Onco Actu du 29 mars 2016

	1. Biologie
The Smallest Viable Genome Is Very Weird [In the Pipeline] Clearly, synthetic genomics is just beginning to take off. This sort of work is going to make us rethink a lot of what we believe that we know about living cells, and will surely set off arguments in several directions at once. It’s going to be fun.
How Cancer Stem Cells Thrive When Oxygen Is Scarce [Johns Hopkins] Hint: They borrow a trick from embryonic stem cells.
	3.1 Tabac
Cigarettes Cheaper than E-cigarettes in 44 of 45 Countries Studied [ACS] Warnings that e-cigarettes are a cheap, tax advantaged product relative to heavily taxed combustible cigarettes have been repeatedly claimed in the scientific literature and lay media. These claims, however, do not appear to be based on empirical price data.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
BIDMC Researchers Discover Early Indicators of Pancreatic Cancer [Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center] After demonstrating and independently validating that a 5-gene pancreatic cancer predictor discriminated between cancerous and healthy tissue, the researchers applied the predictor to datasets that also included benign lesions of the pancreas, including pancreatitis and early stage cancer.
Cancer patients could see if chemotherapy is working in real-time [The Telegraph] Using a nanoparticle that delivers cancer therapy and then glows green when cancer cells die, researchers were able to see whether a tumour is resistant or susceptible to chemotherapy or immunotherapy.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
Drs. Ruth Etzioni and Joshua Roth lead economic analysis of PSA screening and selective treatment strategies for prostate cancer [Fred Hutch] The study found that if PSA screening is to be cost-effective, it should be used conservatively, every four years, and only in men between the ages of 55 and 69. Biopsy referrals should be restricted to those with very high PSA levels.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
Cancer Treatment's New Direction [Wall Street Journal] There a genetic test revealed a particularly aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia. That was two years ago. The harrowing roller-coaster that followed for Mr. Johnson and his family highlights new directions oncologists are taking with genetic testing to find and attack cancer.
	5. Traitements
Scientists identify potential treatment options for rare cancer [The Institute of Cancer Research] Researchers have found that a combination of chemotherapy and modern radiotherapy can benefit patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer – a cancer that starts at the back of the nose.
Breast Cancer Resistance to CDK4/6 Inhibitors Arises in Many Ways [AACR] “Our next step is to look at tumor samples from patients with ER-positive breast cancer that has become resistant to CDK4/6 inhibitors to determine whether the mechanisms of resistance that we have identified in our preclinical study reflect what happens in the clinic.”
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
IMS: Healthcare can save $110B on biosims--if payers kick their policies into gear, that is [FiercePharma] But that $110 billion projection is far from a sure thing. A lot of the savings potential in Europe will "depend on policy and implementation approaches" that so far have differed across the EU, IMS notes.
Biosimilar drugs could save up to $110 billion by 2020: IMS [Reuters] The potential for copycats to take business from original biotech brands is increasingly grabbing the attention of investors, with many worried about the impact on profits at companies like Roche and AbbVie.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA,...
FDA Shares Views on Juvenile Animal Studies for Oncology Drugs [RAPS] Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say that studies comparing the effects of drugs in juvenile animal populations against their effects in adult animals are generally not useful in guiding pediatric clinical development, especially if such studies delay the launch of a clinical trial.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Buying Costly Drugs On The Installment Plan: Could It Work? [NPR] Their proposal calls for the loans to be financed by a pool of investors who would buy bonds and equities issued by an organization that makes the loans to consumers. While it may be "distasteful" to talk about patients mortgaging their lives for treatment, Lo said, they hope the proposal will spur change.
Value Pricing For Drugs: Whose Value, What Price? [Health Affairs] We need a public conversation about the economic value placed on a year of life, which is underlying all of these analyses. This simply has not been done in the US. Using imported numbers from the World Health Organization or from England may not represent American social values.
U.S. spends $3 billion a year on unused cancer drugs [Reuters] Researchers focused on 20 expensive medicines that are given by injection or intravenous drip and require doses adjusted based on the patient’s body size. Often, the packages contain much more medicine than patients need, and the leftovers wind up in the trash.
	5.5 ASCO
Clifford Hudis Named CEO of ASCO [The Cancer Letter] - Obviously the cost of care in the United States is a critical issue; - The other obvious big thing, that we will be committed to for a long time, is the use of Big Data; - Finally, I think that there’s an opportunity to look at how we do adult education, which is such a critical role for ASCO.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Sneak preview: Inside the new facility that hopes to revolutionise radiotherapy [The Institute of Cancer Research] Dr Claire Bithell gives an update on the construction of the facility to house the new MR Linac machine, which is due to arrive in the next few months.
Yoga 'cures cancer,' claims senior Indian government official [The Telegraph] Dr Nagendra, who worked as a Nasa engineer in the 1970s, is known to be close to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and has been described as his personal yoga guru. However, Indian medical chiefs called for caution over the claims.
	6.1 Observation
Patients with terminal cancer live longer when cared for at home [STAT] Researchers studied the final days of over 2,000 terminal cancer patients in Japan. In terms of longevity, they found that patients who received palliative care at home didn’t fare any worse than those who received it in the hospital. In fact, those who were sickest — with either days or weeks to live — actually lived longer if they chose to die at home.
	6.10 Politiques
Sanders, other lawmakers seek NIH hearing to override drug patent [STAT] The lawmakers echoed the argument made by Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment and Knowledge Ecology International: the NIH has the ability to issue so-called march-in rights, which refers to overriding a patent.
U.S. lawmakers want health agencies to lower prostate cancer drug cost [Reuters] In the letter signed by Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), the lawmakers urged NIH to hold a public hearing to consider overriding the patent on Xtandi to make the drug available at a lower price.