Onco Actu du 2 novembre 2016

	1. Biologie
Be your own control: Cancer sequencing differs based on genetic background of reference genome [Colorado Cancer Blogs] “Then we started to think about all these human cancer genomic studies,” Wang says. “People use all this sequencing data to show genomic changes in human cancers, but what if these studies have similar comparison problems?”
Mark Zuckerberg Is Funding a Facebook for Human Cells [MIT Technology Review] What scientists want to do now is to inspect tens of millions of human cells for their molecular signatures and also locate each type in the body. That sort of map could be useful to scientists or drugmakers, who might, for instance, look up which cells a new drug is likely to effect. Cataloging how the immune system changes and adapts to fight tumors could be the source of the next insights for cancer treatments.
	3.1 Tabac
Why Tobacco Companies Are Spending Millions To Boost A Cigarette Tax [NPR] For many Missouri health advocates, an increase in the state's tobacco tax is long overdue. But onlookers might be surprised to hear that tobacco companies are spending a fortune this election year to get one or another increase in that tax passed, while health groups are urging a no vote.
India says it is committed to global tobacco-control treaty [Reuters] India reaffirmed on Tuesday its commitment to a World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco-control treaty, despite lobbying from its $11 billion industry that opposes some measures in the treaty that will be discussed at a conference next week.
	3.1.1 Tabac - e-cigs
Safer to Puff, E-Cigarettes Can’t Shake Their Reputation as a Menace [NY Times] But mounting evidence suggests vaping is far less dangerous than smoking, a fact that is rarely pointed out to the American public. Britain, a country with about the same share of smokers, has come to the opposite conclusion from the United States.
	3.2 Prévention - Obésité
To fight childhood obesity, task force recommends screening all kids starting at age 6 [LA Times] Draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force urge pediatricians and other clinicians to check the body mass index of children and adolescents to identify patients who would benefit from weight counseling programs.
Childhood obesity plan ‘watered down by government’, TV investigation claims [Cancer Research UK] The Government has been accused of watering down a series of plans aimed at tackling childhood obesity, a Channel 4 investigation will claim today.
	3.3 Prévention - Vaccins
Anal Cancer Rising Worldwide [ACS] HPV vaccination may help curb surging burden of the disease.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Predicting cancer cells’ response to chemotherapy [MIT News] Measuring DNA repair capability can reveal tumors’ sensitivity to drugs.
	4.11 Dép., diag. & prono. - Ovaire
Scientists Identify Potential Marker of Resistance to PARP Inhibitors [NCI] The new study also provided evidence that another class of drugs called ATR inhibitors, which are being studied for the treatment of various cancers, may be able to overcome resistance to PARP inhibitors caused by inactivation of SLFN11.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
Geneticists should offer data to participants [Nature] Sarah Nelson was refused access to her own genome data. How long before volunteers who face this attitude turn away from science?
Genetic testing fumbles, revealing ‘dark side’ of precision medicine [STAT] Enthusiasm for precision medicine, from the White House down to everyday physicians, is at an all-time high. But serious problems with the databases used to interpret patients’ genetic profiles can lead to “inappropriate treatment” with “devastating consequences,” researchers at the Mayo Clinic warned on Monday.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
Genetic Testing Could Help Identify Breast Cancer Patients at High Risk of Venous Thromboembolism [AACR] The study discovered that chemotherapy and genetic susceptibility independently increased the risk of VTE and that the impact of genetic susceptibility was most pronounced in older patients.
	5. Traitements
A look at scientists’ efforts to conquer a deadly brain tumor [Stanford Medicine] There’s a fascinating new story in Scientific American about how precision-medicine techniques are helping scientists crack the mysteries of the deadliest brain tumor. The tumor, a form of pediatric cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, is truly devastating: It has a one-percent survival rate five years after diagnosis, and that figure hasn’t budged in 40 years.
Common genetic disorder linked to increased death rate from cancer drug [Fred Hutch] Researchers recommend ‘caution’ when using the chemotherapy busulfan in patients with Gilbert’s syndrome.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
In defense of data sharing, but done in the right way [STAT] What we have seen, and what researchers we’ve spoken to have said, is that understanding clinical trial data sets is not easy. A great deal of time can be spent getting the data straight. No matter how carefully data are curated, there are always questions. If someone wants to use a data set, they need to understand it and use it wisely and responsibly.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
New Bristol-Myers Squibb Research on Opdivo (nivolumab) Monotherapy and in Combination With Yervoy (ipilimumab) at SMR 2016 Congress Reinforces Immuno-Oncology Leadership and Scientific Expertise in Melanoma [BMS] Several oral and poster presentations on efficacy and safety of Opdivo plus Yervoy regimen in sub-groups of melanoma patients with poor prognostic characteristics.
