Onco Actu du 2 février 2017

	1. Biologie
Online database aims to collect, organize research on cancer mutations [WUSTL] Goal is to help clinicians treat patients based on tumor genetics. The online resource, called CIViC, is described Jan. 30 in Nature Genetics.
The biology of cancer cell shape and why it’s important [Cancer Research UK] This in-depth account of the genes behind cancer cell shape, and how they’re linked to the likelihood of a tumour spreading, could help develop new treatments that make cancer less aggressive and easier to destroy with other therapies. And Bakal’s team has produced a map to help navigate these next steps.
	2. Etiologie
Poor Metabolic Health Associated With Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer in Normal-weight Postmenopausal Women [AACR] “Our finding that normal-weight U.S. women who are metabolically unhealthy have an increased risk of colorectal cancer compared with those who are metabolically healthy highlights how important it is for women to be aware of their metabolic health status, which can be assessed using standard clinical tests.”
	3.1.1 Tabac - e-cigs
Australian ban on nicotine e-cigarettes to remain – Expert Reaction [Science Media Centre] The reasons for the decision [see pages 71-84] include the risk that any change could re-normalise smoking and concern about a lack of evidence regarding the safety of long-term nicotine exposure through e-cigarettes.
Are E-cigarettes Leading More Kids to Smoke? [NIH Director's Blog] The finding shows that vaping has expanded the market for tobacco products to include kids at low risk of smoking cigarettes. As a result, the number of tweens and teens who used e-cigarettes, traditional cigarettes, or both in 2014 is greater than the number that smoked cigarettes in 2009.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Diabetes could be a warning sign of pancreatic cancer [NHS Choices] These are early findings presented at a conference. A full, published study is not available so it is not possible to analyse the methods and possible implications further.
	4.10 Dép., diag. & prono. - FDA, EMA, NICE,...
HHS Nominee Tom Price Targeted Panel That Urged Fewer Cancer Screenings [NPR] In 2011, Price and other lawmakers signed a letter asking the head of HHS to "push for the withdrawal" of the panel's draft prostate screening recommendations. The panel was made up of "bureaucrats," the letter said, and decisions about prostate testing were best left to doctors and their patients. "This recommendation jeopardizes the health of countless American men," the letter said.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
MD Anderson and Guardant Health announce partnership to make comprehensive liquid biopsy part of oncology standard of care [MD Anderson] Under the partnership, Guardant Health will help MD Anderson build multiple on-site liquid biopsy centers enabling development of novel non-invasive assays using Guardant Health’s Digital Sequencing technology.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
One key detail you’re unlikely to see in news stories about mammography screening guidelines [HealthNewsReview] So far, “no one has abandoned breast screening yet. But independent panels in Switzerland and France have recommended their governments to do this,” said Karsten Jorgensen, the lead author of the Danish study (and a colleague of Peter Gotzsche).
	5. Traitements
Ovarian cancer drug could target gene fault in brain tumours [Canccer Research UK] The team is now designing a clinical trial to test whether drugs like olaparib could be used to treat patients whose tumours have mistakes in their IDH genes.
Reprogrammed skin cells shrink brain tumors in mice [Science] Marini notes that more rigorous testing is needed to demonstrate just how far the tumor-targeting cells can migrate. In a human brain, the cells would need to travel a matter of millimeters or centimeters, up to 20 times farther than the 500 microns tested here, he says.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
Adding antiandrogen therapy to radiation therapy improves survival in recurrent prostate cancer [Mass. General Hospital] Enrolled from 150 sites in North America, participants were evaluated at the beginning and end of their radiation treatment and then at intervals ranging from every three months to annually for an average of around 13 years.
Old drug gets new trick for prostate cancer treatment [STAT] See and Shipley both noted that looking at those subsets of patients was not what the study was initially designed to do, which limits the statistical power of those conclusions. More research will be needed to confirm which men benefit most from taking the drug.
Hormone Blockers Can Prolong Life if Prostate Cancer Recurs [NY Times] The study, paid for by the National Cancer Institute, showed that among men who received radiation and hormonal treatment, 76.3 percent were still alive after 12 years, compared to 71.3 percent who had radiation alone.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Immunotherapy 2.0 Named Advance of the Year in ASCO’s 12th Annual Cancer Progress Report [ASCO] Ahead of World Cancer Day, Report Calls for Increased Federal Funding for Cancer Research.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
Another top Genentech exec gets poached, this time taking the helm at CAR-T player Bellicum [EndPoints] The Houston-based Bellicum is one of a group of biotechs looking to make a splash in CAR-T and TCRs, with reengineered T cells. It’s been something of an also-ran, though, with Kite, Novartis and Juno generally considered the leaders in the field. Bellicum raised $140 million from its IPO two years ago.
