Onco Actu du 17 mai 2016

	2.6 Etiologie - Environnement
Glyphosate unlikely to pose risk to humans, UN/WHO study says [The Guardian] Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller brand, has been given a clean bill of health by the UN’s joint meeting on pesticides residues (JMPR), two days before a crunch EU vote on whether to relicense it.
U.N. committee finds weed killer glyphosate unlikely to cause cancer [Reuters] Having reviewed the scientific evidence, the joint WHO/FAO committee also said glyphosate is unlikely to be genotoxic in humans. In other words, it is not likely to have a destructive effect on cells' genetic material. Diazinon and malathion, two other pesticides reviewed by the committee, which met last week and published its conclusions on Monday, were also found to be unlikely to be carcinogenic.
	3.6 Prévention - Activité physique
Physical activity can lower risk of 13 types of cancer [National Cancer Institute] The median level of activity in the study was about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, which is comparable to the current recommended minimum level of physical activity for the U.S. population.
Moderate exercise reduces the risk of developing 13 kinds of cancer [The Telegraph] “The widespread generalisability of these findings is reinforced by the suggestion the associations persist regardless of BMI or smoking status.”
Exercising drives down risk for 13 cancers, research shows [LA Times] In a massive effort to aggregate what's known about cancer and exercise, researchers calculated that compared with people who reported spending the least time in "leisure-time physical activity," those who got the most moderate to intense exercise reduced their risk of developing seven kinds of cancer by at least 20%.
	4.5 Dép., diag. & prono. - Colorectal
New Biomarker Identifies Colorectal Cancer Patients Likely to Benefit Most from Cetuximab Treatment [AACR] If our findings are validated in prospective trials, they suggest that the 25 percent of people who carry the FCGR2A R/R genotype should be treated with therapies other than cetuximab so that they do not experience the potential harmful toxicities of an anticancer agent that will be very unlikely to benefit them.”
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
Aduro Takes Hit On Pancreatic Cancer Trial Miss, But Shares Rebound [Xconomy] In a research note, Leerink Swann biotech analyst Seamus Fernandez called the results “disappointing and largely uninterpretable.” One big problem was that the study wasn’t blinded.
Aduro Biotech Pancreatic Cancer Immunotherapy Fails Mid-Stage Study [The Street] CRS-207 starts as listeria, a bacteria which can cause serious infectious from contaminated food. However, Aduro scientists remove two genes from listeria to render it incapable of replication. Then, the attenuated listeria is altered again to express mesothelia, an antigen found in pancreatic cancer, to signal a patient's immune system to identify and kill the pancreatic cancer cells.
Aduro's pancreatic cancer drug fails in mid-stage study [Reuters] In the study, patients were given either CRS-207 or chemotherapy or a combination of CRS-207 with Aduro's GVAX Pancreas, the company said on Monday. Aduro's shares fell 33 percent to $7.14 in premarket trading.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
New cancer immunotherapy approach combines tumor fighting power with fewer side effects, study shows [Dana-Farber Cancer Institute] The researchers showed that eliminating a key protein in Tregs makes the Tregs so unstable that they become Teffs and join in the destruction of the tumor.
	5.2 Pharma
Beyond immuno-oncology, AstraZeneca builds up 'DNA damage' drugs [Reuters] Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said on Friday that while DNA damage response (DDR) was under-recognized by investors, oncologists were already "very excited" by its potential.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Twelve principles for open innovation 2.0 [Nature News & Comment] A new mode of innovation is emerging that blurs the lines between universities, industry, governments and communities. It exploits disruptive technologies — such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things and big data — to solve societal challenges sustainably and profitably, and more quickly and ably than before. It is called open innovation 2.0.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Drug makers fuming at ‘overpriced’ values placed on their myeloma drugs [STAT] In a recent report, the value of three medications was determined to be significantly below their list prices, which run from $8,000 to $14,000 a month. And the findings may cause a showdown at a May 26 meeting that the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review is holding to review its analysis.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Cancer Drugs Fund changes deeply concerning, say charities [BBC News] In a letter to the prime minister, the charities said many drugs would "now struggle to gain approval". The medicines regulator has rejected this and said drugs would be approved faster than anywhere else in Europe.
