Browsing by Author "Ogino, Shuji"

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    A Modified Tumor-Node-Metastasis Classification for Primary Operable Colorectal Cancer
    (Oxford University Press, 2020-10-16) Zhang, Chundong; Mei, Zubing; Pei, Junpeng; Abe, Masanobu; Zeng, Xiantao; Huang, Qiao; Nishiyama, Kazuhiro; Akimoto, Naohiko; Haruki, Koichiro; Nan, Hongmei; Meyerhardt, Jeffrey A.; Zhang, Rui; Li, Xinxiang; Ogino, Shuji; Ugai, Tomotaka; Community and Global Health, School of Public Health
    Background: The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification for colorectal cancer (CRC) has limited ability to predict prognosis. Methods: We included 45 379 eligible stage I-III CRC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Patients were randomly assigned individually to a training (n = 31 772) or an internal validation cohort (n = 13 607). External validation was performed in 10 902 additional patients. Patients were divided according to T and N stage permutations. Survival analyses were conducted by a Cox proportional hazard model and Kaplan-Meier analysis, with T1N0 as the reference. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve and Akaike information criteria were applied for prognostic discrimination and model fitting, respectively. Clinical benefits were further assessed by decision curve analyses. Results: We created a modified TNM (mTNM) classification: stages I (T1-2N0-1a); IIA (T1N1b, T2N1b, T3N0); IIB (T1-2N2a-2b, T3N1a-1b, T4aN0); IIC (T3N2a, T4aN1a-2a, T4bN0); IIIA (T3N2b, T4bN1a); IIIB (T4aN2b, T4bN1b); and IIIC (T4bN2a-2b). In the internal validation cohort, compared with the AJCC 8th TNM classification, the mTNM classification showed superior prognostic discrimination (area under receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.675 vs 0.667, respectively; 2-sided P < .001) and better model fitting (Akaike information criteria = 70 937 vs 71 238, respectively). Similar findings were obtained in the external validation cohort. Decision curve analyses revealed that the mTNM had superior net benefits over the AJCC 8th TNM classification in the internal and external validation cohorts. Conclusions: The mTNM classification provides better prognostic discrimination than AJCC 8th TNM classification, with good applicability in various populations and settings, to help better stratify stage I-III CRC patients into prognostic groups.
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    Association of Body Mass Index With Colorectal Cancer Risk by Genome-Wide Variants
    (Oxford University Press, 2021) Campbell, Peter T.; Lin, Yi; Bien, Stephanie A.; Figueiredo, Jane C.; Harrison, Tabitha A.; Guinter, Mark A.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Brenner, Hermann; Chan, Andrew T.; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Gallinger, Steven J.; Gapstur, Susan M.; Giles, Graham G.; Giovannucci, Edward; Gruber, Stephen B.; Gunter, Marc; Hoffmeister, Michael; Jacobs, Eric J.; Jenkins, Mark A.; Marchand, Loic Le; Li, Li; McLaughlin, John R.; Murphy, Neil; Milne, Roger L.; Newcomb, Polly A.; Newton, Christina; Ogino, Shuji; Potter, John D.; Rennert, Gad; Rennert, Hedy S.; Robinson, Jennifer; Sakoda, Lori C.; Slattery, Martha L.; Song, Yiqing; White, Emily; Woods, Michael O.; Casey, Graham; Hsu, Li; Peters, Ulrike; Epidemiology, School of Public Health
    Background: Body mass index (BMI) is a complex phenotype that may interact with genetic variants to influence colorectal cancer risk. Methods: We tested multiplicative statistical interactions between BMI (per 5 kg/m2) and approximately 2.7 million single nucleotide polymorphisms with colorectal cancer risk among 14 059 colorectal cancer case (53.2% women) and 14 416 control (53.8% women) participants. All analyses were stratified by sex a priori. Statistical methods included 2-step (ie, Cocktail method) and single-step (ie, case-control logistic regression and a joint 2-degree of freedom test) procedures. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Each 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with higher risks of colorectal cancer, less so for women (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.11 to 1.18; P = 9.75 × 10-17) than for men (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.20 to 1.32; P = 2.13 × 10-24). The 2-step Cocktail method identified an interaction for women, but not men, between BMI and a SMAD7 intronic variant at 18q21.1 (rs4939827; Pobserved = .0009; Pthreshold = .005). A joint 2-degree of freedom test was consistent with this finding for women (joint P = 2.43 × 10-10). Each 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was more strongly associated with colorectal cancer risk for women with the rs4939827-CC genotype (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.32; P = 2.60 × 10-10) than for women with the CT (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.19; P = 1.04 × 10-8) or TT (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.14; P = .02) genotypes. Conclusion: These results provide novel insights on a potential mechanism through which a SMAD7 variant, previously identified as a susceptibility locus for colorectal cancer, and BMI may influence colorectal cancer risk for women.
