Dietary Factors Differ Between Young-Onset and Older-Onset Colorectal Cancer Patients

We aimed to evaluate differences in dietary factors between young-onset (diagnosed at ages <50) and older-onset colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC patients diagnosed from 1998 to 2018 reported to the Puget Sound Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry were recruited using mail and telephone. Consented patients completed questionnaires assessing demographics, medical history, and CRC risk factors, including dietary factors. We used multi-variable logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing dietary intake in young-onset vs. older-onset CRC. Analyses included 1,087 young- and 2,554 older-onset CRC patients. Compared to older-onset CRC, young-onset CRC patients had lower intake of vegetables (OR for highest intake vs. lowest = 0.59 CI: 0.55, 0.64) and fruit (OR for highest intake vs. lowest = 0.94 CI: 0.88, 0.99) and higher intake of processed meat (OR for highest intake vs. lowest = 1.82 CI: 1.11, 2.99) and spicy food (OR for highest intake vs. lowest = 1.69 CI: 1.09, 2.61). There was no statistically significant difference between young- and older-onset CRC patients for red meat consumption. Dietary patterns differed between young- and older-onset CRC; young-onset CRC patients had lower intake of vegetables and fruit and higher intakes of processed meat and spicy food.

The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with young-onset genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

OBJECTIVES

The onset of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is usually around the age of 60, but younger patients have been described as well. Our study characterizes the demographic and clinical features of young-onset CJD patients.

METHODS

The CJD Israeli National Database was reviewed, and the patients were divided into groups of young (<40-year-old) (Y|) and older disease onset (>40-year-old) (O). Each group was further divided into sporadic (sCJD) and genetic (gCJD) patients. Clinical and demographic parameters were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

The study included 731 patients (Y- 18 patients, O- 713 patients). MRI showed classical features more often in the older population (O-76.9%, Y-36%, p = 0.006). Rapidly progressive dementia as a presenting feature was more common in the older group (O = 58%, Y = 27.7%, p = 0.019) whereas cerebellar onset (gait instability, dysarthria) was more common in the younger group (O = 6.7%, Y = 27.7%, p = 0.036)). Among gCJD patients, rapidly progressive dementia was commonly seen in older patients (O = 54%, Y = 21% p = 0.008) whereas cerebellar symptoms were seen in young patients (O = 7%, Y = 30% p = 0.01) Typical MRI findings were seen in 37% of young people compared to 87% of older patients (p = 0.002). No significant differences were between young and older patients in the sCJD group.

CONCLUSION

Young-onset gCJD patients have unique disease features including less typical brain MRI changes, a lower prevalence of dementia, and a higher prevalence of cerebellar signs at disease onset.

A Cross-sectional Study to Assess Beta-Cell Function in Individuals with Recently Diagnosed Young-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its' Complications

Objective

The primary objective was to assess beta-cell function of recently-diagnosed young-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) individuals using basal and stimulated C-peptide levels. The secondary objective was to examine the association between C-peptide with metabolic factors and diabetes complications.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study was conducted for young-onset T2DM individuals aged 18-35 years with a disease duration of not more than 5 years. Plasma C-peptide was measured before and after intravenous glucagon injection. Demographic data, medical history and complications were obtained from medical records and clinical assessment. Continuous data were expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR). Categorical variables were described as frequency or percentage. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with C-peptide levels.

Results

113 participants with young-onset T2DM with a median (IQR) age of 29.0 (9.5) years and 24 (36) months were included in this study. The median (IQR) basal and stimulated C-peptide was 619 (655) pmol/L and 1231 (1024) pmol/L. Adequate beta-cell function was present in 78-86% of the participants based on the basal and stimulated C-peptide levels. We found hypertension, obesity and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to be independently associated with higher C-peptide levels. In contrast, females, smokers, those on insulin therapy and with longer duration of disease had lower C-peptide levels.

Conclusion

Most recently diagnosed young-onset T2DM have adequate beta-cell function. Elevated C-peptide levels associated with obesity, hypertension and diabetic kidney disease suggest insulin resistance as the key driving factor for complications.