	5.2 Pharma
Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces European Patent Office Decision on Sprycel [BMS] This decision does not impact our patents outside of the EU or other Sprycel-related patents. BMS has a long-standing heritage in oncology. Sprycel (dasatinib) will continue to be a significant asset in our broad oncology portfolio and an important treatment option for patients living with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
This mysterious $2 billion biotech is revealing the secrets behind its new drugs and vaccines [Science] Moderna runs four wholly owned ventures focused on drugs for infectious diseases, rare diseases, immuno-oncology, and personalized cancer vaccines. It has about 430 full-time employees, spilling across three buildings around biotech-dense Kendall Square.
Pfizer Needs to Keep Dealing [Bloomberg] Its late-stage pipeline is weak, and it relies too much on older drugs.
Competition stalls Roche margin growth; drugmaker commits to diabetes unit [Reuters] Consequently, Chief Executive Officer Severin Schwan said he has dialed back 2017 profit growth expectations on the grounds that he must invest in new products including cancer immunotherapy Tecentriq, Cotellic for skin cancer and lung cancer drug Alecensa to fill the void.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Big Pharma promised Trump new American jobs for tax cuts and deregulation. But the vow comes after a 5-year purge [EndPoints] CEOs like Bradway and Frazier enjoyed a positive reaction on Wall Street as they cut costs. Now, the new political season calls for talking about creating jobs and pushing Congress for tax cuts — which they want badly — and deregulation, which has not been a major issue at all.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Trump Pledges to Gut FDA: Which Regulations Need to Go? [RAPS] With an executive order (EO) and comments from President Donald Trump yesterday calling for a massive overhaul of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, legal experts and former FDA officials are offering some practical and creative ways the agency could clean house.
What if the FDA is eliminated? [Health Business Blog] Even if the bar for approvals is lowered, third-party payers will still want to see compelling safety and efficacy data before they provide reimbursement.
Lobbyists, lawmakers slam Trump’s plan to slash regulation [FierceBiotech] Lobbying group Public Citizen was similarly damning about what it described as “Trump’s horrifying proposal.” Public Citizen said the plan “reflects utter ignorance” about the role of FDA and will “destroy the ability of the agency to protect patients and consumers from unsafe or ineffective medications.”
Withdrawal of the Application for a Change to the Marketing Authorisation for Denosumab [ESMO] The application was withdrawn after the CHMP had evaluated the initial documentation provided by the company and formulated a list of questions. The company had not yet responded to the questions at the time of the withdrawal.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA)
EU clears Merck’s Keytruda for un-treated lung cancer [PharmaTimes] Clearance is based on data from the Phase III Keynote-024 trial, which showed superior overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) with Keytruda compared to chemotherapy, the current standard of care for advanced NSCLC.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Trump has big plans to fix drug prices. Here’s your reality check [STAT] President Trump has ambitious plans to overhaul the drug market, speeding approvals while bringing down prices. It sounds great. But soundbites can be deceiving. So we gave Trump’s rhetoric a reality check.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Let’s talk about cancer: the Manchester project that aims to save lives [The Guardian] Cancer deaths in Greater Manchester are 10% higher than the UK average. A new volunteer scheme wants to change this.
	6.10 Politiques
The time is ripe to reform the World Health Organization [Nature] As the public-health agency chooses a new leader, the media and politicians must be more realistic about what it can do.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
Statement from ASH, AACR, AACI, ASTRO, ASPHO, and LUNGevity Foundation on the Administration’s Executive Order on Immigration [AACR] We remain deeply concerned that restricting travel will prohibit participation in scientific meetings, where cutting-edge science and treatment methods are often first introduced. These in-person meetings and other global exchanges are vitally important because they provide unparalleled opportunities for collaborations and information-sharing. Such scientific and medical meetings are absolutely essential to the conquest of cancer and blood diseases.
On 22 April, empiricists around the country will march for science [Science] Organizers have said they want to appeal to anyone who, as its mission statement puts it, “champions publicly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity.” Organizers have emphasized that the march is not just for practicing scientists, but for “anyone who believes in empirical science.”
President Trump, the Cancer Moonshot and the new war on drug pricing [The Institute of Cancer Research] What could the new US administration mean for drug discovery and development – in the US and the UK? Dr Angela Kukula, the ICR's Director of Enterprise, reports back from the world’s biggest life sciences conference, BioWeek SF.
Scientists protest immigration ban with boycotts of journals, conferences [STAT] In the days since the executive order was announced, more than 4,500 international academics have signed a pledge to boycott US-based conferences, of which there are hundreds every year.
	6.11 Patients
Young women with breast cancer learn to celebrate life — and say goodbye [STAT] As if to underscore the notion, the two friends in late October attended a storytelling performance called “Mortified,” featuring tales from each speaker’s teenage journals and diaries. The show was entitled “Let’s Talk About Death.”
	6.6 Publications
Richard Smith: Time for pharmaceutical companies to help improve the publishing of science [BMJ Blogs] The mood of the meeting was that pharmaceutical companies should be bolder and join the movement to try and improve the publishing of science. The next question is how, and that will be the question addressed at future meetings.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
Moving Patient Data Is Messy, But Blockchain Is Here to Help [Wired] “Now is probably the right time in our history to take a fresh approach to data sharing in healthcare,” says John Halamka, chief information officer at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.