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    Beyond GWAS of Colorectal Cancer: Evidence of Interaction with Alcohol Consumption and Putative Causal Variant for the 10q24.2 Region
    (American Association for Cancer Research, 2022) Jordahl, Kristina M.; Shcherbina, Anna; Kim, Andre E.; Su, Yu-Ru; Lin, Yi; Wang, Jun; Qu, Conghui; Albanes, Demetrius; Arndt, Volker; Baurley, James W.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Bien, Stephanie A.; Bishop, D. Timothy; Bouras, Emmanouil; Brenner, Hermann; Buchanan, Daniel D.; Budiarto, Arif; Campbell, Peter T.; Carreras-Torres, Robert; Casey, Graham; Cenggoro, Tjeng Wawan; Chan, Andrew T.; Conti, David V.; Dampier, Christopher H.; Devall, Matthew A.; Díez-Obrero, Virginia; Dimou, Niki; Drew, David A.; Figueiredo, Jane C.; Gallinger, Steven; Giles, Graham G.; Gruber, Stephen B.; Gsur, Andrea; Gunter, Marc J.; Hampel, Heather; Harlid, Sophia; Harrison, Tabitha A.; Hidaka, Akihisa; Hoffmeister, Michael; Huyghe, Jeroen R.; Jenkins, Mark A.; Joshi, Amit D.; Keku, Temitope O.; Larsson, Susanna C.; Le Marchand, Loic; Lewinger, Juan Pablo; Li, Li; Mahesworo, Bharuno; Moreno, Victor; Morrison, John L.; Murphy, Neil; Nan, Hongmei; Nassir, Rami; Newcomb, Polly A.; Obón-Santacana, Mireia; Ogino, Shuji; Ose, Jennifer; Pai, Rish K.; Palmer, Julie R.; Papadimitriou, Nikos; Pardamean, Bens; Peoples, Anita R.; Pharoah, Paul D. P.; Platz, Elizabeth A.; Potter, John D.; Prentice, Ross L.; Rennert, Gad; Ruiz-Narvaez, Edward; Sakoda, Lori C.; Scacheri, Peter C.; Schmit, Stephanie L.; Schoen, Robert E.; Slattery, Martha L.; Stern, Mariana C.; Tangen, Catherine M.; Thibodeau, Stephen N.; Thomas, Duncan C.; Tian, Yu; Tsilidis, Konstantinos K.; Ulrich, Cornelia M.; van Duijnhoven, Franzel J. B.; Van Guelpen, Bethany; Visvanathan, Kala; Vodicka, Pavel; White, Emily; Wolk, Alicja; Woods, Michael O.; Wu, Anna H.; Zemlianskaia, Natalia; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Gauderman, W. James; Hsu, Li; Kundaje, Anshul; Peters, Ulrike; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Currently known associations between common genetic variants and colorectal cancer explain less than half of its heritability of 25%. As alcohol consumption has a J-shape association with colorectal cancer risk, nondrinking and heavy drinking are both risk factors for colorectal cancer. Methods: Individual-level data was pooled from the Colon Cancer Family Registry, Colorectal Transdisciplinary Study, and Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium to compare nondrinkers (≤1 g/day) and heavy drinkers (>28 g/day) with light-to-moderate drinkers (1-28 g/day) in GxE analyses. To improve power, we implemented joint 2df and 3df tests and a novel two-step method that modifies the weighted hypothesis testing framework. We prioritized putative causal variants by predicting allelic effects using support vector machine models. Results: For nondrinking as compared with light-to-moderate drinking, the hybrid two-step approach identified 13 significant SNPs with pairwise r2 > 0.9 in the 10q24.2/COX15 region. When stratified by alcohol intake, the A allele of lead SNP rs2300985 has a dose-response increase in risk of colorectal cancer as compared with the G allele in light-to-moderate drinkers [OR for GA genotype = 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.17; OR for AA genotype = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.14-1.31], but not in nondrinkers or heavy drinkers. Among the correlated candidate SNPs in the 10q24.2/COX15 region, rs1318920 was predicted to disrupt an HNF4 transcription factor binding motif. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the association with colorectal cancer in 10q24.2/COX15 observed in genome-wide association study is strongest in nondrinkers. We also identified rs1318920 as the putative causal regulatory variant for the region. Impact: The study identifies multifaceted evidence of a possible functional effect for rs1318920.
