayesian False Discovery Probability (BFDP). A significant association with EOC was identified in the UGT2A1/2 region for the SNP rs10017134 (per allele OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.2-1.7, P = 1.2 × 10-6 , BFDP = 0.02); and an association with HGSOC was identified in the EGFR region for the SNP rs114972508 (per allele OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.6-3.4, P = 1.6 × 10-5 , BFDP = 0.29) and in the UGT2A1/2 region again for rs1017134 (per allele OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.2-1.7, P = 2.3 × 10-5 , BFDP = 0.23). Genetic variants in the EGFR and UGT2A1/2 may increase susceptibility of EOC in AA women. Future studies to validate these findings are warranted. Alterations in EGFR and UGT2A1/2 could perturb enzyme efficacy, proliferation in ovaries, impact and mark susceptibility to EOC.

Abstract P2-07-06: Cumulative copy number imbalances after neoadjuvant chemotherapy residual breast tumor is an independent predictor of relapse

Background: Identifying breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) at greatest risk of recurrence would enhance selection of patients who may benefit from novel adjuvant treatments.

Patients. 243 stage I-III breast cancer patients who underwent NAC with ≥10% residual tumor cellularity were identified from the MD Anderson Cancer Center and Ben Taub General Hospital, Harris County hospital. Tumor DNA was isolated for DNA copy number using OncoScan CNV FFPE, Affymetrix. Median follow-up was 67.8 months. Continuous residual cancer burden (RCB) scores with CNI data were available for 152 cases. To test if CNIs covering large regions were associated with recurrence after adjusting for prognostic variables and study site, data were summed to a chromosome-arm level. Eleven chromosome arms with false discovery rate &lt;0.05 for breast cancer recurrence were identified. A stepwise multivariable model including age at diagnosis, tumor subtype, histologic grade, pre- and post-treatment stage, study site, and the 11 chromosomal arms were used to fit a parsimonious multivariate model for recurrence. Minimizing the Akaike Information Criterion yielded a final model with post-stage and a 5-arm CNI (5A-CNI) indicator including 2q, 3q, 4q, 10p, and 18p. Tumors were classified on 5A-CNI as 0 [no CNI], 1 [1- 2] and 2 [&gt; 2].

Results. The study population included 76 non-Hispanic White, 89 Hispanic, and 68 African American patients with a mean age of 49.1 years. 105 patients were classified as 5A-CNI-0, 97 as 5A-CNI-1 and 41 as 5A-CNI-2. A higher 5A-CNI score was associated with tumor grade, ER-negative tumors (p&lt;0.002) and tumor subtype (p=0.014). For 5A-CNI scores of 0, 1 and 2, recurrence rates of 14%, 34% and 58.5% were observed, respectively. In the final multivariable model adjusted for post-stage, RCB and study site, when compared to 5A-CNI-0, the hazard of recurrence was elevated for 5A-CNI-1 (HR= 2.27 [95% CI, 1.01-5.1]) and 5A-CNI-2 tumors (HR=7.43 [95% CI, 2.85-19.39]). Further, while the sample size is limiting, of 10 patients who were RCB3 and 5A-CNI-2, 9 relapsed (90%) during follow-up compared to only 6 of 43 (14%) of RCB3 patients with 5A-CNI-0 (p&lt;10-6). For patients with RCB1 or 2, relapse did not differ by 5A-CNI score. Neither race nor ethnicity were found to be independently associated with recurrence or tumor subtype. However, African American, followed by Hispanic patients, were more likely than non-Hispanic White patients to be classified as 5A-CNI-2 (p=0.013).

Table 1.Significant difference in distribution of 5 arm CNI classifier by Race/Ethnicity in Study Sample (p =0.013).5A-CNI012Non-Hispanic Whiten=44; 57.9%n=25; 32.9%n=7; 9.2%Hispanicn=32; 36%n=42; 47.2%n=15; 16.9%African Americann=28; 41.2%n=23; 33.8%n=17; 25%

Conclusion. The 5A-CNI score in post NAC tumor identifies a patient population with very poor prognosis independent of current clinical prognostic factors including RCB. Validation of these findings may lead to a post NAC genomic test that identifies patients who would benefit from additional treatment Further investigation of the nature of the association between the 5A-CNI score and race/ethnicity, which appears independent of tumor subtype, is warranted.

