Background: Since 2004, adjuvant 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX or FLOX) have been the standard of care for patients with resected colon cancer. Herein we examine the change of outcomes over a 10-year period in patients with stage III colon cancer who received this regimen. Patients and methods: Individual patient data from the ACCENT database was used to compare the outcomes in older (1998-2003) and newer (2004-2009) treatment eras for patients with stage III colon cancer who received adjuvant FOLFOX or FLOX. The outcomes were compared between the two groups by the multivariate Cox proportionalhazards model adjusting for age, sex, performance score, T stage, N stage, tumor sidedness, and histological grade. Results: A total of 6501 patients with stage III colon cancer who received adjuvant FOLFOX or FLOX in six randomized trials were included in the analysis. Patients enrolled in the new era group experienced statistically significant improvement in time to recurrence [3-year rate, 76.1% versus 73.0%; adjusted hazard ratio (HRadj) 0.83 (95% CI, 0.74-0.92), P = 0.0008], disease-free survival (DFS) [3-year rate, 74.7% versus 72.3%; HRadj = 0.88 (0.79-0.98), P = 0.024], survival after recurrence (SAR) [median time, 27.0 versus 17.7 months; HRadj = 0.65 (0.57-0.74), P < 0.0001], and overall survival (OS) [5-year rate, 80.9% versus 75.7%; HRadj = 0.78 (0.69-0.88), P < 0.0001]. The improved outcomes remained in patients diagnosed at 45 years of age or older, low-risk patients (T1-3 and N1), left colon, mismatch repair proficient (pMMR), BRAF, and KRAS wild-type tumors. Conclusion: Improved outcomes were observed in patients with stage III colon cancer enrolled in clinical trials who received adjuvant FOLFOX/FLOX therapy in 2004 or later compared with patients in the older era. Prolonged SAR calls for revalidation of 3-year DFS as the surrogate endpoint of OS in adjuvant clinical trials and reevaluation of optimal follow-up of OS to confirm the trial findings based on the DFS endpoints.

Background Although rare, the incidence of BM is increasing due to the improvement in metastatic CRC treatment and longer survival. Genomic analyses of small series revealed that BM can harbor potentially unique driver mutations. We aimed to comprehensively characterize the molecular profile of BM and explore the differences between BM vs other distant metastases (OM) and primary tumors (PT) in CRC. Methods Tumor samples from BM (n = 81), PT (n = 6898) and OM (n = 5918) were analyzed using NGS (TruSEQ on 45 genes or NextSEQ on 592 genes), in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry (Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ). Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was calculated based on somatic nonsynonymous missense mutations, and microsatellite instability (MSI) was evaluated by NGS of known MSI loci. Results The most frequently mutated genes in BM were TP53 (80%), APC (73%), KRAS (68%), ARID1A (18%), PIK3CA (13%) and FBXW7 (9%). The most prevalent copy number increase was seen in CDX2 (20%), CCND2 (7%), FLT1 (7%), FLT3 (7%) and FOXO1 (7%). When compared to OM and PT, mutations in KRAS (BM: 68%, OM: 49%, PT: 48%), CDKN2A (5%, 1%, 1%), ERCC2 (2%, 0, 0) and HRAS (1%, 0, 0) were significantly higher in BM (P 17mut/MB) and MSI-high were seen in BM vs PT (2 vs 9% and 1 vs 8%, P=.049 and .031, respectively) but not compared to OM. No RSPO3 nor NTRK1 fusions were seen in BM (n = 5). Female gender was associated with younger age in BM (53.5 vs 62 yr, P=.0014) and OM (58.8 vs 60.2 yr, P Conclusions This is the largest and most extensive profiling study to investigate the molecular makeup of BM and the differences with PT and OM in CRC. Our data show distinct mutations and CNA characterizing BM and lower expression of immune related markers, supporting the rationale to develop tailored approaches to the treatment of this metastatic site. