Abstract P5-09-07: Impact of germinalcenter-associated nuclear protein polymorphisms on breast cancer risk and prognosis in a Japanese population

Background: Germinal center-associated nuclear protein (GANP) is a phosphoprotein which is involved in mRNA export and the regulation of DNA recombination. We have previously demonstrated that deficiency of GANP led to spontaneous development of mammary gland tumors in a mouse model. In addition, we found that decreased GANP expression in human breast cancer tissue was an independent prognostic factor. Here, we conducted a case-control study and a retrospective cohort study to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of GANP are associated with sporadic breast cancer risk and prognosis in a Japanese population.

Subjects and Methods: Six hundred-ninety-four breast cancer cases and 1,376 age- and menopausal status-matched controls were selected within the framework of the Hospital-based Epidemiologic Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center. Cases and controls were genotyped using an Infinium iSelect custom array (iCOGS, Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). We assessed 13 SNPs at the GANP locus, 2 SNPs (rs2839178 and rs11702450) were selected for further analysis by considering linkage disequilibrium. Conditional logistic regression methods were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. In addition, the survival impact of the two SNPs was retrospectively analyzed using the 694 breast cancer cases. To evaluate the effect of SNPs on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling was applied.

Results: Compared to the AA genotype of rs2839178, the GG genotype showed statistically significant associations with breast cancer risk (OR: 0.48, 95%CI:0.30–0.76, P = 0.002). In prognostic analysis, compared to those with the genotype AA at rs2839178, patients with AG or GG showed longer DFS (HR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.49–1.04 and 0.42, 0.13–1.42, respectively, P for trend = 0.04). The GG genotype of rs2839178 also showed a positive tendency for longer OS although it was not statistically significant (HR: 0.69, 95%CI: 0.44–1.08, P = 0.11). We did not find that rs11702450 was associated with either breast cancer risk or prognosis.

Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the association between GANP SNPs and breast cancer risk and prognosis. The direction of association with DFS was consistent with that of susceptibility. These results demonstrate that GANP SNPs presumably prevent the occurrence and malignant advancement of sporadic breast cancers.

Citation Format: Kotani H, Ito H, Kuwahara K, Kuzushima K, Iwata H, Tsunoda N, Nagino M, Tanaka H, Matsuo K. Impact of germinalcenter-associated nuclear protein polymorphisms on breast cancer risk and prognosis in a Japanese population [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-09-07.

Boosting laser-ion acceleration with multi-picosecond pulses

Using one of the world most powerful laser facility, we demonstrate for the first time that high-contrast multi-picosecond pulses are advantageous for proton acceleration. By extending the pulse duration from 1.5 to 6 ps with fixed laser intensity of 1018 W cm-2, the maximum proton energy is improved more than twice (from 13 to 33 MeV). At the same time, laser-energy conversion efficiency into the MeV protons is enhanced with an order of magnitude, achieving 5% for protons above 6 MeV with the 6 ps pulse duration. The proton energies observed are discussed using a plasma expansion model newly developed that takes the electron temperature evolution beyond the ponderomotive energy in the over picoseconds interaction into account. The present results are quite encouraging for realizing ion-driven fast ignition and novel ion beamlines.

Significance of uterine corpus tumor invasion in early-stage cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To examine characteristics and survival outcomes of women with surgically-treated cervical cancer exhibiting uterine corpus tumor invasion.

METHODS

We utilized The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program to identify cervical cancer patients who underwent hysterectomy between 1973 and 2003. Logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for uterine corpus tumor invasion on multivariable analysis. Association of uterine corpus tumor invasion and cause-specific survival (CSS) from cervical cancer was examined with Cox proportional hazard regression models on multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 837 (4.9%) cases of uterine corpus invasion and 16,237 (95.1%) cases of non-invasion. Median follow-up time was 14.0 years. There were 1642 deaths due to cervical cancer. Uterine corpus invasion was independently associated with older age, non-squamous histology, high-grade tumors, large tumor size, and nodal metastasis on multivariable analysis (all, P < 0.001). On univariable analysis, uterine corpus tumor invasion was significantly associated with decreased CSS compared to the non-invasion (5-year rates, 79.0% versus 94.5%, P < 0.001). After controlling for other significant prognostic factors, uterine corpus tumor invasion remained an independent prognostic factor for decreased CSS (adjusted-hazard ratio 1.45, 95% confidence interval 1.21-1.74). Among stage T1b cases (n = 6730), uterine corpus tumor invasion remained an independent prognostic factor for decreased CSS (adjusted-hazard ratio 1.95, 95%CI 1.47-2.60). Uterine corpus tumor invasion was significantly associated with decreased CSS in stage T1b1 disease (74.5% versus 90.7%, P < 0.001) and in stage T1b2 disease (67.0% versus 79.5%, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Uterine corpus tumor invasion is an independent prognostic factor for decreased survival of women with early-stage cervical cancer.

