Early-onset pancreatic cancer: a review of molecular mechanisms, management, and survival

The Global Burden of Early-Onset Pancreatic Cancer and Its Risk Factors: A Perspective From Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

OBJECTIVES

Despite evidence of increased incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC), defined as pancreatic cancer diagnosed in patients below 50 years old, and its risk factors in the Western region, global epidemiological data addressing this issue is still lacking.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, we aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with EOPC and its risk factors, including smoking, obesity, and diabetes. The analysis examined the annual percentage change (APC) over the period.

RESULTS

In 2019, the incidence of EOPC surpassed 35,000 cases worldwide. This burden of EOPC tends to be more prevalent in males, as well as in Europe and high SDI countries. However, there is a noticeable upward trend in the burden of EOPC in the Eastern Mediterranean. While there is a global decline in EOPC mortality attributed to smoking (APC -0.33%), there is a concerning increase in mortality associated with diabetes (APC +2.84%) and obesity (APC +2.12%).

CONCLUSIONS

The burden of EOPC has been increasing. The mortality is rising mainly from metabolic factors. There is an urgent need for national policy development for reducing the burden of this disease.

Aspects and outcomes of surveillance for individuals at high-risk of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is associated with a poor prognosis. The majority of these cancers are detected at a late stage, contributing to the bad prognosis. This underscores the need for novel, enhanced early detection strategies to improve the outcomes. While population-based screening is not recommended due to the relatively low incidence of PDAC, surveillance is recommended for individuals at high risk for PDAC due to their increased incidence of the disease. However, the outcomes of pancreatic cancer surveillance in high-risk individuals are not sorted out yet. In this review, we will address the identification of individuals at high risk for PDAC, discuss the objectives and targets of surveillance, outline how surveillance programs are organized, summarize the outcomes of high-risk individuals undergoing pancreatic cancer surveillance, and conclude with a future perspective on pancreatic cancer surveillance and novel developments.

Treatment patterns and survival outcomes in patients with non-metastatic early-onset pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

The incidence of patients with early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC; age ≤ 50 years at diagnosis) is on the rise, placing a heavy burden on individuals, families, and society. The role of combination therapy including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy in non-metastatic EOPC is not well-defined.

AIM

To investigate the treatment patterns and survival outcomes in patients with non-metastatic EOPC.

METHODS

A total of 277 patients with non-metastatic EOPC who were treated at our institution between 2017 and 2021 were investigated retrospectively. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival, and progression-free survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses with the Cox proportional hazards model were used to identify prognostic factors.

RESULTS

With a median follow-up time of 34.6 months, the 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year OS rates for the entire cohort were 84.3%, 51.5%, and 27.6%, respectively. The median OS of patients with localized disease who received surgery alone and adjuvant therapy (AT) were 21.2 months and 28.8 months, respectively (P = 0.007). The median OS of patients with locally advanced disease who received radiotherapy-based combination therapy (RCT), surgery after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), and chemotherapy were 28.5 months, 25.6 months, and 14.0 months, respectively (P = 0.002). The median OS after regional recurrence were 16.0 months, 13.4 months, and 8.9 months in the RCT, chemotherapy, and supportive therapy groups, respectively (P = 0.035). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level, pathological grade, T-stage, N-stage, and resection were independent prognostic factors for non-metastatic EOPC.

CONCLUSION

AT improves postoperative survival in localized patients. Surgery after NAT and RCT are the preferred therapeutic options for patients with locally advanced EOPC.

Early-onset gastrointestinal cancer: An epidemiological reality with great significance and implications

During the last few years, epidemiological data from many countries suggest that the incidence and prevalence of many cancers of the digestive system are shifting from the older to the younger ages, the so-called "early-onset cancer". This is particularly evident in colorectal cancer and secondarily in other malignant digestive neoplasms, mainly stomach and in a lesser degree pancreas, and biliary tract. It should be emphasized that data concerning digestive neoplasms, except for those referring to the colon and stomach, could be characterized as rather insufficient. The exact magnitude of the shift in younger ages is expected to become clearer shortly, as long as relevant epidemiological data from many parts of the world would be available. The most important question concerns the etiology of this phenomenon, since its magnitude cannot be explained solely by the better diagnostic methodology and the preventive programs applied in many countries. The existing data support the assumption that a number of environmental factors may play a primary role in influencing carcinogenesis, sometimes from childhood. Changes that have appeared in the last decades related mainly to eating habits, consistency of gut microbiome and an increase of obese people interacting with genetic factors, ultimately favor the process of carcinogenesis. Even these factors however, are not entirely sufficient to explain the age-related changes in the frequency of digestive neoplasms. Studies of the individual effect of each of the already known factors or factors likely to be involved in the etiology of this phenomenon and studies using state-of-the-art technologies to accurately determine the degree of the population exposure to these factors are required. In this article, we attempt to describe the epidemiological data supporting the age-shifting of digestive malignancies and their possible pathogenesis. Finally, we propose some measures regarding the attitude of the scientific community to this alarming phenomenon.

