Onco Actu du 16 juin 2016

	1. Biologie
Predictive Genomics [HMS] Combining two emerging, large-scale technologies for the first time—multiplexed mass spectrometry and a mouse population with a high level of natural genetic diversity—researchers at Harvard Medical School and The Jackson Laboratory can now crack an outstanding question in biology and medicine: How do genetic variants affect protein levels?
	2.11 Etiologie - Alimentation
Why It's So Hard to Determine If Food and Drinks Cause Cancer [Motherboard] “Humans are incredibly complicated organisms that live in incredibly complicated environments and we make lots of different decisions throughout the day related to our health and some of them we’re not even aware of,” Caulfield told me. “So in order to isolate the effect or impact of one compound, or one food, it can be really difficult. There are so many variables at play.”
‘Very hot’ drinks probably cause cancer, coffee redeemed – Expert reaction [Science Media Centre] The SMC gathered the following reaction from New Zealand experts.
WHO Agency Downgrades Coffee’s Cancer Link [ACS] The news that coffee is being downgraded from “possible carcinogen” to “unclassifiable” sounds surprising, since we’re used to seeing trends go the other way, from safe to potentially cancer-causing. But this is how the scientific process works.
Coffee and cancer – what does the evidence say? [Cancer Research UK] And if you don’t drink coffee already? We wouldn’t suggest this news means you need to start. The evidence is still uncertain, and if subsequent research does reveal an effect, it’s probably small – much smaller than any positive benefits gained from the important things, like keeping a healthy weight or cutting down on the amount of alcohol you drink.
Panel’s advice on cancer risk from hot drinks is hard to swallow [Science] Confused? Join the crowd. The two verdicts, announced today by an expert panel at an agency that is part of the World Health Organization, show the limits of such blanket yes-or-no decisions on whether something causes cancer.
Hot drinks may cause cancer, but coffee does not, says WHO [The Guardian] Those who enjoy hot tea in Europe and the US probably do not need to worry, Loomis said. “It is important to recognise that hot drinks that were studied for the basis of this classification are perhaps a bit different from tea or coffee as consumed [in other parts of the world] – 65C is quite hot.”
Can coffee cause cancer? Only if it's very hot, say WHO scientists [Reuters] "(This) does not show that coffee is certainly safe ... but there is less reason for concern today than there was before," Dana Loomis, the deputy head of IARC's Monograph classification department told a news conference.
World Health Organization to Drop Coffee's Status as Possible Carcinogen [Wall Street Journal] Dr. Loomis said it is not the first time the IARC has downgraded the cancer risk of a substance “but it happens seldom.”
Freaking out over a growing carcinogen list? Context is key [The Globe & Mail] So while the IARC’s list is comprehensive and evidence-based, there’s no reason for hysterics over every new announcement. It’s an important resource for policy-makers to have, but it should not be read as a guidebook of things that must be avoided at all costs.
Well: Coffee May Protect Against Cancer, W.H.O. Concludes [NY Times] In its report, the group cited evidence, for example, that coffee drinkers’ risk of liver cancer decreases 15 percent “for each one cup per day increment.” Still, the group did not give coffee a ringing endorsement.
	4.11 Dép., diag. & prono. - Ovaire
New Imaging Technique Could Identify Additional Ovarian Tumors Not Visible to Surgeons’ Eyes [AACR] The amount of residual tumor left after surgery is an important prognostic factor for ovarian cancer patient survival.
	4.5 Dép., diag. & prono. - Colorectal
4 things to know about the new colorectal cancer screening advice [STAT] Although studies have found that screening reduces one’s risk of dying of colorectal cancer by 14 to 28 percent, it doesn’t reduce overall mortality — that is, deaths from all causes — the task force acknowledged.
American Cancer Society Responds to USPSTF Final Recommendation on Colorectal Cancer Screening [ACS] The 2016 USPSTF recommendations are very similar to those made by the joint guideline from the American Cancer Society, US Multi-Society Taskforce on Colorectal Cancer and American College of Radiology in 2008. These guidelines reinforce the notion that with several test options the best test is the one that you get.
People can choose their colon cancer screening method: U.S. panel [Reuters] "Our recommendation is people discuss the strengths and limitations of the different options with their clinicians," he said. "Make a choice they can follow through with."
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
Updated NICE quality standard identifies areas for breast cancer improvement [NICE] NICE’s latest quality standard published today says people who have been diagnosed with a type of early breast cancer and who are at risk of the cancer spreading should be offered a test called Oncotype DX.
	5. Traitements
Chemotherapy may boost immunotherapy power in ovarian cancer [Cancer Research UK] The research findings suggest that drugs that boost the immune system would be most effective if given after chemotherapy and the most effective immunotherapy treatments will have to block the PD-L1 protein to allow T cells to target the tumour most effectively.
Presurgery Chemotherapy May Make Advanced Ovarian Cancers Responsive to Immunotherapy [AACR] Metastatic ovarian cancer patients treated with chemotherapy prior to surgery had altered immune cells in their tumors, and specific alterations identified suggest that immunotherapy given after chemotherapy may help in preventing the cancer from coming back, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research.
Ultrasound Opens the Brain to Promising Drugs [MIT Techology Review] Carpentier, who invented SonoCloud and founded its parent company, CarThera, says the most surprising part was the patients’ response to the implant. “The patients don’t feel anything when we emit ultrasound,” he says. “And they actually don’t complain about it. It was set up in the protocol to remove it after six months, but patients don’t want to remove it.”
	5.12 Immunothérapies
FDA's Oncology Leader Sends The Wrong Message On Immuno-Oncology Drug Research [Forbes] Dr. Pazdur is an enlightened FDA division head. His work has been important in getting life-saving medicines to cancer patients quickly and efficiently. However, he is off-base in his concerns about an excess of R&D in immuno-oncology. This is an area where multiple options are needed, particularly when it comes to reducing drug costs.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Rgenix Raises $33M, Preps Cancer Trial For Drug Shelved By GSK [Xconomy] The drug, known as RGX-104, was once shelved at GlaxoSmithKline because of side effects. But Rgenix’s underlying technology pointed the company toward the drug and others like it, because they hit a molecular target that might stimulate the immune system to attack cancer.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA)
Roche’s Gazyvaro approved in Europe in combination with bendamustine for people with previously treated follicular lymphoma [Roche] This is the second approval in Europe for Gazyvaro based on a positive phase III study.
	5.5 ASCO
ASCO 2016: will fine-tuning treatments require redefined tumours? [Cancer Research UK] This doesn’t necessarily mean the end of body-based tumour classification – but it could prove pivotal in the drive to personalise treatment. And giving scientists access to vast amounts of data could have a key role to play too.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
Supercomputers to play a key role in supporting Biden’s cancer effort [STAT] “Supercomputers are key to the Cancer Moonshot,” Moniz wrote, because they can “greatly accelerate the development of cancer therapies by finding patterns in massive datasets too large for human analysis.”