Onco Actu du 28 août 2017

	1. Biologie
A Cancer “Atlas” to Predict How Patients Will Fare [MIT Technology Review] To generate the atlas, researchers led by Mathias Uhlén, a professor of microbiology at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, used a supercomputer to analyze 17 major types of human cancers from nearly 8,000 tumor samples.
	2.10 Etiologie - Alcool
Alcohol linked to an increased risk of skin cancer [NHS Choices] Overall, this study provides a good summary of the available literature on the links between alcohol intake and non-melanoma skin cancer, but we can't be certain of the size and strength of these links. People drinking responsibly within current alcohol recommendations should not be concerned.
	3.1 Tabac
Philip Morris International CEO cheers U.S. FDA tobacco proposal [Reuters] The chief executive of Philip Morris International said he was “extremely encouraged” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent proposal to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes and nudge smokers toward less harmful alternatives such as e-cigarettes.
BAT's $25 Billion Lucky Strike [Bloomberg] The maker of Lucky Strikes wants to refinance its 42 billion-pound ($55 billion) buyout of Reynolds American -- a deal which will give it No. 1 position in tobacco-related products globally.
	3.1.1 Tabac - e-cigs
Teens who vape might be more likely to try cigarettes, study suggests [Cancer Research UK] Professor Linda Bauld, a Cancer Research UK-funded expert in tobacco policy at the University of Stirling, said that the study simply shows that some teenagers who try an e-cigarette might go on to try tobacco, and on both occasions it could be just once.
Study of e-cigarettes in UK teenagers gives mixed signals [Reuters] “Given the lack of clarity regarding the mechanism linking e-cigarette and cigarette use, we need to be cautious in making policy recommendations based on our findings.”
FDA to expand public education campaign to focus on prevention of youth e-cigarette use [FDA] Campaign part of wide range of tools agency is using to address youth tobacco use.
FDA to launch campaign against e-cigarette use among youth [Reuters] Gottlieb is walking a tightrope between satisfying the interests of tobacco control advocates, who like the idea of lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes, and e-cigarette companies that have been lobbying for a lighter regulatory hand.
	3.2 Prévention - Obésité
The UK’s pick ‘n’ mix approach to children’s obesity is missing a trick [cancer Research UK] The Government recognises that junk food marketing directly impacts children’s diets and obesity, but its rules to stop it don’t work. They haven’t been updated for a decade and are riddled with loopholes.
	3.3 Prévention - Vaccins
HPV Vaccination Rates Especially Low Among Childhood Cancer Survivors [ASCO] Survey Shows Provider’s Recommendation is a Major Factor in Vaccination Uptake.
	3.5 Prévention - UV
The ‘Tanning Tax’ Is A Public Health Success Story [Health Affairs Blog] Although far more research is needed to establish causation, the apparent reduction in rates of tanning that has occurred since the tax’s enactment suggests that the tax may well be doing its job.
	3.8 Prévention - Alimentation
'Junk food' may increase cancer risk in 'healthy weight' women [NHS Choices] The authors suggest that these findings mean weight management alone might not protect against obesity-related cancer if women have a high energy dense diet.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
The overdiagnosis community targets solutions [BMJ] Documenting overdiagnosis is the easy part. The real challenge is how to manage it.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
New imaging technique spots prostate tumours starved of oxygen [Cancer Research UK] “This new technique compliments existing MRI and PET scans by helping us learn more about blood vessels within the tumour, which we haven’t been able to look at before in this way."
Prostate cancer testing: has the bubble burst? [The Conversation] Seven years after we summarised available knowledge on this in our 2010 book, we now have results from two recent clinical trials to help us make even stronger informed decisions: the Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) – 10 years of follow-up - and Prostate Cancer Intervention versus Observation Trial (PIVOT) – 20 years of follow-up.
	4.10 Dép., diag. & prono. - FDA, EMA, NICE,...
Britain's Creo receives speedy FDA approval for its endoscopic device [Reuters] Britain’s Creo Medical Group said its device to remove cancerous lesions in the bowel during an endoscopy had received U.S. approval much quicker than it planned, shaking up a timetable that had been focused on a European launch.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
Can a ‘liquid biopsy’ detect cancer and save lives? [STAT] The new study “made a compelling case that you can detect early-stage nasopharyngeal cancer in a high-risk population in a relatively inexpensive way,” Ambinder said. “On the other hand, it’s not something that is going to be used in most of the world.”
Silicon Valley Startup Grail Sees Hope for Cancer Blood Test [Bloomberg] Dennis Lo, one of the study’s main authors and a professor in Hong Kong, is also the co-founder of a biotech company called Cirina, which agreed to merge with Grail in May.