The Global Burden of Early-Onset Biliary Tract Cancer: Insight From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Backgrounds/objectives

The escalating incidence of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers is becoming a primary global health concern. Biliary tract cancer (BTC) has been relatively understudied in this regard. We conducted an epidemiological study regarding the burden of this condition.

Methods

We utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to investigate the temporal trends in early-onset BTC (EOBTC), encompassing the estimation of frequencies and age-standardized rates (ASRs) of EOBTC incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), from 2010 to 2019.

Results

EOBTC constituted nearly 7%of all BTC cases worldwide. The incidence rates of EOBTC decreased significantly in most regions, except in the Eastern Mediterranean (annual percentage change +1.04 %), where the incidence is rising. Stratified by the sociodemographic index (SDI), countries with low middle SDI (annual percentage change +0.5 %) show increasing incidence of EOBTC. The ASR of death and DALYs decreased in most regions. The ASR of EOBTC-related death and disability attributable to high body mass index increased in most regions, with the highest increase in Southeast Asia and low, middle SDI strata.

Conclusions

There was a reduction in the burden of EOBTC globally, except for Eastern Mediterranean countries and low-middle SDI countries.

Microsatellite Instability Is Insufficiently Used as a Biomarker for Lynch Syndrome Testing in Clinical Practice

PURPOSE

The pan-cancer presence of microsatellite instability (MSI)-positive tumors demonstrates its clinical utility as an agnostic biomarker for identifying immunotherapy-eligible patients. Additionally, MSI is a hallmark of Lynch syndrome (LS), the most prevalent cancer susceptibility syndrome among patients with colorectal and endometrial cancer. Therefore, MSI-high results should inform germline genetic testing for cancer-predisposing genes. However, in clinical practice, such analysis is frequently disregarded.

METHODS

A next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based technique was used for MSI analysis in 4,553 patients with various tumor types. Upon request, somatic BRAF gene analysis was conducted. In addition, hereditary testing of cancer-associated genes was performed in MSI-high cases using a capture-based NGS protocol. MLH1 promoter methylation analysis was conducted retrospectively in patients with colorectal and endometrial cancer to further investigate the origin of MSI at the tumor level.

RESULTS

The MSI positivity rate for the entire cohort was 5.27%. Endometrial, gastric, colorectal, urinary tract, and prostate cancers showed the highest proportion of MSI-high cases (15.69%, 8.54%, 7.40%, 4.55%, and 3.19%, respectively). A minority of 45 patients (22.73%) among the MSI-high cases underwent germline testing to determine whether the mismatch repair pathway deficiency was inherited. 24.44% of those who performed the genetic test carried a pathogenic variant in an LS-associated gene. Three MSI-high individuals had non-LS gene alterations, including BRCA1, BRCA2, and CDKN2A pathogenic variants, indicating the presence of non-LS-associated gene alterations among MSI-high patients.

CONCLUSION

Although MSI analysis is routinely performed in clinical practice, as many as 77% of MSI-high patients do not undergo LS genetic testing, despite international guidelines strongly recommending it. BRAF and MLH1 methylation analysis could shed light on the somatic origin of MSI in 42.50% of the MSI-high patients; however, MLH1 analysis is barely ever requested in clinical practice.

Early vs conventional onset pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: analysis of surgical and oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing curative intent resection

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) impacts patients in their 60s, but its incidence in younger patients is increasing. We hypothesize that younger patients may have worse oncologic outcomes.

METHODS

Patients who underwent curative pancreatic resection for PDAC between January 2011 and December 2021 at a single institution were analyzed. Early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) was defined as pancreatic cancer diagnosed in patients ≤50 years. Clinical and survival outcomes were compared between EOPC and Conventional Onset Pancreas Cancer (COPC).