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Yervoy (ipilimumab) Awarded Prix Galien USA Discovery of the Decade [BMS] This is the third Prix Galien honor received by Bristol-Myers Squibb, the only company to receive the Prix Galien USA Best Biotechnology Product award for two Immuno-Oncology agents.
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
Adaptimmune signs Keytruda/T-cell therapy myeloma tie-up with Merck [FierceBiotech] This is not new ground for Adaptimmune as its T-cell therapy has previously been tested in multiple myeloma in a single agent Phase I/II trial, in which 20 out of 22 patients experienced a response at day 100 post autologous stem cell transplant, according to the biotech.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
Insight into exhausted immune cells could open new doors for cancer therapy [STAT] Engineered cells known as CAR-T cells — which aim to home in on and attack tumor cells — can get worn out, too. Now, scientists have a clearer picture of what’s happening inside those tired T cells. We talked to researcher Dr. Nick Haining of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute about the work, published this week in Science.
Immune cells may become ‘exhausted’ during immunotherapy [Cancer Research UK] The researchers say the next steps will be finding out if there are ways of combining immunotherapies with other treatments that reprogram the exhausted T cells.
	5.2 Pharma
Novartis’s blockbuster CDK 4/6 contender LEE011 gets a VIP countdown at the FDA [EndPoints] Novartis’s LEE011 (ribociclib) is getting VIP treatment at the FDA. A few weeks after posting impressive late-stage data for its CDK 4/6 drug, the agency has given it a priority review schedule, lopping four months off the usual regulatory review.
Novartis LEE011 (ribociclib) granted FDA Priority Review for first-line treatment of HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer [Novartis] A marketing authorization application for LEE011 plus letrozole has also been accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Roche licenses out PI3K pathway brain cancer med to Oz biotech [FierceBiotech] Just a few months after posting early-stage data for its experimental brain cancer med GDC-0084, Roche has handed over development rights for the drug to Australian upstart biotech Novogen.
	5.2.2 Pharma - Fusions & Acquisitions
Celldex, Aiming For More Cancer Drug Combos, Pays $62.5M For Kolltan [Xconomy] Kolltan has been developing cancer drugs that target receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs).
Post-PhIII implosion, Celldex buys oncology drug developer Kolltan in $235M deal [EndPoints] Eight months after watching expectations for its cancer vaccine Rintega (rindopepimut) implode in a failed Phase III glioblastoma study, Celldex Therapeutics $CLDX is doing some pipeline reconstruction, buying out Kolltan Pharmaceuticals in an all-stock deal.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
AstraZeneca R&D leader Pangalos warns of a post-Brexit UK research retreat without reimbursement reform [EndPoints] AstraZeneca’s influential R&D leader Mene Pangalos has blasted the UK government’s drug watchdog NICE for keeping the price of new drugs at low levels, saying that regulators are threatening the industry’s substantial R&D presence in the country in a post-Brexit world.
Takeda CEO says new myeloma drug Ninlaro will be 'significantly bigger than Velcade' [FiercePharma] Takeda Chief Executive Christophe Weber told investors that Ninlaro is already rolling out faster than expected in the U.S. and--just a few months after launch--one in five new patients who are receiving second-line treatment for the disease are being prescribed the drug. That is the highest market share for any new multiple myeloma therapy, he said.
Celgene May Be Ready to Lap Bristol [Bloomberg] The distinction between big biotech and big pharma has grown increasingly moot as several biotechs have gotten larger than their much older peers. That might soon happen again, with biotech giant Celgene Corp. approaching the size of big-pharma stalwart Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Merck, Pfizer’s avelumab under review for Merkel cell carcinoma [Pharma Times] MCC is a rare and aggressive skin cancer affecting around 2,500 Europeans a year. Patients face a very bleak prognosis, with less than 20 percent surviving beyond five years.
FDA approves clinical trial of Cuban lung cancer vaccine [Pharmafile] The clinical trial will be held at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, with 60 to 90 patients who had previously been treated for advanced NSCLC given the vaccine. The vaccine, named CimaVax, targets the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is ‘overexpressed’ in approximately 40% to 80% of NSCLCs.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
NICE rejects Merck’s Erbitux [Pharma Times] "This decision not to recommend cetuximab as an option for treating mouth cancer will be disappointing for some patients. However we need to make sure the NHS makes the most of its resources by only funding treatments that are both clinically effective and represent good value for money," said Professor Carole Longson, director of the health technology evaluation centre at NICE.
