Onco Actu du 6 juin 2017 - Spécial ASCO

	5.5 ASCO
Small studies get big headlines at ASCO 2017 [HealthNewsReview] Scientific research — and cancer research is a superb example — by necessity, moves forward cautiously and self-critically. Those of us who write about this research serve our readers best when we do the same.
6 things to keep in mind if you read cancer-related news in the next few days [HealthNewsReview] Abstracts that are released at a major medical conference are snippets of studies that usually have not been peer-reviewed nor published in medical journals.
	5.5.1.1 ASCO (général) - Industriels
Roche presents new data for TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab) and updates from across its cancer immunotherapy development programme at ASCO 2017 [Roche] Data evaluated TECENTRIQ in novel combinations across a broad range of tumours including lung, kidney and melanoma.
	5.5.1.2 ASCO (général) - Académiques
At big cancer meeting, a big question: Is the U.S. ‘losing its edge’? [STAT] The number of studies fully funded by the NIH at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) — the world’s largest gathering of cancer researchers — has fallen 75 percent in the past decade, from 575 papers in 2008 to 144 this year.
	5.5.10 ASCO (hémato)
Early, Durable Responses Seen with Sprycel (dasatinib) in First- and Second-Line Treatment of Pediatric Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Chronic Phase (CP-CML) [BMS] Largest prospective trial in pediatric chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase includes first formulation specifically developed for pediatric population.
Juno Therapeutics Presents Updated TRANSCEND NHL 001 Trial Data Demonstrating High Durable Response Rates in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory CD19+ Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma [Juno] First multicenter CAR T trial to treat a wide range of patients with aggressive relapsed or refractory NHL excluded from other trials.
Kite Reports 73 Percent of Patients Achieved MRD Negative Complete Remission in Updated Analysis From Phase 1 ZUMA-3 CAR-T Trial of KTE-C19 in Adult Patients With High Burden Relapsed/Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia [Kite] KTE-C19 was successfully manufactured in this multi-center trial for all patients in six days across a range of absolute lymphocyte and blast counts in a centralized and streamlined process.
bluebird bio and Celgene Corporation Announce Updated Clinical Results from Ongoing First-in-Human Multicenter Study of bb2121 Anti-BCMA CAR T Cell Therapy in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma at ASCO Annual Meeting [bluebird bio] 100% of the 15 evaluable patients in active dose cohorts (doses above 50 x 106) achieved an objective response; overall response rate (ORR) across all cohorts (n=18) is 89%.
Long-Term IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) Efficacy and Safety Data at ASCO 2017 Show Sustained Survival Rates in Up to Four Years in Previously-Treated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL) Patients, Including Those with High-Risk Disease [AbbVie] Data show 59 percent progression free survival and 74 percent overall survival in CLL/SLL patients treated with IMBRUVICA, with high-risk patients trending to have the most favorable outcome.
New Data Presented at ASCO 2017 Finds IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) May Offer a More Targeted Approach to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Treatment than Chemotherapy Agent Chlorambucil in Treatment-Naïve Patients [AbbVie] IMBRUVICA effectively impacted cancerous cells while sparing non-cancerous white blood cells through one year of treatment.
CAR T-Cell Therapy Sends Multiple Myeloma Into Lasting Remission [ASCO] The authors report results from the first 35 patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant (refractory) multiple myeloma enrolled in this ongoing phase I clinical trial in China.
With one BLA at the FDA, Kite hustles along impressive new leukemia data and sounds a note of caution on safety [EndPoints] Safety, though, remains a key concern. These CAR-T studies have been marred from the beginning by common cases of cytokine release syndrome. In this trial, there were three cases of grade three or higher CRS with one death and six cases of grade three or higher neurological reactions.
Nanjing Legend wows ASCO researchers with early data on a BCMA-targeted CAR-T contender [EndPoints] China’s Nanjing Legend Biotech is a virtual unknown in the CAR-T field. But it gained marquee status at ASCO today with stellar early multiple myeloma data on a drug targeted at B-cell maturation protein, or BCMA.
Bluebird has a promising new update on its BCMA CAR-T for multiple myeloma, but is it still the leader? [EndPoints] With 18 patients evaluable for efficacy, there were 15 in what bluebird termed active dosing regimens above the minimum for bb2121, and all of them achieved an objective response.