Racial/Ethnic and Sex Differences in Somatic Cancer Gene Mutations among Patients with Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Molecular features underlying colorectal cancer disparities remain uncharacterized. Here, we investigated somatic mutation patterns by race/ethnicity and sex among 5,856 non-Hispanic white (NHW), 535 non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and 512 Asian/Pacific Islander (API) patients with colorectal cancer (2,016 early-onset colorectal cancer patients: sequencing age <50 years). NHB patients with early-onset nonhypermutated colorectal cancer, but not API patients, had higher adjusted tumor mutation rates than NHW patients. There were significant differences for LRP1B, FLT4, FBXW7, RNF43, ATRX, APC, and PIK3CA mutation frequencies in early-onset nonhypermutated colorectal cancers between racial/ethnic groups. Heterogeneities by race/ethnicity were observed for the effect of APC, FLT4, and FAT1 between early-onset and late-onset nonhypermutated colorectal cancer. By sex, heterogeneity was observed for the effect of EP300, BRAF, WRN, KRAS, AXIN2, and SMAD2. Males and females with nonhypermutated colorectal cancer had different trends in EP300 mutations by age group. These findings define genomic patterns of early-onset nonhypermutated colorectal cancer by race/ethnicity and sex, which yields novel biological clues into early-onset colorectal cancer disparities.

SIGNIFICANCE

NHBs, but not APIs, with early-onset nonhypermutated colorectal cancer had higher adjusted tumor mutation rates versus NHWs. Differences for FLT4, FBXW7, RNF43, LRP1B, APC, PIK3CA, and ATRX mutation rates between racial/ethnic groups and EP300, KRAS, AXIN2, WRN, BRAF, and LRP1B mutation rates by sex were observed in tumors of young patients. See related commentary by Shen et al., p. 530 . This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 517.

Nomogram Predicting the Survival of Young-Onset Patients with Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Background: Although the global prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is decreasing, there has been an increase in incidence among young-onset individuals, in whom the disease is associated with specific pathological characteristics, liver metastases, and a poor prognosis. Methods: From 2010 to 2016, 1874 young-onset patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were randomly allocated to training and validation cohorts. Multivariate Cox analysis was used to identify independent prognostic variables, and a nomogram was created to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, C-index, area under the curve (AUC), and calibration curve analyses were used to determine nomogram accuracy and reliability. Results: Factors independently associated with young-onset CRLM CSS included primary tumor location, the degree of differentiation, histology, M stage, N stage, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level, and surgery (all p < 0.05). The C-indices of the CSS nomogram for the training and validation sets (compared to TNM stage) were 0.709 and 0.635, and 0.735 and 0.663, respectively. The AUC values for 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 0.707, 0.708, and 0.755 in the training cohort and 0.765, 0.735, and 0.737 in the validation cohort, respectively; therefore, the nomogram had high sensitivity, and was superior to TNM staging. The calibration curves for the training and validation sets were relatively consistent. In addition, a similar result was observed with OS. Conclusions: We developed a unique nomogram incorporating clinical and pathological characteristics to predict the survival of young-onset patients with CRLM. This may serve as an early warning system allowing doctors to devise more effective treatment regimens.

Predicting Distant Metastasis in Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer After Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Background

Although overall colorectal cancer (CRC) cases have been declining worldwide, there has been an increase in the incidence of the CRC among individuals younger than 50 years old, which is associated with distant metastasis (DM) and poor prognosis.

Methods

Young-onset CRC patients' postoperative data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between January 2010 and December 2015. Data from the SEER database were divided into early stage and advanced stage according to whether chemoradiotherapy was recommended in the guidelines. Independent risk factors for DM were explored by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression separately. A predictive model was established and presented as nomogram in the training set of advanced stage. The model was internally verified in testing set and externally validated in a cohort of 145 patients from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. The accuracy, reliability, and clinical application value were assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively. Different risk subgroups of DM were classified according to the scores of the nomogram in the training set of advanced stage.