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding National Cancer Institute grant number P30CA014089, Gloria Borges WunderGlo Foundation-The Wunder Project, Dhont Family Foundation, San Pedro Peninsula Cancer Guild, Daniel Butler Research Fund, Call to Cure Research Fund and Fong Research Project. Disclosure J. Xiu: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. Y. Baca: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. R.M. Goldberg: Research grant / Funding (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. A. Grothey: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. A.F. Shields: Research grant / Funding (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. A. Seeber: Advisory / Consultancy: Caris Life Sciences. M.E. Salem: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. P.A. Philip: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. J.L. Marshall: Advisory / Consultancy: Caris Life Sciences. W..M. Korn: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. H.J. Lenz: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background Werner syndrome gene (WRN) encodes a DNA helicase with an exonuclease activity that contributes to DNA repair. In cancer, WRN mutations lead to genomic instability. It is known that WRN is necessary to sustain in-vivo growth of cancers cells with microsatellite instability (MSI), including CRC. WRN is a very promising new target especially in cancers with MSI. There is still a lack of knowledge about the frequency of WRN alterations and their association with immunological and molecular phenotypes. Methods Tumour samples from 6854 CRC patients were analyzed using NGS (NextSEQ on 592 genes), in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry (Caris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ, USA). Tumour mutational burden (TMB) was calculated based on somatic non-synonymous missense mutations, and MSI was evaluated by NGS of known MSI loci. Results WRN mutations (WRN-mut) were observed in 80 of 6854 samples (1.2%). A higher prevalence of WRN-mut was detected in right- compared to left-sided CRC (2.4% vs 0.7%, p<.0001). In WRN-mut (MT) CRC, TMB (43 vs. 8.6 mutations/megabase [mut/MB], p<.0001) and PD-L1 expression (13% vs 4%, p<.0001) were higher compared to WRN wild-type (WT). A higher frequency of MSI-H was seen in cancers harboring WRN-mut (56% vs 7%, p<.0001). Also, WRN-mut was associated with a higher TMB in both MSI-H subgroup of tumors (54 vs 40 mut/MB, p=.03) and MSS subgroup (43 vs 8.6 mut/MB, p<.0001). Several differences between WRN-mut and WRN-WT CRC was observed, including TP53 (47% vs 73%), KRAS (34% vs 49%), APC (56% vs 73%), BRAF (26% vs 9%), ASXL1 (25% vs 4%), ERBB2 (9% vs 2%), BRCA1 (8% vs 1%), BRCA2 (15% vs 2%), CDK12 (10% vs 1%), (p<.01 for all). Copy number alterations (CNA) of CDX2 were seen only in WRN-WT tumours (6.4% vs 1%, p=.026) and CNAs seen more frequently in WRN-mut tumours included CD274, CALR, CRTC1, ELL, JAK3, KEAP1, LYL1, MEF2B (p<.01). Conclusions This is the largest profiling study to investigate the molecular and immunological landscape of WRN-mut CRCs. We show the high prevalence of MSI in WRN-mut tumours and their association with higher TMB and PD-L1 expression. Furthermore, it revealed that WRN-mut CRC is characterized by a distinct genetic profile. Our data might serve to tailor treatment in WRN-mut CRC. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background Several studies in BRAFV600E colorectal cancers (CRC) have failed to replicate the efficacy of BRAF inhibitors in treatment of BRAFV600E melanomas (Mel), suggesting the existence of different resistance mechanisms as well as molecular and biological differences between the 2 tumor types. Herein, we examine these differences. Methods Tumor samples submitted to Caris Life Sciences for NGS DNA sequencing (592 gene panel) and RNA sequencing (54 gene panel) between the years 2015 and 2019 were retrospectively studied. Only microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors with either BRAFV600E mutation or wild type (WT) BRAF status were included in this initial analysis. Chi-square tests determined differences. Results A total of 8409 tumor samples were analyzed: CRC (N = 7453: BRAFV600E=373; WT = 7080) and Mel samples (N = 956: BRAFV600E=274; WT = 682). The most frequently mutated genes in BRAFV600E CRC were TP53 (81%), APC (26%), and SMAD4 (22.4%), compared to CDKN2A (22%), PTEN (13%), and TP53 (13%) in BRAFV600E Mel. Molecular alterations that are significantly more frequent in BRAFV600E CRC vs BRAFV600E Mel but not significantly different between BRAF WT CRC vs BRAF WT Mel included RSPO3 fusions (CRC=22.6% vs Mel=0%, P = 0.027); RNF43 deletions (2.0% vs 0%, p = 0.019); and mutations in RNF43 (18.8% vs 0%, P Conclusions BRAFV600E CRC carry molecular alterations that are distinct from BRAFV600E Mel. RSPO3 fusions and RNF43 alterations are prevalent in BRAFV600E CRC tumors in a mutually exclusive manner, suggesting that Wnt pathway activation via genetic alterations in upstream Wnt pathway regulators may play an important role in BRAFV600E CRC tumorigenesis and resistance to BRAF inhibitors. Drug combinations that target both the MAPK and Wnt pathways may warrant further investigation. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure M.E. Salem: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. J. Xiu: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. A. Grothey: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. R.M. Goldberg: Research grant / Funding (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. Z. Gatalica: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. R. Feldman: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. M. Saul: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. W..M. Korn: Full / Part-time employment: Caris Life Sciences. A.F. Shields: Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. J.L. Marshall: Advisory / Consultancy: Caris Life Sciences. H.J. Lenz: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Caris Life Sciences. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Background: A strong correlation between MSI-H and TMB-H has been shown. Nevertheless, not all MSI-H tumors exhibit an increased TMB. Thus, we examined the molecular differences between MSH-H tumors with TMB-H and MSH-H tumors with TMB-intermediate/low. Methods: MSI-H was determined by examining altered microsatellite loci using NextGen sequencing (cutoff ≥ 46) on a 592-gene panel. TMB was calculated by enumerating somatic missense mutations. Mismatch Repair (MMR) proteins expression was evaluated by IHC. ANOVA and chi-square tests were used for comparisons. Results: A total of 1057 MSI-H tumors (283 colorectal cancer [CRC]; 449 endometrial cancer [EC]; and 325 others from 29 cancer types) were examined. Despite being MSI-H, 26% of tumors exhibited low (< 6 mutations/megabase [mt/MB]) or intermediate (7 -16 mt/MB) TMB status, while 74% of MSI-H tumors were TMB-H (≥ 17 mt/MB). The prevalence of MSI-H TMB-intermediate/low significantly differed according to the tumor location. In MSI-H CRC, only 6.4% of tumors were TMB-intermediate/low, whereas in MSI-H EC, 38% of tumors were TMB-intermediate/low (P < 0.001). Significant association between the microsatellite loci and the level of TMB was observed (Rho = 0.60, P < .0001), where a significant difference was seen in the mean of altered microsatellite loci between TMB-H (81.5) vs. TMB-intermediate (60.2) vs. TMB-low (49.7) tumors, P < .0001. Compared to TMB-H tumors, TMB-intermediated/low exhibited significantly lower mutational rates in Homologous Recombination (HR) genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, PALB2), in histone modifiers genes (KMT2A, KMT2D, KMD5C) and several others (APC, BRAF, FBXW7, RFN43) (P < .001 for all comparisons). Conclusions: Other mechanisms may be responsible for the increased TMB, such as HR and histone modifiers genes. Significant association between the mean of altered microsatellite loci and the level of TMB was observed. The association between MSI-H, TMB status and microsatellite loci was tumor type specific. MSI-H tumors with TMB-intermediate/low maybe a different disease entity from MSI-H TMB-H and their response to immunotherapy warrant further exploration. Legal entity responsible for the study: Mohamed E. Salem. Funding: Has not received any funding. Disclosure: J. Xiu, W.M. Korn: Employee: Caris Life Sciences. J.L. Marshall: Consultant: Caris Life Sciences. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.