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    Calcium Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer According to Tumor-infiltrating T Cells
    (AACR, 2019-05) Yang, Wanshui; Liu, Li; Keum, NaNa; Qian, Zhi Rong; Nowak, Jonathan A.; Hamada, Tsuyoshi; Song, Mingyang; Cao, Yin; Nosho, Katsuhiko; Smith-Warner, Stephanie A.; Zhang, Sui; Masugi, Yohei; Ng, Kimmie; Kosumi, Keisuke; Ma, Yanan; Garrett, Wendy S.; Wang, Molin; Nan, Hongmei; Giannakis, Marios; Meyerhardt, Jeffrey A.; Chan, Andrew T.; Fuchs, Charles S.; Nishihara, Reiko; Wu, Kana; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Ogino, Shuji; Zhang, Xuehong; Epidemiology, School of Public Health
    Calcium intake has been associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Calcium signaling may enhance T-cell proliferation and differentiation, and contribute to T-cell–mediated antitumor immunity. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the association between calcium intake and colorectal cancer risk according to tumor immunity status to provide additional insights into the role of calcium in colorectal carcinogenesis. The densities of tumor-infiltrating T-cell subsets [CD3+, CD8+, CD45RO (PTPRC)+, or FOXP3+ cell] were assessed using IHC and computer-assisted image analysis in 736 cancer cases that developed among 136,249 individuals in two cohorts. HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Total calcium intake was associated with a multivariable HR of 0.55 (comparing ≥1,200 vs. <600 mg/day; 95% CI, 0.36–0.84; Ptrend = 0.002) for CD8+ T-cell–low but not for CD8+ T-cell–high tumors (HR = 1.02; 95% CI, 0.67–1.55; Ptrend = 0.47). Similarly, the corresponding HRs (95% CIs) for calcium for low versus high T-cell–infiltrated tumors were 0.63 (0.42–0.94; Ptrend = 0.01) and 0.89 (0.58–1.35; Ptrend = 0.20) for CD3+; 0.58 (0.39–0.87; Ptrend = 0.006) and 1.04 (0.69–1.58; Ptrend = 0.54) for CD45RO+; and 0.56 (0.36–0.85; Ptrend = 0.006) and 1.10 (0.72–1.67; Ptrend = 0.47) for FOXP3+, although the differences by subtypes defined by T-cell density were not statistically significant. These potential differential associations generally appeared consistent regardless of sex, source of calcium intake, tumor location, and tumor microsatellite instability status. Our findings suggest a possible role of calcium in cancer immunoprevention via modulation of T-cell function.
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    Coffee Intake of Colorectal Cancer Patients and Prognosis According to Histopathologic Lymphocytic Reaction and T-Cell Infiltrates
    (Elsevier, 2022) Ugai, Tomotaka; Haruki, Koichiro; Väyrynen, Juha P.; Borowsky, Jennifer; Fujiyoshi, Kenji; Lau, Mai Chan; Akimoto, Naohiko; Zhong, Rong; Kishikawa, Junko; Arima, Kota; Shi, Shan-shan; Zhao, Melissa; Fuchs, Charles S.; Zhang, Xuehong; Giannakis, Marios; Song, Mingyang; Nan, Hongmei; Meyerhardt, Jeffrey A.; Wang, Molin; Nowak, Jonathan A.; Ogino, Shuji; Community and Global Health, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Given previous biological evidence of immunomodulatory effects of coffee, we hypothesized that the association between coffee intake of colorectal cancer patients and survival differs by immune responses. Using a molecular pathological epidemiology database of 4,465 incident colorectal cancer cases, including 1,262 cases with molecular data, in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, we examined the association between coffee intake of colorectal cancer patients and survival in strata of levels of histopathologic lymphocytic reaction and T-cell infiltrates in tumor tissue. We did not observe a significant association of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality [multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for one cup increase of coffee intake per day, 0.93; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84-1.03]. Although statistical significance was not reached at the stringent level (α=0.005), the association of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality differed by Crohn's-like lymphoid reaction (Pinteraction=.007). Coffee intake was associated with lower colorectal cancer-specific mortality in patients with high Crohn's-like reaction (multivariable HR for one cup increase of coffee intake per day, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37–0.81; Ptrend=.002), but not in patients with intermediate Crohn's-like reaction (the corresponding HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.72–1.44) or negative/low Crohn's-like reaction (the corresponding HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83–1.07). The associations of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality did not significantly differ by levels of other lymphocytic reaction or any T-cell subset (Pinteraction>.18). There is suggestive evidence for differential prognostic effects of coffee intake by Crohn’s-like lymphoid reaction in colorectal cancer.