Results

A total of 5,584 patients were eligible and enrolled in our study in which 1,277 were in early stage and 4,307 in advanced stage. Preoperative CEA positive was found to be an independent predictor of DM in early stage. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that tumor size, degree of differentiation, T stage, N stage, preoperative CEA, and whether radiation or chemotherapy performed were independent risk factors for DM (all, p < 0.05) in advanced stage. Great accuracies were achieved in our nomogram with AUC of 0.801 in training set, 0.811 in testing set, and 0.791 in the validation cohort, respectively. Calibration curves and DCA in internal validation and external validation both showed good stability and clinical utility values.

Conclusions

Preoperative CEA positive was a significant predictor of DM for young-onset CRC patients. A novel nomogram containing clinical and pathological features was established for predicting DM of advanced CRC in patients younger than 50 years old. This tool may serve as an early alert for clinicians to DM and make better clinical treatment regimens.

Predictors of Lymph Node Metastasis in T1 Colorectal Cancer in Young Patients: Results from a National Cancer Registry

The objective of this study is to fill the knowledge gap by examining predictors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in young patients, less than 45 years, using a national cancer registry. Methods: Patients diagnosed with T1 colorectal cancer were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. In total, 692 patients with T1 colorectal cancer were identified. Most tumors occurred in white race (77.7%), between 40 and 44 years of age (49.4%), with grade III tumor differentiation (59.8%) and 1 to 1.9 cm size (32.2%), and were left-sided tumors (61.1%). The overall rate of LNM was 22.5% (n = 149). LNM was associated with tumor grade IV (undifferentiated) (odds ratio (OR) 2.94, CI: 1.06–8.12; p = 0.038), and increasing tumor size (1 cm–1.9 cm: OR 2.92, CI: 1.71–4.97, p < 0.001; 2.0 cm–2.9 cm: OR 2.00, CI: 1.05–3.77, p = 0.034; and ≥3.0 cm: OR 2.68, CI: 1.43–5.01, p = 0.002). Five-year cancer-specific survival for patients with LNM was 91% and for patients without LNM this was 98%. Adjusted cox proportion models showed that LNM was associated with a four times higher rate of mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 4.43, CI: 1.27–15.52, p = 0.020). In this population-based analysis of patients with T1 colorectal cancer, tumor size and grade were significant predictors of LNM.

Real-world outcome of universal screening for Lynch syndrome in Japanese patients with colorectal cancer highlights the importance of targeting patients with young-onset disease

Despite the recommendations of the latest guidelines, the practical efficacy of universal screening for identifying Lynch syndrome (LS) among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) may be limited in the real world due to infrequent referrals and the difficulties of genetic testing. Thus, the present study aimed to retrospectively analyze the results of universal screening of patients with CRC at a referral hospital in Japan. Immunohistochemistry was performed for mismatch repair proteins [including DNA mismatch repair protein MSH6 (MSH6), mismatch repair endonuclease PMS2 (PMS2), DNA mismatch repair protein Msh2 (MSH2) and DNA mismatch repair protein Mlh1 (MLH1)] and BRAF V600E mutation. Tumors that showed the following were considered to indicate LS and patients with such tumors were designated as genetic testing candidates (GTCs): i) Loss of MSH6/MSH2; ii) loss of MSH6 alone; iii) loss of PMS2 alone; and iv) loss of PMS2/MLH1 with negative BRAF V600E. MLH1 methylation and BRAF V600E mutation were analyzed in deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) tumors retrospectively. The frequency of dMMR and GTCs in an independent cohort of patients with young-onset CRC were also investigated. Universal screening revealed dMMR tumors, GTCs and LS probands in 7.3, 3.9 and 0.4%, respectively, of 463 patients with CRC. Although dMMR tumors were observed in both younger (<50 years) and older (≥60 years) patients, the GTCs were enriched in younger individuals. Evaluation of mismatch repair status in an independent cohort confirmed the high rate of GTCs in patients with young-onset CRC. The low detection rate of LS demonstrated in this study questions the implementation of routine universal screening in regions with low prevalence of LS. Considering the enrichment of GTCs in young-onset CRCs, age-restricted strategies may be simple and efficient practical alternatives to universal screening in the real world.

A Clinicopathological Study of Young-onset Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIM

The aim of this study was to describe the clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed at 40 years of age or below.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Expression of CK19, Glypican-3 and β-catenin was assessed in clinical samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC expression was correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Hotspot mutations in TP53 gene were analyzed by sequencing.