Abnormal asymmetries in subcortical brain volume in schizophrenia

Subcortical structures, which include the basal ganglia and parts of the limbic system, have key roles in learning, motor control and emotion, but also contribute to higher-order executive functions. Prior studies have reported volumetric alterations in subcortical regions in schizophrenia. Reported results have sometimes been heterogeneous, and few large-scale investigations have been conducted. Moreover, few large-scale studies have assessed asymmetries of subcortical volumes in schizophrenia. Here, as a work completely independent of a study performed by the ENIGMA consortium, we conducted a large-scale multisite study of subcortical volumetric differences between patients with schizophrenia and controls. We also explored the laterality of subcortical regions to identify characteristic similarities and differences between them. T1-weighted images from 1680 healthy individuals and 884 patients with schizophrenia, obtained with 15 imaging protocols at 11 sites, were processed with FreeSurfer. Group differences were calculated for each protocol and meta-analyzed. Compared with controls, patients with schizophrenia demonstrated smaller bilateral hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and accumbens volumes as well as intracranial volume, but larger bilateral caudate, putamen, pallidum and lateral ventricle volumes. We replicated the rank order of effect sizes for subcortical volumetric changes in schizophrenia reported by the ENIGMA consortium. Further, we revealed leftward asymmetry for thalamus, lateral ventricle, caudate and putamen volumes, and rightward asymmetry for amygdala and hippocampal volumes in both controls and patients with schizophrenia. Also, we demonstrated a schizophrenia-specific leftward asymmetry for pallidum volume. These findings suggest the possibility of aberrant laterality in neural pathways and connectivity patterns related to the pallidum in schizophrenia.

The role of oral hygiene in head and neck cancer: results from International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium

BACKGROUND

Poor oral hygiene has been proposed to contribute to head and neck cancer (HNC) risk, although causality and independency of some indicators are uncertain. This study investigates the relationship of five oral hygiene indicators with incident HNCs.

METHODS

In a pooled analysis of 8925 HNC cases and 12 527 controls from 13 studies participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium, comparable data on good oral hygiene indicators were harmonized. These included: no denture wear, no gum disease (or bleeding), <5 missing teeth, tooth brushing at least daily, and visiting a dentist ≥once a year. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of each oral hygiene indicator and cumulative score on HNC risk, adjusting for tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption.

RESULTS

Inverse associations with any HNC, in the hypothesized direction, were observed for <5 missing teeth [odds ratio (OR) = 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74, 0.82], annual dentist visit (OR = 0.82; 95% CI 0.78, 0.87), daily tooth brushing (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.79, 0.88), and no gum disease (OR = 0.94; 95% CI 0.89, 0.99), and no association was observed for wearing dentures. These associations were relatively consistent across specific cancer sites, especially for tooth brushing and dentist visits. The population attributable fraction for ≤ 2 out of 5 good oral hygiene indicators was 8.9% (95% CI 3.3%, 14%) for oral cavity cancer.

CONCLUSION

Good oral hygiene, as characterized by few missing teeth, annual dentist visits, and daily tooth brushing, may modestly reduce the risk of HNC.

Exome sequencing for bipolar disorder points to roles of de novo loss-of-function and protein-altering mutations