RESULTS

A total of 1133 patients were identified, 65 (5.7%) were EOPC. Preoperative patient characteristics including sex, smoking status, alcohol habitus, diabetes mellitus, CA 19-9, and neoadjuvant therapy were similar between EOPC and COPC (p > 0.05). EOPC patients were more likely non-white (p = 0.03), had lower ASA scores (p = 0.02) and larger median tumor size (33 vs 28 mm, p = 0.04), but had similar pathological stages and rate of R0 resections (p > 0.05). Postoperative outcomes were similar (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in overall (HR 0.93, CI 0.64, 1.33; p = 0.68) or recurrence free (HR 1.05, CI 0.75, 1.48; p = 0.77) survival between the EOPC and COPC after adjusting for significant factors.

CONCLUSION

Patients with EOPC who underwent surgical resection had similar oncological outcomes compared to patients with COPC.

Early-onset pancreatic cancer: A national cancer registry study from the Czech Republic and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to compare trends in mortality and incidence, clinicopathological features and survival of patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma under 50 years of age (early-onset pancreatic cancer [EOPC]) with patients diagnosed over 50 years of age (late-onset pancreatic cancer [LOPC]).

METHODS

The national oncological registry of the Czech Republic was reviewed to identify all patients with histologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma diagnosed between the years 1985 and 2015. Incidence, mortality, clinicopathological and survival data were analyzed and compared between patients with EOPC and LOPC.

RESULTS

From a total of 18 888 patients included in the study, 1324 patients were under the age of 50 years (7.0%). The average annual percentage changes (AAPC) in incidence of all patients with EOPC was -1.0%. The APPC for male patients with EOPC was -2.0% and for female patients was +0.6%. The AAPC in incidence for LOPC was +1.3%. There were no differences in tumor stage, grade or location between EOPC and LOPC. Young patients were more frequently male (64.4% vs. 52.9%), more frequently underwent treatment and had better overall survival. The median survival interval for EOPC was 5.9 months and for LOPC was 4.5 months (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The clinicopathological features of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were similar in patients under and over the age of 50 years. Patients with EOPC survived longer than patients with LOPC. Continued efforts should be made to diagnose early and treat young patients aggressively.

Clinical and genomic characterisation of early-onset pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

The incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) has risen dramatically in recent years. We aimed to characterise the clinical and genomic features of EOPC and evaluate their therapeutic implications.

METHODS

We performed a comparative, single-centre, retrospective analysis of clinical, germline, and genomic features in EOPC (≤50 years) patients and compared them with a control group of average-onset pancreatic cancer patients (AOPC, ≥70 years). Key molecular findings were compared with an external, publicly available cohort.

RESULTS

We reviewed 336 patients who met all inclusion criteria (EOPC N = 139, AOPC N = 197). EOPC was associated with smoking status, lower prevalence of diabetes, better performance status, higher CA19.9 levels, and higher albumin levels at diagnosis. After adjustment for baseline covariates, we observed no differences in overall survival (OS). Age was associated with an increase in the incidence of KRASMUT both in our cohort and the validation cohort. EOPC were enriched in potentially actionable alterations according to ESCAT tiers I-IIIA when compared with AOPC in discovery and validation cohorts (19% versus 14% and 14% versus 8%, respectively). In the first-line metastatic setting, EOPC had a longer progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.87) and OS (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.45-0.95), although there were no differences in response rate. After adjusting for the number of treatment lines, EOPC patients who did receive targeted therapies exhibited longer OS compared with EOPC who did not (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.93).

CONCLUSIONS

EOPC patients have improved outcomes in the metastatic setting when compared to AOPC and are enriched for targetable alterations that open opportunities for precision oncology-based approaches.

Biological and clinical implications of early-onset cancers: A unique subtype

In recent years, the incidence of cancers is continuously increasing in young adults. Early-onset cancer (EOC) is usually defined as patients with cancers under the age of 50, and may represent a unique subgroup due to its special disease features. Overall, EOCs often initiate at a young age, present as a better physical performance but high degree of malignancy. EOCs also share common epidemiological and hereditary risk factors. In this review, we discuss several representative EOCs which were well studied previously. By revealing their clinical and molecular similarities and differences, we consider the group of EOCs as a unique subtype compared to ordinary cancers. In consideration of EOC as a rising threat to human health, more researches on molecular mechanisms, and large-scale, prospective clinical trials should be carried out to further translate into improved outcomes.