RESULTS

Thirty-six cases were included with a male to female ratio of 3:1. Eighty percent of cases were associated with chronic hepatitis B infection. CK19 and GPC3 were expressed in 61% and 56% of cases, respectively. Only one case demonstrated β-catenin over-expression. TP53 hotspot mutation was identified in 4 cases. Number of tumor nodules, vascular invasion, and preoperative serum AFP level were associated with prognosis.

CONCLUSION

A higher CK19 expression rate was observed in our young-onset HCC cohort, whereas β-catenin pathway activation and TP53 gene mutation events were less frequent. Conventional clinicopathological parameters remain predictors of survival.

Different disease characteristics in young patients with colorectal cancer: a large retrospective study in a city in Romania

OBJECTIVE

In 2018, colorectal cancer (CRC) was the second most frequent malignancy in Romania after lung cancer. Although CRC is typically encountered in patients >50 years old, CRC's global incidence among younger adults has been increasing. We aimed to compare the disease characteristics of patients with CRC aged ≤50 years with those >50 years old.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated data from patients with CRC who underwent standard surgery at "Pius Brinzeu" Emergency County Hospital, Timisoara, Romania. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (patients ≤50 years old) and Group 2 (patients >50 years old). Six parameters were analyzed (sex, residence location, age, tumor localization, microscopic findings, pathological staging).

RESULTS

Data on age-related CRC were available for 1380 patients treated from January 2012 to December 2018. Group 1 included 120 patients while group 2 included 1260 patients. Significantly more Group 1 patients presented with advanced CRC compared with Group 2 patients (94.2% vs. 87.4%). Furthermore, CRC in younger adults was more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage.

CONCLUSIONS

Monitoring the CRC incidence in younger adults is essential to assess whether screening practices require changes and to raise awareness among clinicians of the increasing CRC incidence among younger patients.

Clinical Phenotypes of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia by Age at Onset

Background:

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is generally considered a young-onset dementia, although age at onset is highly variable. While several studies indicate clinical differences regarding age at onset, no biomarker validated cohort studies with updated clinical criteria have been performed.

Objective:

We aimed to examine behavior, cognition, and mortality over the full age spectrum in a cohort of bvFTD patients with neuroimaging, genetic, or histopathological confirmation and exclusion of positive Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers or severe cerebrovascular damage.

Methods:

In total, 315 patients with a clinical diagnosis of probable or definite bvFTD were included from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort and grouped into quartiles by age-at-diagnosis. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive functioning were assessed with the neuropsychiatric inventory, the geriatric depression scale and a neuropsychological test battery. Data on mortality was obtained from the Dutch municipal register. Associations between age-at-diagnosis and clinical features and mortality risk were examined.

Results:

Age-at-diagnosis ranged from 26 to 85 years and established quartiles with mean ages of 52±6, 61±2, 66±2, and 74±3 years. In the total sample, 44.4%exceeded an age of 65 years at time of diagnosis. Earlier age-at-diagnosis was associated with more severe behavioral symptoms, while later age-at-diagnosis was associated with more severe memory impairment. Unexpectedly, mortality risk was not associated with age-at-diagnosis.

Conclusion:

In bvFTD, symptom profile is associated with age-at-diagnosis. This should be taken into account with regard to diagnostics, patient management, and trial design. Additionally, based on our sample, the prevalence of late-onset bvFTD is higher than generally thought.

Colorectal Cancer among Resettlers from the Former Soviet Union and in the General German Population: Clinical and Pathological Characteristics and Trends

This study examined time trends and clinical and pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC) among ethnic German migrants from the Former Soviet Union (resettlers) and the general German population. Incidence data from two population-based cancer registries were used to analyze CRC as age-standardized rates (ASRs) over time. The respective general populations and resettler cohorts were used to calculate standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) by time-period (before and after the introduction of screening colonoscopy in 2002), tumor location, histologic type, grade, and stage at diagnosis. Additionally, SIRs were modeled with Poisson regression to depict time trends. During the study period from 1990 to 2013, the general populations showed a yearly increase of ASR, but for age above 55, truncated ASR started to decline after 2002. Among resettlers, 229 CRC cases were observed, resulting in a lowered incidence for all clinical and pathological characteristics compared to the general population (overall SIR: 0.78, 95% CI 0.68–0.89). Regression analysis revealed an increasing SIR trend after 2002. Population-wide CRC incidence decreases after the introduction of screening colonoscopy. In contrast the lowered CRC incidence among resettlers is attenuating to the general population after 2002, suggesting that resettlers do not benefit equally from screening colonoscopy.