	5.5.4 ASCO (immunothérapies)
New KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Data at 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting Includes Three-Year Overall Survival Data in Melanoma and Updated Overall Survival Data in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer As Well As Updated Findings in Head and Neck Cancer [Merck] Data at ASCO Evaluates KEYTRUDA As Single Agent and in Novel Combinations in More Than 15 Different Cancers, Including Several New Tumors.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
First Genitourinary Vascularized Composite Allograft (Penile) Transplant in the Nation Performed at Massachusetts General Hospital [Massachusetts General Hospital] While the patient is still early in the post-surgical healing process, his physicians say they are cautiously optimistic he will regain function that he lost in 2012 when a diagnosis of penile cancer led him to undergo a curative partial penectomy – or amputation of the penis.
Man Receives First Penis Transplant in the United States [NY Times] The Massachusetts General team spent three years preparing for the penis transplants. The team did meticulous dissections in a cadaver lab to map out anatomy, and operated on five or six dead donors to practice removing the tissue needed for the transplants. Mr. Manning’s operation involved about a dozen surgeons and 30 other health care workers.
Massachusetts man has first successful U.S. penis transplant [Reuters] Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, had his penis amputated in 2012 when he was diagnosed with penile cancer.
	6.1 Observation
Rare cancers may masquerade as ADHD in children, NIH researchers suggest [NIH] Rare tumors called pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas may cause the same symptoms as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, leading to inappropriate treatment that could worsen their symptoms and potentially endanger their health. That’s the conclusion of a new study by National Institutes of Health researchers who evaluated a group of pediatric patients diagnosed with the tumors.
Raising The Survival Bar, And Access To Information, On Metastatic Cancer [Forbes] The public has every right to current information, on what’s known about survival after a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, and for all forms of cancer. Conveying information that’s bleaker than the reality, whether it comes from a doctor or a journalist or a scientist, can unduly dishearten patients. If there is measurable progress, however slight, that story should be carefully told.
	6.10 Politiques
Why we shouldn’t trade a weakened FDA for more medical research funds [STAT] By linking the extra funds to speedier approvals, Congress appears ready to undermine regulatory standards. This is a misguided notion that, unfortunately, is more likely to help companies than patients.
American Cancer Society Report Assesses Progress against Goals Set for Nation [ACS] How much more progress will be made going forward will depend on how well policy makers and the American public work together to continue progress in those areas, and in making the best available care accessible to all.
	6.11 Patients
We are all just a millimetre away from death, all the time. If only we knew it [The Guardian] About two years ago I bought a euthanasia drug online from China. You can get it that way, or you can travel to Mexico or Peru and buy it over the counter from a vet. Apparently you just say you need to put down a sick horse and they’ll sell you as much as you want.
	6.5 Médecines alternatives
Women taking certain complementary and alternative therapies ‘less likely to start chemo’ [Cancer Research UK] Dr Robert Zachariae, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, said that studies showed many women who use complementary therapies fail to discuss this with their doctor, despite evidence it leads to better patient-doctor relationships, and higher patient satisfaction. This, he said, highlights the urgent need to train oncologists to improve their ability to discuss such matters with their patients.
CAM use, but not all CAM use, is correlated with skipping chemotherapy [Respectful Insolence] Despite my strong opposition to CAM in general as unscientific, pre-scientific, and pseudoscientific, when it comes to CAM use in my own patients, I take a very pragmatic approach.
	6.6 Publications
In major shift, medical journal to publish protocols along with clinical trials [Retraction Watch] We learned of this change via the COMPare project, which has been tracking trial protocol changes in major medical journals — and been critical of the Annals of Internal Medicine‘s response to those changes. However, Darren Taichman, the executive deputy editor of the journal, told us the journal’s decision to publish trial protocols was a long time coming.
	6.8 Communication
CBS doesn't explain what FDA means by breakthrough status [HealthNewsReview] Simply speaking, the FDA uses that designation to note that something has shown promise – “it may demonstrate substantial improvement.” It is not an announcement to the public that a breakthrough of substantial improvement has been declared.