Onco Actu du 23 janvier 2017

	1. Biologie
John Arnold Made a Fortune at Enron. Now He’s Declared War on Bad Science [Wired] Arnold says that now, unless he trusts a researcher’s work, he no longer believes the findings of any scientific study until he or someone on the staff carefully vets the paper.
New insight into origin of stomach cancer [WUSTL] In this study, Burclaff and Mills inserted a human gene into acid-secreting cells in the stomachs of mice. Then, by exposing the animals to a toxin that affects human cells but not mouse cells, they were able to kill the acid-secreting cells without damaging any other cells in the animals. But, surprisingly, the mice did not go on to develop the precancerous condition.
Pancreatic tumors rely on signals from surrounding cells [Salk] Salk scientists find that targeting the interaction between a pancreatic tumor and its microenvironment could weaken cancer.
Mayo researchers identify mechanism of oncogene action in lung cancer [Mayo Clinic] “This paper demonstrates, for the first time, that Ect2 is required for tumor formation in vivo and identifies a novel function related to ribosomes for Ect2 in lung adenocarcinoma tumor cells.”
	2.11 Etiologie - Alimentation
Browned toast and potatoes are 'potential cancer risk', say food scientists [BBC News] Bread, chips and potatoes should be cooked to a golden yellow colour, rather than brown, to reduce our intake of a chemical which could cause cancer, government food scientists are warning.
UK scientists give cancer risk warning on overdone chips, toast [Reuters] "The scientific consensus is that acrylamide has the potential to cause cancer in humans."
	3.1 Tabac
Stop smoking services may boost mental health of people with depression [Cancer Research UK] Researchers at Kings College London and the Charles University in Prague who studied people attending a stop smoking clinic in the Czech Republic, found that successful quitters had a considerable improvement in their depression.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Next Generation: Mobile Microscope Detects DNA Sequences [The Scientist] A cell phone–based microscope can identify mutations in tumor tissue and image products of DNA sequencing reactions.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
MRI scans could spare 25% of men from prostate biopsies [NHS Choices] Overall, the findings provide a strong argument for recommending MP-MRI scans for all men with a raised PSA level before having a biopsy.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Opdivo Shows Appetite for Gastric Cancer [OBR Blog] While gastric cancer is a relatively rare tumor type in the United States (ranks 16th in terms of incidence), it is the most commonly diagnosed tumor type in Japan. In part due to this, Ono Pharmaceuticals took the lead in evaluating immunotherapy in gastric cancer in Asia Pacific.
Scrambled DNA inside tumours might hinder cancer immunotherapy [Cancer Research UK] The finding, published in the journal Science, might one day be used to help doctors decide which patients are most likely to benefit from immunotherapies.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
Cellectis Studies Safety in New CAR Architecture Controlling CAR T-Cell Functions [Cellectis] The implementation of the novel oxygen sensitive CAR architecture empowers CAR T-cells with the possibility to auto-regulate (switch on or tune-up) their functions in low oxygen (hypoxic) environments.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Where Art Thou? Not in First-Line Lung Cancer Immunotherapy, Sadly [The Street] One year ago, Bristol was widely considered be leading the market in cancer immunotherapy, but that all changed last summer with the failure of a phase III study of Opdivo in front-line lung cancer.
Bristol's Opdivo Dependence Now Looks Dicey [Bloomberg] According to Bloomberg Intelligence, Bristol has 41 trials of the Opdivo-Yervoy combo ongoing, 12 of them in late stages. An estimated 24 percent of the company's sales came from those two drugs in 2016.
Merck, Bristol-Myers agree to settle Keytruda patent suit [Reuters] Merck will make an initial payment of $625 million to Bristol and Japan's Ono. The company will also pay a 6.5 percent royalty rate on Keytruda sales from January 2017 to December 2023, and a 2.5 percent rate for the subsequent three years.
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Company Enter Settlement and License Agreement with Merck to Resolve PD-1 Antibody Patent Litigation [BMS] Merck to pay Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ono royalties on global sales of Keytruda through 2026, and lump-sum payment of $625 million.
	5.2 Pharma
Regorafenib from Bayer Granted Priority Review in Japan for the Second-Line Treatment of Liver Cancer [Bayer] The regulatory submission for regorafenib is based on data from the international, multicenter, placebo-controlled Phase III RESORCE [REgorafenib after SORafenib in patients with hepatoCEllular carcinoma] trial.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
22 Case Studies Where Phase 2 and 3 Results Diverge: New FDA Report [RAPS] FDA says the report “is not intended to assess why each of these unexpected results occurred or why further product development was not pursued,” but to “illustrate the ways in which controlled trials of appropriate size and duration contribute to the scientific understanding of medical products.”
22 Case Studies Where Phase 2 and Phase 3 Trials had Divergent Results [FDA] To better understand the nature of the evidence obtained from many phase 2 trials and the contributions of phase 3 trials, we identified, based on publicly available information, 22 case studies of drugs, vaccines and medical devices since 1999 in which promising phase 2 clinical trial results were not confirmed in phase 3 clinical testing.
AACR Applauds Appointment of Richard Pazdur, MD, as Director of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence [AACR] Pazdur will oversee the first disease area (oncology) at the FDA to have a coordinated clinical review of drugs, biologics and devices across the agency’s three medical product centers.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA)
Imbruvica gets US nod for marginal zone lymphoma [Pharma Times] Janssen and AbbVie's Imbruvica has been cleared by regulators in the US to treat certain patients with marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Bernard Merkel: Should patients really be at the centre of healthcare? [BMJ Blogs] So when I hear this kind of discussion between academics and articulate patient advocates in a room full of well-off, well-educated people with considerable knowledge of health and healthcare, I can’t help but feel that this is all a very long way from the more prosaic reality of the less advantaged and more typical patients who turn up every day to GP’s surgeries and A&E departments looking for expert help.
Cancer patients with depression have resources [Reuters] The patient resource explains that physical changes, limitations from symptoms and treatment and uncertainty about the future all put cancer patients at risk for depression. But nontherapeutic tools, such as physical activity, a healthy diet, and a strong social network can help the body, improve mood and reduce stress, the authors write.
	6.1 Observation
Cervical Cancer Taking Deadlier Toll in U.S. Than Had Been Thought [NY Times] The new rates do not reflect a rise in the number of deaths, which recent estimates put at more than 4,000 a year in the United States. Instead, the figures come from a re-examination of existing numbers, in an adjusted context.
	6.11 Patients
The chemo’s too much, but getting on a clinical trial is gruelling enough [The Guardian] Back to Marsden for blood tests before what might well have been my first dose of immunotherapy trial drugs on Thursday. But oh no! Unless my pneumonia infection has basically gone away then I can be excluded from the trial. And because this episode has occurred after I was consented to, the drug company (trial sponsors) has to be told about it.
	6.2 Implants mammaires
PIP breast implants: French court tells TUV to pay damages [BBC News] A French court has ordered a German safety body to pay 60m euros (£52m; $64m) in compensation to 20,000 women who received faulty breast implants.