Chinese cell therapy effective in small multiple myeloma trial [Reuters] The study of 35 patients tested a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy developed by China's Nanjing Legend Biotech Co.
	5.5.12 ASCO (médico-éco)
SWOG clinical trials added more than 3M years of life for cancer patients, Fred Hutch researcher reports [Fred Hutch] For an investment of $125 for each year of life gained since the 1950s, the National Cancer Institute-funded SWOG clinical trials program has added 3.34 million years of life for cancer patients in the United States because of successful therapies that were proved through its trials.
Thumbs up: Cancer drug R&D is exploding, get ready for the pricing debate to follow [EndPoints] Backed in particular by the FDA’s breakthrough program, now liberally applied along with fast-track status and priority reviews, the biopharma industry is competing like never before to carve out new territory in cancer treatment.
Big returns on small cancer research investment, study suggests [Reuters] For the 23 successful trials, researchers calculated how many cancer patients might survive for a year who might otherwise have died without the new therapies developed through the SWOG effort. By dividing those years of life saved by the estimated cost of all SWOG studies since 1956, Unger and his colleagues calculated that it took a National Cancer Institute investment of only $125 for each year of life saved.
	5.5.13 ASCO (divers)
Quickly reporting cancer complications may boost survival [STAT] "I was floored by the results," said the study leader, Dr. Ethan Basch.
Web-Based System for Self-Reporting Symptoms Helps Patients Live Longer [ASCO] “The improvement in survival we saw may seem modest, but it is greater than the effect of many targeted cancer drugs for metastatic cancer,” said Dr. Basch.
How a simple tech tool can help cancer patients live longer [Washington Post] Lead study author Ethan Basch, an oncologist at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, acknowledges that a five-month improvement might sound modest. But, he notes, it is a greater benefit than what's provided by many targeted drugs for metastatic cancer.
	5.5.13.1 ASCO (divers-radiothérapie)
A Single Radiation Treatment Sufficiently Relieves Spinal Cord Compression Symptoms [ASCO] “This study means that without compromising care, we can help patients have more time to focus on the things they enjoy instead of on the cancer.”
One dose of radiotherapy relieves spinal cord compression in advanced cancer patients [Cancer Research UK] Experts said the findings should lead to patients making fewer trips to hospital to control symptoms and reduce pain.
	5.5.13.2 ASCO (divers-psy)
Remote Therapy Program Improves Quality of Life, Lowers Distress After Cancer Diagnosis [ASCO] “Online tools are an excellent new way to provide this support to more patients, especially those who otherwise might not have the opportunity to see a therapist.”
Psychological Intervention Relieves Distress in Patients With Advanced Cancer [ASCO] CALM is a psychological intervention developed specifically for patients with advanced cancer. It consists of three to six 45- to 60-minute sessions delivered over three to six months by trained health care professionals, such as social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, palliative care doctors and nurses, and oncologists.
Psychological Intervention Lowers Survivors’ Fear of Cancer Recurrence [ASCO] “The hope is that the positive results of this fear-reducing intervention will pave the way for making it more widely available to patients.”
Meditation reduces cancer survivors' fear of disease coming back, study finds [The Guardian] Researchers randomly split 222 cancer survivors into two groups. In one group, a trained therapist delivered five sessions of 60- to 90-minute relaxation sessions. The second group received no psychological interventions.
	5.5.15 ASCO (biopsies liquides)
New Technology Dives Deep Into the Cancer Genome [ASCO] This approach, however, differs from liquid biopsies, including commercial tests, which only profile a relatively small portion of the genome in patients already diagnosed with cancer for the purpose of helping monitor the disease or detect actionable alterations that can be matched to available drugs or clinical trials.
Grail passes early test in quest to find cancer in blood [Reuters] Grail's test scans blood samples for mutations in 508 genes, reading each region of the genome some 60,000 times. The company says the process yields 100 times more data than other liquid biopsy approaches.
Painless cancer detection could become routine thanks to 'liquid biopsies' [The Guardian] Ravazi said simple tests to screen for cancer were “a very long way” from development, but the new research brought doctors one step closer.
	5.5.16 ASCO (médecine de précision)
ASCO’s TAPUR Study Continues its Expansion of Sites, Participants, and Collaborators [ASCO] Thirty-six new locations—making TAPUR available at over 100 sites—new partnerships and expanded eligibility.