Citation Format: Thompson PA, Brewster A, Tsavachidis S, Armstrong G, Do K-A, Ha M-J, Gutierrez C, Symmans F, Bondy M. Cumulative copy number imbalances after neoadjuvant chemotherapy residual breast tumor is an independent predictor of relapse [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-07-06.

Discovery of common chemical exposures across three continents using silicone wristbands

To assess differences and trends in personal chemical exposure, volunteers from 14 communities in Africa (Senegal, South Africa), North America (United States (U.S.)) and South America (Peru) wore 262 silicone wristbands. We analysed wristband extracts for 1530 unique chemicals, resulting in 400 860 chemical data points. The number of chemical detections ranged from 4 to 43 per wristband, with 191 different chemicals detected, and 1339 chemicals were not detected in any wristband. No two wristbands had identical chemical detections. We detected 13 potential endocrine disrupting chemicals in over 50% of all wristbands and found 36 chemicals in common between chemicals detected in three geographical wristband groups (Africa, North America and South America). U.S. children (less than or equal to 11 years) had the highest percentage of flame retardant detections compared with all other participants. Wristbands worn in Texas post-Hurricane Harvey had the highest mean number of chemical detections (28) compared with other study locations (10-25). Consumer product-related chemicals and phthalates were a high percentage of chemical detections across all study locations (36-53% and 18-42%, respectively). Chemical exposures varied among individuals; however, many individuals were exposed to similar chemical mixtures. Our exploratory investigation uncovered personal chemical exposure trends that can help prioritize certain mixtures and chemical classes for future studies.

Individual, Social, and Societal Correlates of Health-Related Quality of Life Among African American Survivors of Ovarian Cancer: Results from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study

OBJECTIVE

While the incidence of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is lower among African American (AA) women compared with European American (EA) women, AA women have markedly worse outcomes. In this study, we describe individual, social, and societal factors in health-related quality of life (HRQL) in AA women diagnosed with EOC in the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES) that we hypothesize may influence a patient's capacity to psychosocially adjust to a diagnosis of cancer.

METHODS

There were 215 invasive EOC cases included in the analysis. HRQL was measured using the SF-8 component scores for physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health. We used least squares regression to test the effects of individual dispositional factors (optimism and trait anxiety); social level (perceived social support); and societal-level factors (SES defined as low family income and low educational attainment, and perceived discrimination) on HRQL, while adjusting for patient age, tumor stage, body mass index, and comorbidity. Mediation analysis was applied to test whether social support and physical activity buffer impacts of EOC on HRQL.

RESULTS

Optimism, trait anxiety, social support, poverty, and past perceived discrimination were significantly associated with HRQL following diagnosis of EOC. Specifically, higher family income, lower phobic anxiety, and higher social support were associated with better wellbeing on the MCS and PCS (p < 0.01). Higher perceived discrimination was associated with both lower MCS and PCS, whereas higher optimism was associated with higher MCS. Physical activity (MET-min/week) and social support displayed significant overall mediation for effects of SES on MCS and PCS, but not for trait anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Both pre- and postdiagnosis characteristics of AA women with EOC are important predictors of HRQL after cancer diagnosis. Individual, social, and societal-level factors each contribute to HRQL status with EOC and should be assessed.

Effect of Cultural, Folk, and Religious Beliefs and Practices on Delays in Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer in African American Women

BACKGROUND

Certain cultural, folk, and religious beliefs that are more common among African Americans (AAs) have been associated with later-stage breast cancer. It is unknown if these beliefs are similarly associated with delays in diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

METHODS

Data from a multicenter case-control study of ovarian cancer in AA women were used to examine associations between cultural/folk beliefs and religious practices and stage at diagnosis and symptom duration before diagnosis. Associations between cultural/folk beliefs or religious practices and stage at diagnosis were assessed with logistic regression analyses, and associations with symptom duration with linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

Agreement with several of the cultural/folk belief statements was high (e.g., 40% agreed that "if a person prays about cancer, God will heal it without medical treatments"), and ∼90% of women expressed moderate to high levels of religiosity/spirituality. Higher levels of religiosity/spirituality were associated with a twofold increase in the odds of stage III-IV ovarian cancer, whereas agreement with the cultural/folk belief statements was not associated with stage. Symptom duration before diagnosis was not consistently associated with cultural/folk beliefs or religiosity/spirituality.