A glimpse of the genetics of young-onset Parkinson's disease in Central Asia

Background

Knowledge of the genetic background of many human diseases is currently lacking from genetically undiscovered regions, including Central Asia. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country where the genetic studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been emerging since it had become a member of the International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium. Here we report on the results of whole‐exome sequencing (WES) in 50 young‐onset PD (YOPD) cases from Kazakhstan.

Methodology

WES was performed on 50 unrelated individuals with YOPD from Kazakhstan. Exome data were screened for novel/ultra‐rare deleterious variants in known and candidate PD genes. Copy number variants and small indels were also called.

Results

Only three cases (6%) were found to be positive for known PD genes including two unrelated familial PD cases with LRRK2 p.(Arg1441Cys) and one case with a homozygous pathogenic PRKN p.(Arg84Trp) variant. Four cases had novel and ultra‐rare variants of uncertain significance in LRRK2, DNAJC13, and VPS35. Novel deleterious variants were found in candidate Mendelian PD genes including CSMD1, TNR, EIF4G1, and ATP13A3. Eight cases harbored the East Asian‐specific LRRK2 p.(Ala419Val) variant.

Conclusions

The low diagnostic yield in our study might imply that a significant proportion of YOPD cases in Central Asia remains unresolved. Therefore, a better understanding of the genetic architecture of PD among populations of Central Asian ancestry and the pathogenicity of numerous rare variants should be further investigated. WES is a valuable technique for large‐scale YOPD genetic studies in Central Asia.

Diabetes, Body Fatness, and Insulin Prescription Among Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer

Purpose: Rates of obesity and obesity-related health consequences, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cancer, continue to rise. While cancer patients are at an increased risk of developing T2D, the prevalence of T2D and insulin prescription among young patients with cancer remains unknown. Methods: Using the Total Cancer Care Study cohort at Huntsman Cancer Institute (Salt Lake City, UT), we identified individuals age 18-39 years at cancer diagnosis between 2009 and 2019. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate associations between body mass index (BMI) with insulin prescription within 1 year of cancer diagnosis. Results: In total, 344 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) were diagnosed with primary invasive cancer. Within this cohort, 19 patients (5.5%) were ever diagnosed with T2D, 48 AYAs ever received an insulin prescription (14.0%), and 197 were overweight or obese (BMI: 25+ kg/m2) at cancer diagnosis. Each kg/m2 unit increase in BMI was associated with 6% increased odds of first insulin prescription within 1 year of cancer diagnosis among AYAs, even after adjustment for age, sex, smoking history, marital status, glucocorticoid prescription, and cancer treatments (odds ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.11; p = 0.005). Conclusion: One in every 18 AYAs with cancer ever had T2D, 1 in 7 AYA patients with cancer ever received an insulin prescription, and higher BMI was associated with increased risk of insulin prescription within a year of cancer diagnosis among AYAs. Understanding the incidence of T2D and insulin prescription/use is critical for short-term and long-term clinical management of AYAs with cancer.