Routine Genomic Testing is Feasible, But Only a Subset of Patients Benefit [ASCO] A study in France of 1,944 patients with advanced cancer suggests that widespread, routine genomic testing is feasible, although it offers clinical benefit to only of subset of patients at this time. According to the authors, this is the largest study of its kind.
	5.5.16.1 ASCO (médecine de précision-TRK)
A New Cancer Drug Helped Almost Everyone Who Took It. Almost. Here's What It Teaches Us [Forbes] Loxo was willing to focus on TRK mutations when they are involved in as few as 0.5% of cancers. It has moved mountains to find these patients and get them its medicine, so that it can prove the treatment works.
Loxo Drug Notches Strikingly High Response Rates in Genetically Defined Tumors [The Street] Loxo enrolled patients with 17 different types of advanced cancer into its clinical trial. All the tumors in these patients tested positive for the same genetic alteration called a TRK gene fusion, which acts like an "on" switch for cancer cells to grow.
Loxo takes center stage at ASCO with its groundbreaking shot at a biomarker-based cancer drug approval [EndPoints] For a small company with just 35 staffers, Loxo has enormous ambitions that include shooting at some groundbreaking advances in drug development.
New Drug Shows Durable Efficacy Across Diverse Pediatric and Adult Cancers [ASCO] “Though the study is small and early, it demonstrates compelling evidence that may pave the way for a new class of drugs for rare tumors that could inform the future of precision medicine.”
Loxo's targeted drug helps variety of advanced cancers in small study [Reuters] The drug, larotrectinib, directly targets an acquired rather than inherited genetic defect called TRK fusions. In such patients, TRK genes abnormally attach to other genes, triggering accelerated cancer cell growth.
Promising New Cancer Drugs Won’t Go Far Unless Everyone Gets Genetic Testing [MIT Technology Review] TRK mutations occur in a small number of cancer patients—anywhere from 1,500 to 5,000 in the U.S. annually, according to Loxo’s estimates. Loxo plans to seek FDA approval in both adult and pediatric patients by the end of the year.
	5.5.18 ASCO (observation)
Steady Decrease in Severe Health Problems for Childhood Cancer Survivors [ASCO] “As a result of advances in treatment and care, children with cancer are not only living longer, they are benefitting from reductions in the long-term side-effects of cancer treatment.”
Childhood cancer survivors have fewer long-term side effects: study [Reuters] Overall, severe health conditions arising within 15 years of childhood cancer diagnosis fell to 8.8 percent of survivors in the 1990s, from 12.7 percent in the 1970s, the study found.
Pregnancy After Breast Cancer Does Not Increase Chance of Recurrence [ASCO] “These data provide reassurance to breast cancer survivors that having a baby after a breast cancer diagnosis may not increase the chance of their cancer coming back.“
Pregnancy after breast cancer doesn't raise recurrence risk-study [Reuters] The study included 1,207 women under age 50 who were diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer before 2008.
	5.5.2 ASCO (sein)
APHINITY study shows Roche’s Perjeta-based regimen reduced the risk of invasive cancer returning compared to Herceptin and chemotherapy in HER2-positive early breast cancer [Roche] The study was positive in the overall population, with greatest risk reduction in patients with node-positive or hormone receptor-negative disease.
Ovarian cancer drug reduces chance certain advanced breast cancers will get worse [Cancer Research UK] Dr Jean Abraham, a breast cancer expert from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, said the results “paved way for the possibility of new treatment options” for these women.
Roche Takes Another Cancer-Drug Hit [Bloomberg] Roche Holding AG has been a dominant cancer-drug maker for years, meaning the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is usually a showcase for it. Not this time.
Pfizer Presents Final Phase 2 Data on Investigational PARP Inhibitor Talazoparib in Patients with Germline BRCA-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer [Pfizer] ABRAZO is an open-label Phase 2, 2-stage, single arm, parallel cohort study that investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of single-agent talazoparib in 83 evaluable, heavily pretreated gBRCA+ advanced breast cancer patients. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) by independent radiology review.
Perjeta’s APHINITY for HER2+, High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients After Surgery [OBR] Physician attendees vocalized great concerns during today’s session regarding the financial burden of adding Perjeta for a modest 1.7% IDFS benefit, despite its favorable tolerability profile.