Although numerous genetic studies have been conducted for bipolar disorder (BD), its genetic architecture remains elusive. Here we perform, to the best of our knowledge, the first trio-based exome sequencing study for BD to investigate potential roles of de novo mutations in the disease etiology. We identified 71 de novo point mutations and one de novo copy-number mutation in 79 BD probands. Among the genes hit by de novo loss-of-function (LOF; nonsense, splice site or frameshift) or protein-altering (LOF, missense and inframe indel) mutations, we found significant enrichment of genes highly intolerant (first percentile of intolerant genes assessed by Residual Variation Intolerance Score) to protein-altering variants in general population, an observation that is also reported in autism and schizophrenia. When we performed a joint analysis using the data of schizoaffective disorder in published studies, we found global enrichment of de novo LOF and protein-altering mutations in the combined group of bipolar I and schizoaffective disorders. Considering relationship between de novo mutations and clinical phenotypes, we observed significantly earlier disease onset among the BD probands with de novo protein-altering mutations when compared with non-carriers. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of genes hit by de novo protein-altering mutations in bipolar I and schizoaffective disorders did not identify any significant enrichment. These results of exploratory analyses collectively point to the roles of de novo LOF and protein-altering mutations in the etiology of bipolar disorder and warrant further large-scale studies.

Alterations in 18F-FDG accumulation into neck-related muscles after neck dissection for patients with oral cancers

BACKGROUND

18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) accumulations are commonly seen in the neck-related muscles of the surgical and non-surgical sides after surgery with neck dissection (ND) for oral cancers, which leads to radiologists having difficulty in diagnosing the lesions. To examine the alterations in 18F-FDG accumulation in neck-related muscles of patients after ND for oral cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

18F-FDG accumulations on positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) in neck-related muscles were retrospectively analyzed after surgical dissection of cervical lymph nodes in oral cancers.

RESULTS

According to the extent of ND of cervical lymph nodes, the rate of patients with 18F-FDG-PET-positive areas increased in the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and posterior neck muscles of the surgical and/or non-surgical sides. In addition, SUVmax of 18F-FDG-PET-positive areas in the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles were increased according to the extent of the ND.

CONCLUSIONS

In evaluating 18F-FDG accumulations after ND for oral cancers, we should pay attention to the 18F-FDG distributions in neck-related muscles including the non-surgical side as false-positive findings.

Significance of histologic pattern of carcinoma and sarcoma components on survival outcomes of uterine carcinosarcoma

BACKGROUND

To examine the effect of the histology of carcinoma and sarcoma components on survival outcome of uterine carcinosarcoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to examine uterine carcinosarcoma cases that underwent primary surgical staging. Archived slides were examined and histologic patterns were grouped based on carcinoma (low-grade versus high-grade) and sarcoma (homologous versus heterologous) components, correlating to clinico-pathological demographics and outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 1192 cases identified, 906 cases were evaluated for histologic patterns (carcinoma/sarcoma) with high-grade/homologous (40.8%) being the most common type followed by high-grade/heterologous (30.9%), low-grade/homologous (18.0%), and low-grade/heterologous (10.3%). On multivariate analysis, high-grade/heterologous (5-year rate, 34.0%, P = 0.024) and high-grade/homologous (45.8%, P = 0.017) but not low-grade/heterologous (50.6%, P = 0.089) were independently associated with decreased progression-free survival (PFS) compared with low-grade/homologous (60.3%). In addition, older age, residual disease at surgery, large tumor, sarcoma dominance, deep myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, and advanced-stage disease were independently associated with decreased PFS (all, P < 0.01). Both postoperative chemotherapy (5-year rates, 48.6% versus 39.0%, P < 0.001) and radiotherapy (50.1% versus 44.1%, P = 0.007) were significantly associated with improved PFS in univariate analysis. However, on multivariate analysis, only postoperative chemotherapy remained an independent predictor for improved PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.27-0.43, P < 0.001]. On univariate analysis, significant treatment benefits for PFS were seen with ifosfamide for low-grade carcinoma (82.0% versus 49.8%, P = 0.001), platinum for high-grade carcinoma (46.9% versus 32.4%, P = 0.034) and homologous sarcoma (53.1% versus 38.2%, P = 0.017), and anthracycline for heterologous sarcoma (66.2% versus 39.3%, P = 0.005). Conversely, platinum, taxane, and anthracycline for low-grade carcinoma, and anthracycline for homologous sarcoma had no effect on PFS compared with non-chemotherapy group (all, P > 0.05). On multivariate analysis, ifosfamide for low-grade/homologous (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.63, P = 0.005), platinum for high-grade/homologous (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.22-0.60, P < 0.001), and anthracycline for high-grade/heterologous (HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.62, P = 0.001) remained independent predictors for improved PFS. Analyses of 1096 metastatic sites showed that carcinoma components tended to spread lymphatically, while sarcoma components tended to spread loco-regionally (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Characterization of histologic pattern provides valuable information in the management of uterine carcinosarcoma.