Modifiable risk-factors, genetic characteristics, and survival in early-onset cholangiocarcinoma.

Abstract

4085 Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is a rare disease with an increasing incidence among younger adults, which is poorly understood. Genomic profiling of tumors is both prognostic and predictive of benefit for targeted therapies. We investigated if there are clinical and molecular differences between younger vs older patients with CC. Methods: We collected TEMPUS genetic data via retrospective chart review from tumors in young vs old patients seen at our institution, defined as ≤50 vs > 50 years of age at time of diagnosis. We included patients diagnosed with CC between January 2008 and July 2024 with available clinical follow up and TEMPUS genetic sequencing data. We collected mutation data on the following actionable genes: FGFR2, IDH1/2, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRAF, ATM, ERBB2/3, and KRAS. Patient characteristics and gene expression variables were compared using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Kaplan-Meier, log rank tests and a multivariable Cox model were used for survival analysis. This study was IRB exempt. Results: We included 410 patients, 84 in the young group with median age at diagnosis of 40.8 years, and 326 in the old group with median age 68.5 years. 91.5% of patients were white. There was no difference in BMI between groups, however the older group had higher rates of hypertension (15.5% vs 57.7%), hyperlipidemia (6.0% vs 49.7%), cardiovascular disease (1.2% vs 20.6%), and type 2 diabetes (6.0% vs 21.5%), (all p < 0.01). Primary sclerosing cholangitis was more common in the young group (26.2% vs 4.3%, p < 0.01). ECOG status of 0 at first treatment was seen in 65.3% of young vs 52.5% of old patients (p = 0.02). FGFR2 alterations were more common in the young group (17.9% vs 8.0%, p < 0.01), while ATM mutations were more common in old vs young (5.5% vs 0%, p = 0.03). There was no age difference seen for the other genetic alterations. Mean tumor mutational burden was higher in the old group (4.1 vs 3.8 mut/mb, p = 0.01). MSI-high was found in 2% of cases with no difference between groups. There was no significant difference in overall survival between age groups. There was a numeric difference in overall survival in stage IV patients, though not statistically significant (17.8 months vs. 16.3 months, p = 0.08). In a multivariable Cox analysis, female sex, earlier stage at diagnosis and clinical trial enrollment were associated with favorable prognostics. Conclusions: Our data highlight relatively low rates of comorbidities associated with metabolic dysfunction in younger adults with CC, suggesting alternative factors are likely to explain the increasing incidence of early-onset disease. FGRFR2 is a more common pathogenic alteration among the young and could inform targeted therapies. Younger patients with CC may not have improved survival outcomes compared to their older counterparts. This underscores the aggressive nature of CC and the need for more effective therapies to improve outcomes.