MONARCH 2 Adds Semi-Sweet Results to the HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer Field [OBR] Given the hurdles, these data are only “semi-sweet”: good enough for regulatory approval, but the toxicities seen in MONARCH 2, and abemaciclib’s eventual third-to-market introduction might cause physicians to question when to offer the agent.
Triumph in Breast Cancer: KuDOS to Lynparza [OBR] The discussant, Dr. Allison Kurian, had an overall positive outlook stating that these results” are practice-changing.” However, the magnitude of the benefit (3 months difference) and lack of OS benefit could raise questions by others in the field about the clinical meaningfulness of these results.
AstraZeneca's Lynparza Slows Breast Cancer Caused By BRCA Mutations By 42% [Forbes] Getting breast cancer results is good for Astra, but the result could also be important for those companies because investors will also take it as evidence that the other drugs will prove effective.
Roche Drug Helps Keep Breast Cancer In Remission, But Tiny Benefit Stokes Hopes For Rival, Puma [Forbes] The data, though positive, are in some ways a blow to Roche and for patients. But they could benefit Puma Biotechnology, a small company that has developed a rival drug, neratinib.
Study Questions Value of Costly Cancer-Drug Combinations [Fox Business] That modest benefit comes at a high price: more than doubling the one-year treatment cost to $158,000 a patient from $74,500. The combination also had higher rates of certain side effects than Herceptin alone, including severe diarrhea.
Lilly Builds Upon Body of Data for Abemaciclib with Phase 3 MONARCH 2 Data Demonstrating Superior Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Breast Cancer [Lilly] Abemaciclib plus fulvestrant significantly improved efficacy outcomes over placebo plus fulvestrant.
Adding a Second HER2 Blocker May Lower Chance of Invasive Breast Cancer for Some Women [ASCO] At an early follow up of three years, 93.2% of women who received trastuzumab alone had not developed invasive disease compared with 94.1% of those who received pertuzumab and trastuzumab, a difference of 1%.
Olaparib Slows Growth of BRCA-Related Metastatic Breast Cancer [ASCO] The median time to progression was 7 months with olaparib and 4.2 months with chemotherapy.
AstraZeneca’s PARP drug Lynparza easily outscores chemo in PhIII breast cancer study [EndPoints] The drug was linked with tumor shrinkage in 60% of the patients with germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations taking the drug, compared to 29% in the chemo group.
Roche’s ‘success’ with its big Perjeta/Herceptin PhIII falls flat at ASCO, but it’s a boost for Puma [EndPoints] Roche heralded a success for its closely-watched combination breast cancer study of Perjeta and Herceptin at ASCO on Monday, but once the data came into focus there didn’t seem to be much to cheer about at the pharma giant.
Roche combo of breast cancer drugs shows modest benefit [Reuters] After three years, 93.2 percent of women on Herceptin alone had not developed invasive cancer compared with 94.1 percent of those given Perjeta - a difference of less than one percentage point.
AstraZeneca's Lynparza slows advanced breast cancer progression: study [Reuters] Serious side effects were reported in 37 percent of Lynparza patients compared with 50 percent for chemotherapy, but just 5 percent discontinued Lynparza due to side effects.
	5.5.3 ASCO (prostate)
Abiraterone Acetate Provided Significant Clinical Benefit in Patients with High-Risk Metastatic Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer (mHNPC), Improving Overall Survival and Radiographic Progression-Free Survival [Janssen] “In the LATITUDE trial, we found that abiraterone acetate plus prednisone, in combination with androgen deprivation therapy, demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in patients with high-risk metastatic hormone-naïve prostate cancer,” said Dr. Karim Fizazi.
Prostate Cancer Drug About To Confront Insurers With Sovaldi-Size Problem [Forbes] A conservative and crude estimate would be 2.8 billion dollars annual expenditure on the drug in the United States alone.
ASCO 2017: Using targeted cancer drugs earlier in treatment – abiraterone benefits prostate cancer patients at diagnosis [Institute of Cancer Research] Abiraterone was originally approved by the European Medicines Agency for use after chemotherapy in 2011. Thanks to a NICE decision last year, abiraterone is now available before chemotherapy as well.
LATITUDE Changes Attitude Toward Metastatic Prostate Cancer [OBR] Questions remain about how physicians will use Zytiga versus docetaxel in metastatic prostate cancer patients.