Predictors of New-Onset Epilepsy in People With Younger-Onset Neurocognitive Disorders

Objective: People with neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) have an increased risk of epilepsy. However, most studies investigating the risk of seizures in people with NCDs are limited to those with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), and those who developed dementia after age 65 years. A knowledge gap exists regarding factors associated with development of epilepsy in people with younger-onset NCD, and those with non-AD and non-VD dementia subtypes. In this study, we aimed to identify the factors associated with the development of epilepsy in people with younger-onset NCDs of varied etiologies, the majority of whom had symptom onset prior to age 65 years. Participants and Methods: This was a retrospective study reviewing the medical records of consecutive people admitted with cognitive impairment to a tertiary neuropsychiatry unit between 1 January 2004 and 30 April 2019. People diagnosed with primary NCDs were included in the analysis. The prevalence and characteristics of epilepsy were described. The factors associated with developing epilepsy were identified in a binary logistic regression model. Results: A total of 427 people were included. One hundred fourteen had Alzheimer's disease, 104 frontotemporal dementia, 51 vascular dementia, 69 movement disorder-associated dementia, and 89 unspecified NCD. The median age on admission was 59 years (range 33-86) and 75.2% (n = 321/427) had young-onset NCD with onset before 65 years of age. 40/427 (9.4%) people had epilepsy, and epilepsy onset clustered between 2 years before and 6 years after the onset of cognitive decline in 80% (n = 32/40). The most frequent seizure type was focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizure (35%, n = 14/40). Most of the people (94.7%, n = 36/38) achieved seizure freedom with one or two antiseizure medications. People with unspecified NCD (compared to frontotemporal dementia and movement disorder-associated dementia, age of onset of NCDs ≤50 years, and current smoking status were independently associated with higher risk of developing epilepsy. Conclusion: Epilepsy is common in people with younger-onset NCDs, and a high index of suspicion is warranted particularly for those with unspecified subtype and smoking status. Smoking reduction or cessation should be further investigated as a potentially modifiable factor for risk reduction.

A pan-Canadian prospective study of young women with breast cancer: the rationale and protocol design for the RUBY study

Introduction

The understanding of the biology and epidemiology of, and the optimal therapeutic strategies for, breast cancer (bca) in younger women is limited. We present the rationale, design, and initial recruitment of Reducing the Burden of Breast Cancer in Young Women (ruby), a unique national prospective cohort study designed to examine the diagnosis, treatment, quality of life, and outcomes from the time of diagnosis for young women with bca.

Methods

Over a 4-year period at 33 sites across Canada, the ruby study will use a local and virtual recruitment model to enrol 1200 women with bca who are 40 years of age or younger at the time of diagnosis, before initiation of any treatment. At a minimum, comprehensive patient, tumour, and treatment data will be collected to evaluate recurrence and survival. Patients may opt to complete patient-reported questionnaires, to provide blood and tumour samples, and to be contacted for future research, forming the core dataset from which 4 subprojects evaluating genetics, lifestyle factors, fertility, and local management or delivery of care will be performed.

Summary

The ruby study will be the most comprehensive repository of data, biospecimens, and patient-reported outcomes ever collected with respect to young women with bca from the time of diagnosis, enabling research unique to that population now and into the future. This research model could be used for other oncology settings in Canada.

Young Onset Parkinson's Disease: A Modern and Tailored Approach

In people with young onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD), onset of symptoms is between 21 and 40 years of age. The distinction between YOPD and late-onset Parkinson’s disease is supported by genetic differences (a genetic etiology is more common in people with YOPD) and clinical differences (e.g., dystonia and levodopa-induced dyskinesias are more common inYOPD). Moreover, people with YOPD tend to have different family and societal engagements compared to those with late-onset PD. These unique features have implications for clinical management, and call for a tailored multidisplinary approach involving shared-decision making.

Quality of Life in People with Young-Onset Dementia: A Nordic Two-Year Observational Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

Cross-sectional studies of quality of life (QOL) of people with young-onset dementia show diverging results.

OBJECTIVE

To identify factors associated with QOL in people with young-onset Alzheimer's (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and explore development in QOL over a two-year period, including differences between the two subtypes.

METHODS

A two-year cohort study of 88 community-dwelling people with young-onset AD and FTD recruited from Nordic memory clinics. QOL was assessed using the proxy version of the Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease questionnaire, dementia severity was rated with the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, depressive symptoms by the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, awareness with the Reed anosognosia scale, and needs using the Camberwell Assessment of Needs in the Elderly questionnaire. Factors associated with QOL and development in QOL over time were explored with growth mixture model trajectories and mixed model analyses.