Multiomic Characterization Reveals a Distinct Molecular Landscape in Young-Onset Pancreatic Cancer

PURPOSE

Using a real-world database with matched genomic-transcriptomic molecular data, we sought to characterize the distinct molecular correlates underlying clinical differences between patients with young-onset pancreatic cancer (YOPC; younger than 50 years) and patients with average-onset pancreatic cancer (AOPC; 70 years and older).

METHODS

We analyzed matched whole-transcriptome and DNA sequencing data from 2,430 patient samples (YOPC, n = 292; AOPC, n = 2,138) from the Caris Life Sciences database (Phoenix, AZ). Immune deconvolution was performed using the quanTIseq pipeline. Overall survival (OS) data were obtained from insurance claims (n = 4,928); Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated for age- and molecularly defined cohorts. Significance was determined as FDR-corrected P values (Q) < .05.

RESULTS

Patients with YOPC had higher proportions of mismatch repair-deficient/microsatellite instability-high, BRCA2-mutant, and PALB2-mutant tumors compared with patients with AOPC, but fewer SMAD4-, RNF43-, CDKN2A-, and SF3B1-mutant tumors. Notably, patients with YOPC demonstrated significantly lower incidence of KRAS mutations compared with patients with AOPC (81.3% v 90.9%; Q = .004). In the KRAS wild-type subset (n = 227), YOPC tumors demonstrated fewer TP53 mutations and were more likely driven by NRG1 and MET fusions, whereas BRAF fusions were exclusively observed in patients with AOPC. Immune deconvolution revealed significant enrichment of natural killer cells, CD8+ T cells, monocytes, and M2 macrophages in patients with YOPC relative to patients with AOPC, which corresponded with lower rates of HLA-DPA1 homozygosity. There was an association with improved OS in patients with YOPC compared with patients with AOPC with KRAS wild-type tumors (median, 16.2 [YOPC-KRASWT] v 10.6 [AOPC-KRASWT] months; P = .008) but not KRAS-mutant tumors (P = .084).

CONCLUSION

In this large, real-world multiomic characterization of age-stratified molecular differences in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, YOPC is associated with a distinct molecular landscape that has prognostic and therapeutic implications.

Multi-omic characterization reveals a distinct molecular landscape in young-onset pancreatic cancer

Purpose

Using a real-world database with matched genomic-transcriptomic molecular data, we sought to characterize the distinct molecular correlates underlying clinical differences between young-onset pancreatic cancer (YOPC; <50-yrs.) and average-onset pancreatic cancer (AOPC; ≥70-yrs.) patients.

Methods

We analyzed matched whole-transcriptome and DNA sequencing data from 2430 patient samples (YOPC, n=292; AOPC, n=2138) from the Caris Life Sciences database (Phoenix, AZ). Immune deconvolution was performed using the quanTIseq pipeline. Overall survival (OS) data was obtained from insurance claims (n=4928); Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated for age-and molecularly-defined cohorts. Significance was determined as FDR-corrected P -values ( Q )<0.05.

Results

YOPC patients had higher proportions of mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), BRCA2 -mutant, and PALB2 -mutant tumors compared with AOPC patients, but fewer SMAD4-, RNF43-, CDKN2A- , and SF3B1- mutant tumors. Notably, YOPC patients demonstrated significantly lower incidence of KRAS mutations compared with AOPC patients (81.3% vs. 90.9%; Q =0.004). In the KRAS- wildtype subset (n=227), YOPC tumors demonstrated fewer TP53 mutations and were more likely driven by NRG1 and MET fusions, while BRAF fusions were exclusively observed in AOPC patients. Immune deconvolution revealed significant enrichment of natural killer (NK) cells, CD8 + T cells, monocytes, and M2 macrophages in YOPC patients relative to AOPC patients, which corresponded with lower rates of HLA-DPA1 homozygosity. There was an association with improved OS in YOPC patients compared with AOPC patients with KRAS -wildtype tumors (median 16.2 [YOPC- KRAS WT ] vs. 10.6 [AOPC- KRAS WT ] months; P =0.008) but not KRAS -mutant tumors ( P =0.084).

Conclusion

In this large, real-world multi-omic characterization of age-stratified molecular differences in PDAC, YOPC is associated with a distinct molecular landscape that has prognostic and therapeutic implications.