Abiraterone Slows Advanced Prostate Cancer, Helps Patients Live Longer [ASCO] “It adds to a growing body of evidence that establishes abiraterone as a standard of care in this setting.”
Abiraterone Delays Metastatic Prostate Cancer Growth by 18 Months, Extends Survival [ASCO] “This is good news because using abiraterone could help many people live longer with fairly few additional side effects.”
Prostate cancer treatment 'could help more patients' [BBC News] "This is one of the biggest reductions in death I've seen in any clinical trial for adult cancers."
J&J’s stellar prostate cancer data signals the likelihood of a broader market approval, as Pfizer rival struggles [EndPoints] The LATITUDE study data demonstrated that the combination therapy delivered an average stretch of 33 months without the disease worsening, compared to 14.8 months for standard hormone therapy.
Giving prostate cancer drug earlier extends lives of men whose disease has spread [Cancer Research UK] “I really hope these results can change clinical practice.”
Early use of J&J's Zytiga extends prostate cancer survival [Reuters] The data, which supports expanding the drug's use to earlier stages of prostate cancer, is "likely to change clinical practice overnight," said Dr Richard Shilsky, chief medical officer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
	5.5.4 ASCO (immunothérapies)
Early Research Suggests First Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma on the Horizon [ASCO] Early findings from an ongoing phase II clinical trial in France, MAPS-2, show that immunotherapy may slow the growth of MPM after relapse. At 12 weeks, cancer had not worsened in 44% of patients who received nivolumab (Opdivo) and in 50% of those who received nivolumab with ipilimumab (Yervoy).
Encouraging Disease Control Rates Observed with Nivolumab Alone or in Combination with Ipilimumab in Refractory or Relapsing Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Patients: Results from IFCT-1501 MAPS-2 Trial [BMS] The French Cooperative Thoracic Intergroup (IFCT) and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS)announced today results from the IFCT-1501 MAPS-2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of nivolumab or nivolumab combined with ipilimumab for previously treated unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients.
Anti-LAG-3 (BMS-986016) in Combination with Opdivo (nivolumab) Showed Activity in Patients with Melanoma Who Were Relapsed or Refractory to Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Therapy [BMS] Analyses suggest LAG-3 biomarker may be promising to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from this therapeutic combination.
Opdivo (nivolumab) Data in Patients with Advanced Cervical, Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers from Phase 1/2 CheckMate -358 Presented at ASCO [BMS] Overall response rate of 26.3% in patients with cervical cancer regardless of PD-L1, HPV status and number of prior systemic therapies.
A LAG-3, Opdivo combo from Bristol-Myers offers a proof-of-concept glimpse of limited success [EndPoints] Bristol-Myers Squibb turned up at ASCO with some intriguing proof-of-concept data that marries their drug Opdivo with a LAG-3 drug, offering an early glimpse on how it could work for a particular category of patient.
Kite to launch mid-stage leukemia trial in fourth quarter 2017 [Reuters] Axi-cel belongs to a new class of therapies called chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) using a complicated process of extracting immune system T cells from an individual patient, altering their DNA to sharpen their ability to spot and kill cancer cells, and infusing them back into the patient.
Cancer researchers weigh in on immunotherapy hype and hope [CNN] "There are truly some dramatic responses with immunotherapy, but like many cancer fads, it is easy to believe that the early success will extend to all cancers, and over and over, we have learned that there is no one solution to cancer."
	5.5.4.1 ASCO (immunothérapies-IDO)
Clinical Trial Data for Combination of Epacadostat and Opdivo® (nivolumab) Demonstrate Durable Clinical Responses in Patients with Melanoma and Head and Neck Cancer [BMS] These data supported advancing the clinical development program for epacadostat and Opdivo in these types of cancer.
Incyte 'IDO' Combination Lung Cancer Results Improve Slightly at ASCO17 [The Street] The number of patients treated is small and we don't have any randomized data to look at, but a 35% response rate for epacadostat-Keytruda in lung cancer appears to be better than the 14-20% response rate observed when Keytruda (or other checkpoint inhibitors) is used alone in similar patients.
Incyte keeps the ASCO spotlight focused on its closely-watched IDO1 drug epacadostat [EndPoints] Incyte is encouraged by the improvement as it tracks durability of the early-stage data. And while investigators aren’t making any predictions of what they’re going to see from here, says Stein, “it’s unlikely to get worse; it can only get better.”