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    Genome-Wide Interaction Analysis of Genetic Variants With Menopausal Hormone Therapy for Colorectal Cancer Risk
    (Oxford, 2022) Tian, Yu; Kim, Andre E.; Bien, Stephanie A.; Lin, Yi; Qu, Conghui; Harrison, Tabitha A.; Carreras-Torres, Robert; Díez-Obrero, Virginia; Dimou, Niki; Drew , David A.; Hidaka, Akihisa; Huyghe, Jeroen R.; Jordahl, Kristina M.; Morrison , John; Murphy, Neil; Obón-Santacana, Mireia; Ulrich, Cornelia M.; Ose, Jennifer; Peoples, Anita R.; Ruiz-Narvaez, Edward A.; Shcherbina, Anna; Stern , Mariana C.; Su, Yu-Ru; van Duijnhoven, Franzel J. B.; Arndt, Volker; Baurley, James W.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Bishop, D. Timothy; Brenner, Hermann; Buchanan, Daniel D.; Chan, Andrew T.; Figueiredo, Jane C.; Gallinger, Steven; Gruber, Stephen B.; Harlid, Sophia; Hoffmeister, Michael; Jenkins, Mark A.; Joshi, Amit D.; Keku, Temitope O.; Larsson, Susanna C.; Marchand, Loic Le; Li, Li; Giles, Graham G.; Milne, Roger L.; Nan, Hongmei; Nassir, Rami; Ogino, Shuji; Budiarto, Arif; Platz, Elizabeth A.; Potter, John D.; Prentice, Ross L.; Rennert, Gad; Sakoda, Lori C.; Schoen, Robert E.; Slattery, Martha L.; Thibodeau, Stephen N.; Van Guelpen, Bethany; Visvanathan, Kala; White, Emily; Wolk, Alicja; Woods, Michael O.; Wu, Anna H.; Campbell, Peter T.; Casey, Graham; Conti, David V.; Gunter, Marc J.; Kundaje, Anshul; Lewinger, Juan Pablo; Moreno, Victor; Newcomb, Polly A.; Pardamean, Bens; Thomas, Duncan C.; Tsilidis, Konstantinos K.; Peters, Ulrike; Gauderman, W. James; Hsu, Li; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Community and Global Health, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: The use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) may interact with genetic variants to influence colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Methods: We conducted a genome-wide, gene-environment interaction between single nucleotide polymorphisms and the use of any MHT, estrogen only, and combined estrogen-progestogen therapy with CRC risk, among 28 486 postmenopausal women (11 519 CRC patients and 16 967 participants without CRC) from 38 studies, using logistic regression, 2-step method, and 2– or 3–degree-of-freedom joint test. A set-based score test was applied for rare genetic variants. Results: The use of any MHT, estrogen only and estrogen-progestogen were associated with a reduced CRC risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64 to 0.78; OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.53 to 0.79; and OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.59 to 0.90, respectively). The 2-step method identified a statistically significant interaction between a GRIN2B variant rs117868593 and MHT use, whereby MHT-associated CRC risk was statistically significantly reduced in women with the GG genotype (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.64 to 0.72) but not within strata of GC or CC genotypes. A statistically significant interaction between a DCBLD1 intronic variant at 6q22.1 (rs10782186) and MHT use was identified by the 2–degree-of-freedom joint test. The MHT-associated CRC risk was reduced with increasing number of rs10782186-C alleles, showing odds ratios of 0.78 (95% CI = 0.70 to 0.87) for TT, 0.68 (95% CI = 0.63 to 0.73) for TC, and 0.66 (95% CI = 0.60 to 0.74) for CC genotypes. In addition, 5 genes in rare variant analysis showed suggestive interactions with MHT (2-sided P < 1.2 × 10−4). Conclusion: Genetic variants that modify the association between MHT and CRC risk were identified, offering new insights into pathways of CRC carcinogenesis and potential mechanisms involved.