Cancer Blood Tests Score Early Success [MIT Technology Review] While Lo seems to have proven that this liquid biopsy screening test really works, nasopharyngeal cancer is a special case. That is because the presence of the virus in tumor cells makes it much easier and cheaper to test for.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
U.S. study revives argument over mammogram screening [Reuters] The new study used data from computer models to compare the benefits and risks of three screening regimens.
For older breast cancer survivors, unclear when to stop mammograms [Reuters] About 57 percent of women with less than five years to live had a mammogram, as did 66 percent of women who probably had less than 10 years to live. At the same time, 14 percent with more than 10 years to live didn’t receive a mammogram.
	5. Traitements
Guideline on Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Therapy Updated [ASCO] Fourteen randomized controlled clinical trials provided the evidence base for the recommendations.
Vitamin C injections could play a role in treating blood cancers [NHS Choices] This study was very early stage research in mice, and therefore would require further investigation and trials in humans before any treatment based on the findings could offered to patients. Also, the dose used was far higher relative to weight, than would be safe in humans.
Drug Aimed at Inflammation May Lower Risk of Heart Disease and Cancer [NY Times] The highest dose appeared to cut lung cancer incidence by two-thirds, and deaths by three-quarters. But because heart disease was the main focus of the study, the authors called the cancer results “exploratory” and said more study is needed to see if they hold up.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
Biggest challenges of multi-region clinical trials identified [European Pharmaceutical Review] “The survey results indicated that investigator selection and training are the hardest areas in which to set standards in emerging markets,” said Lisa Henderson, editor in chief at Applied Clinical Trials.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Studies highlight ‘potential new targets for immunotherapy’ [Cancer Research UK] "These findings provide new insight into the way in which the PD-L1 immune checkpoint is regulated and opens up a new avenue for the development of immunotherapy agents that restrict PD-L1 expression by targeting CMTM6."
NCI study identifies essential genes for cancer immunotherapy [NCI] Shashank Patel, Ph.D., the first author of the study, said the results show that “many more genes than we originally expected play a vital role in dictating the success of cancer immunotherapies.”
“First in Human” Documentary Highlights NCI Immunotherapy Research [NCI] The three-part series—scheduled to run on August 10, 17, and 24—will feature NCI researchers and staff leading trials of a type of immune-based cellular therapy known as adoptive cell transfer (ACT).
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
Cancer Research UK and Biotecnol to trial new immuno-oncology treatment for advanced tumours [Cancer Research UK] The drug is the first to emerge from Biotecnol’s novel antibody development platform, Trisoma®. It is directed against the 5T4/WAIF1 tumour antigen, a protein found on many different solid tumours and is thought to contribute to the spread of cancer cells.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
New CAR-T drug for leukemia, while effective, is ‘going to cost a fortune’ [STAT] Switzerland-based Novartis hasn’t announced a price for the medicine, but British health authorities have said a price of $649,000 for a one-time treatment would be justified given the significant benefits.
With CAR-T marketing looming, early study highlights potential of TCR engineering [EndPoints] This week, a research team led by the NIH’s Steven Rosenberg — whose work has been used as a basis of Kite Pharma’s pioneering CAR-T — rolled out early proof-of-concept data from a small human study using a CD4+ T cell adapted with a T cell receptor that zeroes in on MAGEA3, or melanoma-associated antigen A3.
Kite Announces Initiation of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel CAR-T Clinical Program in the European Union [Kite] First Patient Dosed in Safety Expansion Cohort of ZUMA-1 in the European Union (EU).
	5.12.3 Immunothérapies-combinaisons
Bristol-Myers puts up Opdivo-plus-Yervoy data, adding to combo-therapy mystery [FiercePharma] The trial will continue to allow more data to accumulate toward the third endpoint, overall survival, but those results may not be ready for harvesting till 2019.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Topline Results from CheckMate -214, a Phase 3 Study of Opdivo in Combination with Yervoy in Intermediate and Poor-Risk Patients with Previously Untreated Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma [BMS] Co-Primary Endpoint of Progression-Free Survival Favored the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy vs. sunitinib but did not Reach Statistical Significance.
Bristol-Myers shares sink after another setback for its immuno-oncology franchise drugs [EndPoints] Bristol-Myers Squibb conceded Tuesday evening that a combination of Opdivo and Yervoy failed to hit a key co-primary endpoint in a Phase III study for frontline renal cell carcinoma.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Juno executives investigated over trial deaths disclosure by law firm [FierceBiotech] The latest Schubert investigation centers on when and how much certain officers and directors knew or should have known about the role of JCAR015 in the patient deaths that occurred during the Phase 2 trial of JCAR015.
	5.12.6 Immunothérapies - AMM
FDA Approves Nivolumab for Some Metastatic Colorectal Cancers [NCI] In the phase II clinical trial that led to the accelerated approval, 28% of patients treated with nivolumab experienced an objective response to treatment: their tumors shrank, as measured by regular imaging scans. One of the trial participants had a complete response.
