VHIO - led retrospective study evaluates the clinical and genomic features of early-onset pancreatic cancer

Now published in EJC – European Journal of Cancer ⁽¹⁾, results of a retrospective study led by investigators of VHIO’s Upper Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumors Group have advanced insights into the clinical and genomic features of early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) and their possible therapeutic implications.

“Widely reported in the literature, and the subject of a recent editorial article in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology ⁽²⁾, the incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer is increasing at an alarming rate. The clinical and genomic features of pancreatic cancer in people aged fifty years or under remain poorly defined,” says first author Florian Castet, a Clinical Investigator of VHIO’s Upper Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumors Group and Medical Oncologist at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH).

Aimed at better characterizing EOPC, understanding prognosis and evaluating the possible therapeutic significance, the investigators retrospectively reviewed 336 patients. They analyzed the clinical, germline and genomic features in 139 EPOC patients (≤50 years) and compared them with a control group of 197 average-onset pancreatic cancer patients (AOPC, ≥70 years). They assessed baseline characteristics, the molecular profile of tumors, germline gene alterations, and survival and treatment data.

“Results from this present study indicate that EOPC patients have unique clinical and molecular characteristics and could derive particular benefit from precision oncology-based approaches,” concludes Castet.

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References:

Florian Castet, Carles Fabregat-Franco, Gloria Castillo, Víctor Navarro, Alexandre Sierra, Daniel Alejandro Acosta, Daniel López-Valbuena, Rodrigo Dienstmann, Josep Tabernero, Ana Vivancos, Tian V. Tian, Teresa Macarulla. Clinical and genomic characterization of early onset pancreatic cancer, Eur J Cancer, 2023, 113338, ISSN 0959-8049, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2023.113338.
The Lancet Gastroenterology Hepatology. Cause for concern: the rising incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 Apr;8(4):287.