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    Genome-wide Interaction Study with Smoking for Colorectal Cancer Risk Identifies Novel Genetic Loci Related to Tumor Suppression, Inflammation, and Immune Response
    (American Association for Cancer Research, 2023) Carreras-Torres, Robert; Kim, Andre E.; Lin, Yi; Díez-Obrero, Virginia; Bien, Stephanie A.; Qu, Conghui; Wang, Jun; Dimou, Niki; Aglago, Elom K.; Albanes, Demetrius; Arndt, Volker; Baurley, James W.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Bézieau, Stéphane; Bishop, D. Timothy; Bouras, Emmanouil; Brenner, Hermann; Budiarto, Arif; Campbell, Peter T.; Casey, Graham; Chan, Andrew T.; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Chen, Xuechen; Conti, David V.; Dampier, Christopher H.; Devall, Matthew A. M.; Drew, David A.; Figueiredo, Jane C.; Gallinger, Steven; Giles, Graham G.; Gruber, Stephen B.; Gsur, Andrea; Gunter, Marc J.; Harrison, Tabitha A.; Hidaka, Akihisa; Hoffmeister, Michael; Huyghe, Jeroen R.; Jenkins, Mark A.; Jordahl, Kristina M.; Kawaguchi, Eric; Keku, Temitope O.; Kundaje, Anshul; Le Marchand, Loic; Lewinger, Juan Pablo; Li, Li; Mahesworo, Bharuno; Morrison, John L.; Murphy, Neil; Nan, Hongmei; Nassir, Rami; Newcomb, Polly A.; Obón-Santacana, Mireia; Ogino, Shuji; Ose, Jennifer; Pai, Rish K.; Palmer, Julie R.; Papadimitriou, Nikos; Pardamean, Bens; Peoples, Anita R.; Pharoah, Paul D. P.; Platz, Elizabeth A.; Rennert, Gad; Ruiz-Narvaez, Edward; Sakoda, Lori C.; Scacheri, Peter C.; Schmit, Stephanie L.; Schoen, Robert E.; Shcherbina, Anna; Slattery, Martha L.; Stern, Mariana C.; Su, Yu-Ru; Tangen, Catherine M.; Thomas, Duncan C.; Tian, Yu; Tsilidis, Konstantinos K.; Ulrich, Cornelia M.; van Duijnhoven, Fränzel J. B.; Van Guelpen, Bethany; Visvanathan, Kala; Vodicka, Pavel; Wawan Cenggoro, Tjeng; Weinstein, Stephanie J.; White, Emily; Wolk, Alicja; Woods, Michael O.; Hsu, Li; Peters, Ulrike; Moreno, Victor; Gauderman, W. James; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Tobacco smoking is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer. However, genetically defined population subgroups may have increased susceptibility to smoking-related effects on colorectal cancer. Methods: A genome-wide interaction scan was performed including 33,756 colorectal cancer cases and 44,346 controls from three genetic consortia. Results: Evidence of an interaction was observed between smoking status (ever vs. never smokers) and a locus on 3p12.1 (rs9880919, P = 4.58 × 10-8), with higher associated risk in subjects carrying the GG genotype [OR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20-1.30] compared with the other genotypes (OR <1.17 for GA and AA). Among ever smokers, we observed interactions between smoking intensity (increase in 10 cigarettes smoked per day) and two loci on 6p21.33 (rs4151657, P = 1.72 × 10-8) and 8q24.23 (rs7005722, P = 2.88 × 10-8). Subjects carrying the rs4151657 TT genotype showed higher risk (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.09-1.16) compared with the other genotypes (OR <1.06 for TC and CC). Similarly, higher risk was observed among subjects carrying the rs7005722 AA genotype (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.28) compared with the other genotypes (OR <1.13 for AC and CC). Functional annotation revealed that SNPs in 3p12.1 and 6p21.33 loci were located in regulatory regions, and were associated with expression levels of nearby genes. Genetic models predicting gene expression revealed that smoking parameters were associated with lower colorectal cancer risk with higher expression levels of CADM2 (3p12.1) and ATF6B (6p21.33). Conclusions: Our study identified novel genetic loci that may modulate the risk for colorectal cancer of smoking status and intensity, linked to tumor suppression and immune response. Impact: These findings can guide potential prevention treatments.
