Onco Actu du 14 octobre 2016

	1. Biologie
Genomic causation....or not [The Mermaid's Tale] The idea being suggested is that (surprise, surprise!) we need much more data to make this point or to find these surprisingly harmless mutations. That is simply a misleading assertion, or attempted justification, though it has become the intentional industry standard closing argument.
Faulty molecule offers new target for treating liver cancer [The Institute of Cancer Research] Their experiments showed that high expression of uc.158- could distinguish liver cancers driven by the Wnt pathway from normal liver cells, as well as from other liver cancers which are not Wnt-dependent. These findings were confirmed in mice and rat models and in human samples of cancers of the liver and bile ducts.
	2. Etiologie
Common prostate cancer treatment linked to later dementia, researcher says [Stanford Medicine] The new retrospective study of patient records took only a few weeks, said Shah. “We are working to make such studies as simple as a Google search,” he said.
Hormone therapy for prostate cancer associated with greater risk of dementia [STAT] “We need to look at this prospectively, and not just retrospectively, before we would change clinical care.”
Prostate cancer treatment could double the chance of dementia [The Telegraph] In absolute terms, the risk is still small. Of the 1,829 patients who underwent androgen deprivation, just 7.9 per cent developed dementia.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Raise Dementia Risk [NY Times] “This study is important and urges us toward future research, but I don’t think it should impact clinical practice.”
	2.7 Etiologie - Obésité
Obesity and Diabetes Tied to Liver Cancer [NY Times] For each 2-inch increase in waist circumference, the risk of liver cancer increased by 8 percent, even after controlling for B.M.I.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
Advocacy group anecdotes present one-sided picture of genetic testing for breast cancer [HealthNewsReview] Each step in the process carries drawbacks that need to come through in reporting, so women come away informed.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
The Case Against The Case Against Mammography [Forbes] I’m disappointed that the New England Journal of Medicine would promote such an assumption-riddled, estimate-loaded piece to dissuade readers of screening’s value.
A study of overdiagnosis due to mammography reported during Breast Cancer Awareness Month [Respectful Insolence] Here’s the thing. People will see what they want to see in this study. Those who believe screening saves lives will argue that the small benefit observed is worth the cost of overdiagnosis or will try to argue that Welch greatly overestimates how much overdiagnosis there is.
	5. Traitements
Kantar Health Launches New Oncology Platform, Allowing Healthcare Companies to Better Understand Drug Opportunities [Kantar Health] CancerLandscape, an innovative, web-based solution that lets users review more than 2,000 cancer drugs covering more than 175 tumor types, tracks every oncology medicine in development by company, mechanism of action, tumor type, geography and stage of clinical development.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
10-Year Follow-up in the ProtecT Trial [Now@NEJM] In the ProtecT trial, over 1600 men with PSA-detected localized prostate cancer were assigned to active monitoring, prostatectomy, or radiotherapy. Although more patients assigned to active monitoring had disease progression, overall survival was similar in the three groups.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
With 20 Agents, 803 Trials, and 166,736 Patient Slots, Is Pharma Investing Too Heavily in PD-1 Drug Development? [The Cancer Letter] “One of the difficulties is that for combination therapy to occur, many companies feel that having their own drug will save them money in the long run, although other companies have developed broad partnership agreements,” said Druker. “There is little incentive for companies to pit their drug against a rival in a formal clinical comparison.”
Denmark's Genmab looks to immunotherapy for cancer drug encore [Reuters] Van de Winkel aims to take Genmab to the next level by using the "cash machine" of Darzalex royalties to fund research into a new wave of early-stage cancer drugs in which it will retain majority control.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
WuXi opens CAR-T biomanufacturing facility in Philadelphia [FierceBiotech] Back at the start of 2016, WuXi announced it was to erect a $120 million "biologics solution center" in Shanghai and as we draw nearer to the end of the year, it has opened a new 150,000-square-foot biomanufacturing facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard that will help produce the next gen class of cancer meds.
	5.2 Pharma
OncoGenex Announces Results from the Phase 3 ENSPIRIT Trial of Custirsen in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer [OncoGenex] The trial did not meet the primary endpoint of demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in overall survival for patients treated with custirsen in combination with docetaxel compared to docetaxel alone.
TG Therapeutics maps a shortcut to the FDA with lead drug for CLL [EndPoints] The biotech, which has been grappling with enrollment issues, says it plans to lop off the second stage of what was once a two-step development approach, dropping a look at progression-free survival with the FDA’s blessing and hustling overall response rate data to regulators if it bags positive results in the first half of 2017.
Tesaro v Myriad: Niraparib partners squared off in court as Tesaro tried to quash a contrary press release [Endpoints] “Once the content was agreed upon, the news release was issued, and the suit was dropped.”
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
First comprehensive overview of global initiatives on medicine regulation published [EMA] The aim of the mapping exercise was to raise awareness of ongoing international regulatory activities, help establish a basis for a more strategic coordination to avoid duplication of efforts, and identify possible gaps.
Patients to get faster access to the most cost effective treatments under proposed changes to NICE's process [NICE] Patients could benefit from the most cost effective treatments nearly three months faster under plans unveiled by NICE and NHS England.
	6.1 Observation
Breast Cancer Death Rates Are Down, But Racial Disparities Persist [NPR] Women are less likely to die of breast cancer than they were a decade ago, but not all women are benefiting from that trend.
Cancer waiting times: what’s causing the delays? [Cancer Research UK] At the moment there isn’t a clear picture of the workforce issues behind the delays, and where the problems lie. And while Health Education England is reviewing this, a report hasn’t been published yet.
U.S. breast cancer deaths drop; rate among white women falls most [Reuters] "Younger black women tend to have more aggressive cancer and if you don't get the therapy right, it is difficult to make up the difference later."
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
NIH funds additional medical centers to expand national precision medicine research program [NIH] Combined, the new HPOs will receive initial funds of $5.5 million to begin recruitment and build infrastructure. As efforts advance, the centers may receive first-year funds up to a total of $16 million.
	6.11 Patients
Cemetery walks and playwriting: How I found healing after breast cancer [STAT] The first performance of my play, “Regeneration,” took place fittingly enough in Mount Auburn’s Story Chapel. From there, I am taking the show to hospitals and medical schools where I’ll perform it for doctors and doctors-in-training.
Living With Cancer: Lessons on Dying From David Bowie and My Friends [NY Times] After David Bowie released a video about his cancer death, I realized that two members of my support group had been conducting tutorials on dying with me. Their teaching styles differed, as did the content of their courses, but I was privileged to be able to learn from them that there are many ways of dying and no set right way.
	6.6 Publications
Cancer researcher earns 5th retraction after misconduct finding [Retraction Watch] The previously issued notices — in The Journal of Clinical Investigation and Cancer Research — note that an investigation committee appointed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found Watkins to be solely responsible for the misconduct, with none of the co-authors aware of it.