Abstract 1793: Telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number variations as predictors for survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib

Abstract Background: The study aims to evaluate the potential predictive value of relative telomere length (RTL) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number variations for survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with sorafenib. Methods: The study was conducted in 120 patients with pathologically or radiologically confirmed HCC who were treated with sorafenib as their first-line or second-line monotherapy. RTL and mtDNA copy number in peripheral lymphocytes were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method. ANOVA and non-parametric tests were applied to compare the RTL and mtDNA copy number between groups. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) time was analyzed using Kaplan Meier plot, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: A longer telomere was observed in patients with early stage disease or normal body weight and in Hispanics compared to their counterparts. Patients with longer RTL compared to those with shorter RTL had significantly better PFS (6.90 vs 4.40 months, P=0.048) and OS (16.53 vs 7.72 months, P=0.006). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that longer RTL was an independent predictor for OS (hazard ratio [HR]=0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.29-0.76, P<0.01) in all patients and for PFS in patients received sorafenib (HR=0.37, 95% CI=0.15-0.94, P=0.01) after adjusting for other clinical predictors. RTL was positively correlated to mtDNA copy numbers (r=0.312, P=0.001), but no significant association of mtDNA copy numbers and PFS or OS was observed. Conclusion: RTL, but not mtDNA copy number, might be a potential predictor for OS and for response to sorafenib treatment in HCC. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Dong Yan. Telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number variations as predictors for survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1793. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1793