RESULTS

We identified two groups of people following trajectories with better (n = 35) versus poorer (n = 53) QOL. People with more depressive symptoms at baseline had higher odds of belonging to poorer QOL group, OR 1.2 (CI 1.1; 1.5, p = 0.011). Having Alzheimer's disease was associated with significantly better QOL (p = 0.047 at baseline, p = 0.009 at T1 and p = 0.033 at T2). Increasing number of unmet needs was significantly associated with poorer QOL at baseline (p = 0.007), but not later in follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Early assessment and treatment based on dementia subtype, depression, and individual needs may enhance quality of life in young-onset dementia.

Young-Onset Early Colorectal Cancer Had Similar Relative Survival to but Better Overall Survival Than Conventional Early Colorectal Cancer: A Large Population-Based Study

Background: There existed limited evidence about prognosis of young-onset early colorectal cancer (ECRC). In the present study, we aimed to compare prognosis between patients with young-onset ECRCs and patients with conventional ECRCs.

Method: Patients with surgically resected, histologically diagnosed ECRCs were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Young-onset ECRC was defined as ECRC occurring in patients aged <50 years. Five-years relative survival was calculated at the time of diagnosed year and linear regression was performed to analyze the association between 5-years relative survival and age. The multivariate Cox regression, multivariate competing risk model, and propensity score matching (PSM) and univariate analysis weighted by the inverse probability of treatment weight (IPTW) were used to compare overall survival (OS) between young-onset ECRCs and conventional ECRCs.

Results: A total of 51,197 ECRCs were retrieved from SEER database, including 4,634 young-onset ECRCs and 46,563 conventional ECRCs. Five-years relative survival was found to be moderately associated with different age groups (R = −0.725, P = 0.0034). Patients with young-onset ECRCs (96.7%) had similar 5-years relative survival compared with conventional ECRCs (96.3%). However, multivariate Cox regression [HR (hazard ratio), 0.18; 95% CI: 0.16–0.20; P < 0.001] showed better OS in young-onset ECRCs. After PSM, we still found favored prognosis for young-onset ECRCs under univariate Cox regression (HR, 0.18; 95% CI: 0.16–0.21; P < 0.001). Similar results could also be found in the univariate Cox regression weighted by IPTW (HR, 0.17; 95% CI: 0.17–0.18; P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Patients with young-onset ECRCs had similar relative survival but better OS compared with conventional ECRCs.

Novel and Recurrent Mutations in a Cohort of Chinese Patients With Young-Onset Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. More than 25 ALS-related genes have been identified, accounting for approximately 10% of sporadic ALS (SALS) and two-thirds of familial ALS (FALS) cases. Several recent studies showed that genetic factors might have a larger contribution to young-onset ALS than to ALS cases overall. However, the genetic profile of young-onset ALS patients is not yet fully understood. Here, we investigated a cohort of 27 young-onset ALS patients (onset age < 45 years) through whole-exome sequencing (WES). Genetic analysis identified pathogenic variants of FUS (25.9%), SOD1 (22.2%), TARDBP (3.7%), and VCP (3.7%) in 27 young-onset ALS patients. Of 12 identified types of mutations, c.1528A > C in FUS and c.266G > A in VCP were novel. All of the cases in this study reflect a monogenic origin with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Notably, a novel de novo missense mutation, c.1528A > C (p.K510Q), in FUS was identified in a 29-year-old ALS patient. Expression of the K510Q mutant FUS resulted in cytoplasmic mislocalization of FUS in cultured cells and induced neural toxicity in a fly model. This study provides further evidence of the genetic profile of young-onset ALS patients from China and expands the mutational spectrum of the FUS gene, with one new K510Q mutation identified.

Young-onset rapidly progressive ALS associated with heterozygous FUS mutation

We report a 36-years-old Cape Verdean man who presented with respiratory insufficiency due to rapidly progressive sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in whom FUS mutation c.1551C > G (p.Hist517Gln) in heterozygosity was identified, a finding previously described as non-pathogenic. The only previous report on this mutation was in a family from Cape Verde in which four members developed ALS; all were homozygous for the mutation. This case shows that this FUS mutation presents a highly variable penetrance and expressivity.