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    Inherited DNA-Repair Defects in Colorectal Cancer
    (Elsevier, 2018-03-01) AlDubayan, Saud H.; Giannakis, Marios; Moore, Nathanael D.; Han, G. Celine; Reardon, Brendan; Hamada, Tsuyoshi; Mu, Xingmeng Jasmine; Nishihara, Reiko; Qian, Zhirong; Liu, Li; Yurgelun, Matthew B.; Syngal, Sapna; Garraway, Levi A.; Ogino, Shuji; Fuchs, Charles S.; Van Allen, Eliezer M.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) heritability has been estimated to be around 30%. However, mutations in the known CRC-susceptibility genes explain CRC risk in fewer than 10% of affected individuals. Germline mutations in DNA-repair genes (DRGs) have recently been reported in CRC, but their contribution to CRC risk is largely unknown. We evaluated the gene-level germline mutation enrichment of 40 DRGs in 680 unselected CRC individuals and 27,728 ancestry-matched cancer-free adults. Significant findings were then examined in independent cohorts of 1,661 unselected CRC individuals and 1,456 individuals with early-onset CRC. Of the 680 individuals in the discovery set, 31 (4.56%) individuals harbored germline pathogenic mutations in known CRC-susceptibility genes, and another 33 (4.85%) individuals had DRG mutations that have not been previously associated with CRC risk. Germline pathogenic mutations in ATM and PALB2 were enriched in both the discovery (OR = 2.81 and p = 0.035 for ATM and OR = 4.91 and p = 0.024 for PALB2) and validation (OR = 2.97 and adjusted p = 0.0013 for ATM and OR = 3.42 and adjusted p = 0.034 for PALB2) sets. Biallelic loss of ATM was evident in all individuals with matched tumor profiling. CRC individuals also had higher rates of actionable mutations in the HR pathway, which can substantially increase the risk of developing cancers other than CRC. Our analysis provides evidence for ATM and PALB2 as CRC-risk genes, underscoring the importance of the homologous recombination pathway in CRC. In addition, we identified frequent complete homologous recombination deficiency in CRC tumors, representing a unique opportunity to explore targeted therapeutic interventions such as poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor (PARPi).
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    Pre-diagnostic leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number and colorectal cancer risk
    (Oxford, 2019-09) Yang, Keming; Li, Xin; Forman, Michele R.; Monahan, Patrick O.; Graham, Bret H.; Joshi, Amit; Song, Mingyang; Hang, Dong; Ogino, Shuji; Giovannucci, Edward L.; De Vivo, Immaculata; Chan, Andrew T.; Nan, Hongmei; Epidemiology, School of Public Health
    Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is susceptible to oxidative stress and mutation. Few epidemiological studies have assessed the relationship between mtDNA copy number (mtDNAcn) and risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), with inconsistent findings. In this study, we examined the association between pre-diagnostic leukocyte mtDNAcn and CRC risk in a case–control study of 324 female cases and 658 matched controls nested within the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS). Relative mtDNAcn in peripheral blood leukocytes was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based assay. Conditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of interest. Results showed lower log-mtDNAcn was significantly associated with increased risk of CRC, in a dose-dependent relationship (P for trend < 0.0001). Compared to the fourth quartile, multivariable-adjusted OR [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 1.10 (0.69, 1.76) for the third quartile, 1.40 (0.89, 2.19) for the second quartile and 2.19 (1.43, 3.35) for the first quartile. In analysis by anatomic subsite of CRC, we found a significant inverse association for proximal colon cancer [lowest versus highest quartile, multivariable-adjusted OR (95% CI) = 3.31 (1.70, 6.45), P for trend = 0.0003]. Additionally, stratified analysis according to the follow-up time since blood collection showed that the inverse association between mtDNAcn and CRC remained significant among individuals with ≥ 5 years’ follow-up, and marginally significant among those with ≥ 10 years’ follow-up since mtDNAcn testing, suggesting that mtDNAcn may serve as a long-term predictor for risk of CRC. In conclusion, pre-diagnostic leukocyte mtDNAcn was inversely associated with CRC risk. Further basic experimental studies are needed to explore the underlying biological mechanisms linking mtDNAcn to CRC carcinogenesis.