	5.2 Pharma
Novartis announces analysis published in The Lancet showing ACZ885 reduced lung cancer mortality by 77% in the CANTOS study with further studies planned [Novartis] CANTOS is the first Phase III clinical trial to support a long-established hypothesis from pre-clinical models that inhibition of IL-1ß impacts cancer incidence and mortality.
Genmab gains on promising early success for daratumumab PhIII in multiple myeloma, but questions linger [EndPoints] Genmab CEO Jan van de Winkel has been an exuberant advocate of the drug’s megablockbuster potential in cancer, particularly if it jumps to solid tumors from blood cancers.
After a long clinical odyssey, the FDA tapped this PhIII anti-CCR4 as a ‘breakthrough’ lymphoma drug [EndPoints] Approved in Japan over the last few years for several indications, the FDA is enthusiastic about the anti-CCR4’s chances for Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome — two types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma — as a second-line therapy.
An Also-Ran in Cancer Drugs, Sanofi Sees Chance to Close the Gap [Bloomberg] “It’s not a sprint to one target and that’s it, you’re the winner,” Zerhouni said. “The immuno-oncology field will be going through upheaval and changes in position for the next 20 years.”
	5.2.2 Pharma - Fusions & Acquisitions
Gilead agrees to buy Kite Pharma, leaping into CAR-T cancer therapy [STAT] But while CAR-T is a surely a transformational cancer-fighting technology, questions remain about whether these therapies can be commercially viable and profitable.
Gilead Sciences to Acquire Kite Pharma for $11.9 Billion [Business Wire] Provides Broad Pipeline in Hematologic Malignances and Solid Tumors and Robust Platform for Continued Innovation.
Gilead to Buy Kite Pharma for Roughly $11 Billion in Cash [Wall Street Journal] Drugmaker seeks to diversify portfolio as sales of its hepatitis C drugs decline.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Drug makers deserve to be publicly shamed for thwarting competition from generics [STAT] “I’m not as hopeful you can shame these companies, because they’re happy to be shamed all the way to the bank.”
New Novartis rival Kisqali hasn't slowed down Pfizer's Ibrance—at least not yet [FiercePharma] The newcomer’s most recent market share figure sits at 4% across all lines of therapy, with a 5% piece of the lucrative first-line pie.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Another Brick in the Wall: A New Commitment Implementing the Mutual Recognition of Inspections [FDA Law Blog] We will continue to monitor the implementation of this inspection initiative with the EU, and to assess whether it bears the fruits its FDA proponents advertise, without the drawbacks that many fear.
Drug approval needs a helping hand [Nature] It’s time for researchers to lend their expertise to expediting the arrival of cutting-edge therapies that are waiting in the wings.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA)
Lynparza receives additional and broad approval in the US for ovarian cancer [AstraZeneca] Lynparza’s new tablet formulation approved as maintenance treatment for women with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer regardless of BRCA-mutation status; Lynparza tablets also indicated in BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer beyond the third-line setting.
Novartis Kisqali® (ribociclib) receives EU approval as first-line treatment for HR+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with any aromatase inhibitor [Novartis] Kisqali plus letrozole demonstrated a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 25.3 months versus 16.0 months of patients who received letrozole alone.
Pfizer Receives U.S. FDA Approval for BESPONSA® (inotuzumab ozogamicin) [Pfizer] The approval was based on results from the Phase 3 INO-VATE ALL trial, a randomized, open-label, international, multicenter study evaluating the safety and efficacy of BESPONSA compared with Investigator’s choice of chemotherapy in 326 adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL.
AVEO Oncology Announces FOTIVDA® (tivozanib) Approved in the European Union for the Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma [Aveo] Dr. Bernard Escudier, Medical Oncologist and member of the Genitourinary Tumour Board of Gustave Roussy, France, commented “This is excellent news for patients with metastatic RCC."
Faslodex receives US FDA approval as monotherapy for expanded use in breast cancer [AstraZeneca] 20% reduction in disease progression vs anastrozole, a current standard treatment option.
FDA approves new treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia [FDA] Besponsa (inotuzumab ozogamicin) is a targeted therapy that is thought to work by binding to B-cell ALL cancer cells that express the CD22 antigen, blocking the growth of cancerous cells.
Novartis receives EU approval for breast cancer drug Kisqali [Reuters] The approval is based on pivotal phase III MONALEESA-2 trial, which showed Kisqali plus letrozole reduced risk of disease progression or death by 43 percent versus letrozole alone.
FDA expands use of AstraZeneca/Merck ovarian cancer drug [Reuters] The agency also approved a new two-tablet regimen for the drug, regardless of whether patients test positive for BRCA genetic mutations associated with high risk for the cancer.