CONCLUSIONS

Women who reported stronger religious beliefs or practices had increased odds of higher stage ovarian cancer. Inaccurate cultural/folk beliefs about cancer treament were not associated with stage; however, these beliefs were highly prevalent in our population and could impact patient treatment decisions. Our findings suggest opportunities for health education interventions, especially working with churches, and improved doctor-patient communication.

2245. Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma in Patients with HIV and Non-HIV: Should We Treat Them Differently?

Background

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, mostly diffuse large B-cell type. In patients living with HIV (PLWH), PCNSL is associated with Epstein-Barr virus. The optimal diagnostic and prognostic tools, and treatment are yet to be defined. PLWH are typically excluded from prospective studies. The management of PCNSL is adopted from immunocompetent patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 122 PCNSL cases presenting to MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2000 to 2016 (n = 84) and Ben-Taub Hospital from 2012 to 2016 (n = 38) to evaluate and compare the clinical characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes in patients with or without HIV infection.

Results

Among 122 PCNSL cases, 21% had positive HIV test, of those, 89% had CD4 < 200 and 77% were not on antiretrovirals and not virally suppressed. PLWH were significantly younger (37 vs. 62 years. P < 0.01), and more likely to be African-Americans (61% vs. 7%; P < 0.01) and males (73% vs. 50%; P = 0.04) than non-HIV patients. There were no differences in presenting symptoms, ocular involvement, B-symptoms, and deep brain involvement. PLWH were more likely to have multiple brain lesions (69% vs. 44%, P = 0.02). Immunohistochemistry prognostic markers and the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG) prognostic score were not different between HIV and non-HIV patients. Nevertheless, treatment strategies varied significantly. PLWH were more likely to receive whole brain radiation therapy as sole treatment (65% vs. 4%) and palliative care (12% vs. 2%), and less likely to receive chemotherapy (23% vs. 94%) (P < 0.01). Also, 13% of the patients (all non-HIV) underwent autologous stem cell transplant. Most PLWH (88%) started antiretroviral therapy after diagnosis. Higher IELSG score was an independent predictor of mortality in multivariate regression analysis. The 2-year survival did not differ between PLWH and non-HIV patients [46% (30–72%) vs. 61% (52–72%) (P = 0.12)].

Conclusion

Variation in the treatment of PCNSL between HIV and non-HIV patients is not fully explained by baseline characteristics and prognostic factors. More efforts are needed to identify causes underlying these disparities and ways to alleviate them.

Disclosures

All authors: No reported disclosures.

Impact of acculturation on breast cancer treatment and survivorship care among Mexican American patients in Texas

PURPOSE

Given the increasing number and diversity of cancer survivors in the USA and persistent racial/ethnic disparities in breast cancer care, we sought to examine the role of acculturation in adherence to recommended surgical treatment and survivorship care recommendations.

METHODS

Study participants included 343 Mexican American women with stage I to III breast cancer who participated in the Ella Binational Breast Cancer Study and were treated at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, between March 2007 and June 2011. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring acculturation, and clinical and demographic variables were obtained from an institutional database. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to examine differences in surgical procedures received and adherence to long-term survivorship care by acculturation level.

RESULTS

Bilingual (odds ratio [OR] = 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85-4.02, P = .11) and English-dominant women (OR = 2.39; 95% CI = 1.02-5.61, P = .04) were more likely to receive breast-conserving surgery (versus mastectomy) than were Spanish-dominant women. Among all patients, adherence to surveillance mammography and clinic visits decreased over time; the decline in clinic visit adherence was statistically significant (P = .005). Although no statistically significant association was found between acculturation and adherence to long-term survivorship care, receipt of breast-conserving surgery (versus mastectomy) was significantly associated with higher adherence to surveillance mammograms.

CONCLUSION

Acculturation may play a role in decision-making about surgical management of breast cancer, and further studies with larger samples are needed to explore its role in adherence to survivorship care recommendations. Findings from this study may help identify patients requiring additional support while making decisions pertaining to their cancer treatment and survivorship care.