Next-generation cancer drugs boost immunotherapy responses [Nature] IDO can suppress immune responses and rein in potentially damaging inflammation. But it can also halt the body’s natural immune response to cancer and allow tumours to grow unchecked. Some tumours even express IDO to shield themselves from the immune system.
	5.5.5 ASCO (gastro-intestinal)
Global Study Sets New Risk-Based Standard to Personalize Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer After Surgery [ASCO] The goal of this study, which pooled data from 6 studies conducted in North America, Europe, and Asia, was to determine if 3 months of chemotherapy was as effective as 6 months.
Opdivo (nivolumab) in Combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab) Demonstrated Promising Activity in Previously Treated Patients with dMMR or MSI-H Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Phase 2 CheckMate -142 Study [BMS] Investigator-assessed objective response rate was 54.8%, responses were durable and median duration of response was not reached.
Simple way to boost cancer survival rates: diet and exercise, studies say [The Guardian] A healthy diet and exercise could reduce colon cancer patients’ chance of death and simply walking could improve survival rates for breast cancer survivors, studies presented at the world’s largest cancer conference have found.
	5.5.6 ASCO (peau-mélanome)
First Presentation of Efficacy Data from CheckMate -204 Evaluating the Combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) Demonstrates Anti-tumor Activity in Advanced Melanoma Patients with Brain Metastases [BMS] Over half of patients (55%) experienced an intracranial objective response with 21% achieving a complete intracranial response.
New Data Evaluating the Safety and Preliminary Relapse-Free Survival of Adjuvant Yervoy (ipilimumab) 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg in Resected High-Risk Melanoma Patients Presented at ASCO [BMS] Relapse-free survival at three years was 56% for Yervoy 3 mg/kg and 54% for Yervoy 10 mg/kg. Treatment-related Grade 3/4 adverse events were experienced by 37% of patients in the Yervoy 3 mg/kg arm and 57% in the 10 mg/kg arm.
Combined immunotherapy could help control melanoma that has spread to the brain [Cancer Research UK] While patient numbers were small, the results could offer a new treatment option if confirmed in future studies.
Regeneron, Sanofi make their case for another PD-1 drug — and they’re not settling for sixth place [EndPoints] REGN2810 delivered an impressive overall response rate of 46.2% — 12 of 26 patients — which includes 2 complete responses, 9 partial responses and 1 unconfirmed partial response.
	5.5.8 ASCO (poumon)
Phase III study showed Roche’s Alecensa (alectinib) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by more than half versus crizotinib as first-line treatment in a specific type of lung cancer [Roche] Second positive phase III head-to-head study to show Alecensa was superior to crizotinib in people with ALK-positive lung cancer.
Research Suggests Possible New Treatment for EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer [ASCO] Compared to the EGFR inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa), one of the standard targeted medicines for this disease, second-generation EGFR inhibitor dacomitinib delayed cancer growth by a median of 5.5 months more.
Alectinib Halts Lung Cancer Growth More Than a Year Longer Than Crizotinib [ASCO] Compared to the current standard of care crizotinib (Xalkori), the newer ALK inhibitor alectinib (Alecensa) halted cancer growth for a median of 15 months longer and caused fewer severe side effects.
Pfizer drug delays lung cancer growth longer than Astra's Iressa: study [Reuters] Dacomitinib delayed the cancer from worsening for 14.7 months compared with 9.2 months for Iressa, a measure known as progression-free survival, researchers reported.
Roche's Alecensa bests Pfizer's Xalkori in lung cancer trial [Reuters] Patients on the Roche drug lived for a median of 25.7 months before their cancer worsened, compared with 10.4 months with Xalkori.
	5.5.9 ASCO (autres organes)
Lenvima Seated Next to Nexavar in First-Line Hepatocellular Carcinoma [OBR] This begs the question that if Lenvima is used in the first-line, will physicians need to wait to use Stivarga in the third-line setting after Nexavar is offered in the second-line?
Low Testosterone After Testicular Cancer Is Common, Linked to Chronic Health Problems [ASCO] “Based on this study and others, clinicians should ask testis cancer survivors whether they have symptoms of low testosterone and should watch for signs of associated health problems.”