Onco Actu du 10 mai 2016

	1. Biologie
Tasmanian Devil Antibodies Fight Cancer [The Scientist] Comparing antibodies found in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) with and without a devastating and contagious facial cancer, researchers found that the marsupials may have a natural immunity to the disease: those animals that had increased levels of the immunoglobulin IgM relative to IgG were less likely to have devil facial tumor disease (DFTD).
	1.1 Biologie - Gènes
Rare endocrine cancers have novel genetic alterations [National Cancer Institute] In the most comprehensive molecular characterization to date of adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal cortex, researchers extensively analyzed 91 cases for alterations in the tumor genomes.
	2.4 Etiologie - Portables, ondes e-m
Study finds no link between mobile phones and brain cancer [NHS Choices] The study has many strengths, including its large size, comprehensive information on brain cancer rates over many decades, and research-based assumptions when modelling the expected number of cancer cases – assuming mobile phones do raise the risk of cancer. What might be less obvious is that the study was more about mobile phone ownership rather than use.
	3.1 Tabac
China's cigarette sales fall slightly after tobacco tax: WHO [Reuters] China has 300 million smokers and 740 million more who are exposed to secondhand smoke, state media have said. The number of cigarettes sold in China fell 3.3 percent in the year to March 2016 from the previous year, the WHO said in a statement.
	3.1.1 Tabac - e-cigs
E-cigarette poisonings on rise in young kids [Reuters] Smith and colleagues analyzed poison center data from January 2012 through April 2015. During that period, monthly calls related to e-cigarettes surged from 14 to 223, they report in the journal Pediatrics.
	3.3 Prévention - Vaccins
Teenage girl dies five days after receiving HPV vaccine jab [The Telegraph] Shazel Zaman, 13, received a cervical cancer jab five days earlier after which she started vomiting and suffering from dizziness and a severe headache.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
A Better Prostate-Cancer Test? [Wall Street Journal] The new tests, however, don’t provide useful information for every patient and add significantly to the cost, Dr. Loeb and other urologists caution. Few of them have been vetted by the Food and Drug Administration.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
NewLink Genetics Announces Results from Phase 3 IMPRESS Trial of Algenpantucel-L for Patients with Resected Pancreatic Cancer [NewLink Genetics] "In light of these negative results, our scientific and clinical teams will focus on other promising opportunities in our pipeline."
NewLink Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Fails, May Even Harms Patients [TheStreet] Now that NewLink's therapeutic cancer vaccine platform looks to be a zero, the company's dwindling valuation relies even more heavily on its so-called IDO inhibitors -- another form of cancer immunotherapy -- in early stages of clinical development.
NewLink shares tumble as pancreatic cancer therapy fails [Reuters] The median survival rate was 27.3 months for patients who got the drug, compared with 30.4 months for those on standard care, the company said.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
PureTech Gets into Cell Therapy With Vor Bio, But Keeps Details Close [Xconomy] There are some big questions surrounding CAR-T, however, among them whether it can be adapted for more common solid tumors, how scalable the technology is, and whether these treatments can be manufactured in a cost-effective fashion.
Second child cleared of leukaemia after Cellectis T-cell treatment [Pharmafile] Andre Choulika, Cellectic CEO, says: “This is not yet statistical proof but we do now have two cases. It shows that the therapy has some potential." Clinical trials for the treatment are set to begin at the end of the year.
Pulitzer Prize-winning doctor wades into biotech with cancer startup [STAT] Though Mukherjee has long worked in blood cancer, and he has a couple dozen journal articles to his name, his research has never crossed over into drug development. He has never published an academic paper on CAR-T, and his only listed patent is unrelated to the field.
Siddhartha Mukherjee, Author Of Bestselling Cancer Book, Starts Biotech Company And Answers Criticism [Forbes] Vor BioPharma is in the hot field of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-Ts), which are genetically modified white blood cells that hunt down cancer, a field epitomized by companies like Juno Therapeutics and Kite Pharma. Vor’s tech has only been tested in test tubes and Petri dishes.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Ariad Sells Off Europe Hub, Drug Rights in $140M Incyte Deal [Xconomy] Ariad appears to be keeping its eye on a larger deal. The buyout includes an option in which anyone who buys all of Ariad can gain back Incyte’s rights to ponatinib.
Incyte and ARIAD Announce Agreement for Incyte to Acquire ARIAD’s European Operations and In-license Iclusig® (ponatinib) in Europe [ARIAD] Incyte to Accelerate the Expansion of its European Organization to Optimize the Potential of Future Product Launches in Europe.
Billionaire doctor to take another of his mysterious (and highly valued) companies public [STAT] Soon-Shiong has long boasted of a vision to “transform healthcare” — but his materials and methods are as cryptic as they are grandiose. The tagline for NantHealth, for instance, is “connecting knowledge at a global, interoperable scale from home to clinic to hospital to benefit a single patient and the whole of humanity.” The wording for each of his other companies is similarly vague.
	6.1 Observation
Don’t believe what you read on new report of medical error deaths [STAT] Here is one elephant in the room in this area of research: What is a medical error?
Thyroid Cancer Incidence Stabilizes [National Cancer Institute] The rapidly rising incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States “has been recognized as an ‘epidemic of diagnosis’ more than an epidemic of disease,” the study authors wrote. The detection of nodules that would never cause a medical problem is known as overdiagnosis.
	6.10 Politiques
Don’t Wait For the Public Sector [In the Pipeline] I doubt if there’s ever been an enthusiastic majority behind just spending money on basic research to see where things go. I’m sure that polls can generate support for cancer research and the like, but Baran’s right when he says that most people don’t really know what that entails.
	6.11 Patients
Action is needed to address inequalities in end of life care [NICE] Failure to recognise individuals’ needs means patients are receiving poor quality end of life care, a highly critical report by the Care Quality Commission has found.
On Mother's Day, My Mom Asked Me to Help End Her Life [Esquire] The previous August, my mother had begun complaining of pain in her lower back. Shortly after, she, my older sister, Christina, and I received the bad news in a too-bright oncologist's office: an advanced and aggressive case of pancreatic cancer had taken hold. The doctor predicted that she had four to six months to live.
	6.6 Publications
Open-access index delists thousands of journals [Nature News & Comment] Many publications did not reapply after leading directory tightened its quality criteria.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
Calling on Data Enthusiasts to Help Advance Cancer Research [National Cancer Institute] Health data enthusiasts of all stripes have arrived in Washington, DC, for an annual event known as Health Datapalooza. Incredibly smart participants from government, academia, companies, startups, and patient groups meet to share ideas and brainstorm about how to share and unleash health information to improve health outcomes for all.
	6.8 Communication
John Oliver exposes how the media turns scientific studies into "morning show gossip" [Vox] "Coffee today is like God in the Old Testament: It will either save you or kill you depending on how much you believe in its magic powers," Last Week Tonight host John Oliver said on Sunday. "After a certain point, all that ridiculous information can make you wonder, is science bullshit?"
	6.9 Controverses
Researcher under fire for New Yorker epigenetics article [Nature News & Comment] Scientists attack Siddhartha Mukherjee’s feature exploring gene regulation.