	5.9 AACR
Researchers Discuss Disruption to DNA Damage Control [AACR] Later this week, more than 200 researchers will convene in Montreal for a four-day conference on DNA Repair: Tumor Development and Therapeutic Response organized by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Just say death!' Plays teach healthcare workers about end-of-life care [The Guardian] Dying is taboo among health and care professionals who sometimes prioritise medical initiatives over individuals and families.
World Cancer Declaration Progress Report 2016 [UICC] Whilst many UICC members are contributing to the development of national cancer and NCD plans – the Report highlights that many of these are not publically available or are not being implemented due to lack of funding, or expertise for scale up.
	6.1 Observation
How to understand the rise in the number of cancer cases [Philly] The primary reason for the rise in cancer cases and deaths is simple: the nation’s population, as a whole, is growing and getting older.
Women’s cancers: curable for the rich, often a death sentence for the poor [The Conversation] In the case of cervical cancer, 85% of women diagnosed, and 87% of those who die are from poorer countries. Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable via HPV vaccination for girls and cervical screening, with treatment of pre-cancererous growths. None of this requires an oncologist or high-level cancer centre.
Sellafield, radiation and childhood cancer – shedding light on cancer clusters near nuclear sites [Cancer Research UK] While the COMARE report strongly suggests that radiation from the nuclear sites doesn’t explain the cancer clusters in Seascale and around Dounreay, we don’t have all the answers yet.
Cancer deaths among women to rise 60% by 2030, new reports warn [The Guardian] As the global population grows and ages, the highest toll will be among women in poor and middle-income countries, it said, and much of it from cancers which are largely preventable.
Cheap cancer measures could save hundreds of thousands of lives in poor countries [Reuters] Nearly 800,000 women die of cervical and breast cancer every year, with two thirds of breast cancer deaths and 9 out of 10 cervical cancer deaths in developing countries, they said in a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
Fearing Democratic tidal wave, the drug industry is pouring money into GOP coffers [STAT] With a fight over drug prices expected next year, drug companies have been funneling significant political contributions toward Republican candidates, fearful of what a full Democratic takeover of Washington might mean for the industry, according to a STAT analysis.
	6.11 Patients
My cancer diary: ‘There’s a new drug, but the NHS won’t pay. Private cost? £15,624 a month!’ [The Guardian] Here’s the real paradox. I’m lucky in that I can probably afford this drug provided it’s not for too long. In other words, the sooner the treatment fails the happier my bank manager will be!
‘Going Flat’ After Breast Cancer (NY Times] “Having something foreign in my body after a cancer diagnosis is the last thing I wanted,” said Ms. Bowers, 45, of Bethlehem, Pa. “I just wanted to heal.”
	6.3 Associations/Fondations
Giving Special Section: Medical Charities Once Advised on Coping With a Disease. Now They Try to Cure It. [NY Times] Dr. Louis DeGennaro joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2005 after a career spent in the pharmaceutical industry and soon started its venture philanthropy effort. In 2014, Dr. DeGennaro was named the foundation’s president and chief executive. “When we partner with a company, it’s a business alliance with a contract, milestones and deliverables,” he said in an interview. “This resonates with some donors.”
	6.4 Médico-éco
Financial toxicity: a potentially devastating side effect of treating cancer [STAT] In a study we conducted with several colleagues, cancer patients who filed for bankruptcy had a 79 percent higher mortality rate compared to those who had the same cancer and did not file for bankruptcy.
Costs keep women from taking drugs to prevent cancer’s return [Reuters] To see what factors may influence whether women take hormone therapy, researchers looked at data on women aged 65 and older enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans from 2007 to 2009.
	6.6 Publications
Publisher Retracts Dozens of Studies [The Scientist] Springer Nature, the company behind both subsidiary publishers, issued the mass retraction notice upon discovering that some of the now-pulled papers’ authors had manipulated the peer review process, and that some of the reports contained plagiarism.
What should you do if a paper you’ve cited is later retracted? [Retraction Watch] The first step: Determine whether the fact a reference has been retracted has any impact on the conclusions of your own paper.
	6.8 Communication
Early report card on quality of FDA news releases: C at best [HealthNewsReview] Speaking hypothetically here, a release shouldn’t simply state that, say, a new drug cut heart attack risk in half. Instead, state that of 100 people divided equally into a control and intervention group, 2 had heart attacks in the control group, and 1 had a heart attack in the intervention group (a 50% relative risk reduction that sounds very impressive when framed that way, but a 1% absolute risk reduction for the people in the study).
	6.9 Controverses
J&J Loses Third Trial Over Cancer Link to Talcum Powder [Bloomberg] Johnson & Johnson lost a third straight trial over claims its talcum powder can cause ovarian cancer with a St. Louis jury awarding a California woman more than $70 million.