FDA approves Pfizer's drug for rare blood cancer [Reuters] Besposa — approved in the European Union earlier this year — is a targeted therapy that binds to B-cell ALL cancer cells that express the CD22 antigen, blocking the growth of cancer cells.
Pfizer’s CD22-targeted cancer drug inotuzumab wins an accelerated OK at FDA [EndPoints] The drug is the first to reach the market which is designed to bind to the CD22 antigen on B-cells, where it then goes into the cancer cell to deliver a cytotoxic payload of calicheamicin, destroying the cell.
Bayer Receives EU Approval for Stivarga® (Regorafenib) for the Second-Line Systemic Treatment of Liver Cancer [Bayer] Approval marks first treatment advance in nearly a decade and is based on data from the Phase III RESORCE study, in which Stivarga® (regorafenib) demonstrated significant improvement in overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients previously treated with Nexavar® (sorafenib).
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Brentuximab vedotin for treating relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma [NICE] Final appraisal document.
NICE flip-flops on Takeda's Adcetris—with restrictions [FiercePharma] But there’s a catch. NICE only recommends Adcetris for patients who have no restriction or minimal restriction in physical activities, as scored by an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1.
Patients getting faster access to cancer drugs as NICE approves three quarters of the Cancer Drugs Fund [NICE] Liver cancer drug, sorafenib has been approved for routine NHS use, marking three quarters of the way through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) without a negative decision.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
UT Nominates MD Anderson Alum Peter Pisters to Replace DePinho [Xconomy] Before he became UHN’s president and CEO in Toronto, Pisters spent 20 years at MD Anderson as a cancer surgeon, researcher, and administrator.
	6.1 Observation
Heart Attack, Stroke Risk May Be Elevated Following Cancer Diagnosis [NCI] Several factors influence this risk, the researchers wrote, including that cancer patients often undergo invasive procedures that can dislodge a clot and that tumors and cancer therapies can affect processes that influence the formation of clots, like coagulation and platelet function.
More Young People Are Dying of Colon Cancer [NY Times] The study found that even though the risk of dying from colon and rectal cancers has been declining in the population over all, death rates among adults aged 20 to 54 had increased slightly, to 4.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2014, up from 3.9 per 100,000 in 2004.
Colorectal Cancer Death Rates Rising in People Under 55 [ACS] Rise confined to white population.
Aggressive breast cancers may contribute to racial survival disparities [UNC] The study confirmed that young black women are more likely to have “triple negative,” or “basal-like,” breast cancers, a subtype that does not express any of the receptors for targeted biologic therapies. The study also identified variation by race within a clinical breast cancer type that has the greatest mortality disparity.
	6.5 Médecines alternatives
'Alternative cancer therapies' may increase your risk of death [NHS Choices] Complementary therapies such as acupuncture and tai chi may help some people but they should never take the place of potentially life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy.
Alternative medicine: Deadly for cancer patients [Respectful Insolence] There is a surprising paucity of evidence regarding whether the use of CAM in addition to conventional therapy has an adverse effect on cancer survival, but the evidence that we do have is very clear on at least one thing: CAM does not improve cancer survival.
	6.6 Publications
A bold open-access push in Germany could change the future of academic publishing [Science] Instead of buying subscriptions to specific journals, consortium members want to pay publishers an annual lump sum that covers publication costs of all papers whose first authors are at German institutions.
A long journey to reproducible results [Nature] Replicating our work took four years and 100,000 worms but brought surprising discoveries.
Thoughts on Reproducibility [In the Pipeline] You’d rather never see such things take place at all, but we staff the labs with humans, and any large sample of people is going to include some interesting and fraught personalities in it. . .
Half of papers searched for online are free to read [Nature] Large study of open research analysed reader data from Unpaywall tool, which finds freely available versions of articles.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
The Fuzzy Factor: Striving to Protect Patient Privacy in Big Data Sets [Cancer Research Catalyst] The researchers found that just by changing the dates using the standard procedure of k-anonymization, they could drastically lower the chances of re-identifying most individuals in the dataset.
	6.8 Communication
TIME’s ‘miracle cure’ coverage reflects common problems with cancer stories [HealthNewsReview] We have a list of words that we think health care journalists should avoid — it’s seven words long. This TIME article packs two of them into this 4-word headline: Cancer’s Newest Miracle Cure.
Cancer treatment: sorting the good news from the hype [The Guardian] The newspapers love a cancer research story, but many are misleading or won’t affect patients for many years. But there is plenty of progress worth reporting.
	6.9 Controverses
$417 Million Awarded in Suit Tying Johnson’s Baby Powder to Cancer [NY Times] A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson, Carol Goodrich, said the company would appeal the verdict handed up by a jury in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County and was preparing for additional trials.