Onco Actu du 4 août 2017

Pour info : Onco Actu interrompt sa parution quotidienne, elle reprendra le 28 août.

	1. Biologie
Discovery points to drugs that would ‘short-circuit’ deadly leukemia [St. Jude Children's Research Hospital] Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have discovered that survival of a particularly aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) depends on production of a small molecule called heme that is a kind of molecular “battery.”
Study reveals genetic diversity of cancer that has spread [Cancer Research UK] “The finding that some people’s genetics might make them more or less likely to develop metastatic disease could offer an exciting opportunity for genetic profiling and targeted treatment during very early stages of cancer.”
Immune Contexture of Cancer [ESMO] How immunological characteristics of the tumour microenvironment influence on responses to anticancer treatment.
	3.1 Tabac
Why anecdotes aren’t strong evidence when it comes to quitting smoking [The Conversation] The popularity of many quit methods is closely related to the marketing and promotional budgets of those standing to profit from their widespread use.
FDA Announces New Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco and Nicotine Regulation [ASCO] In the absence of clear data on e-cigarettes and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Products (ENDS) aid to cessation, ASCO recommends the continued use of proven smoking cessation medications such as nicotine replacement therapies, bupropion, and varenicline.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
NCI study shows feasibility of cancer screening protocol for patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome [NCI] “The findings from this international team effort further demonstrate the utility of whole body MRI screening for individuals with LFS,” Dr. Savage said.
	5. Traitements
Existing arthritis drug could save thousands in blood cancer treatment [Pharmafile] Findings by researchers at the University of Sheffield have indicated that thousands of pounds could be saved in blood cancer treatment by tapping into the unexplored properties of methotrexate, a drug traditionally used to treat inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s disease.
Ferreting Out Causes of Resistance to Cancer Drugs [Penn Medicine] Zhang’s team began by combining the PARP inhibitor olaparib with 20 different helper compounds, and eventually discovered a family of drugs called BET inhibitors that work with olaparib to attack cancer cells.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
A surprising amount of medical research isn’t made public. That's dangerous. [Vox] One reason to care about whether clinical trial results are shared is that hundreds of thousands of patients have put themselves on the line as research subjects. We owe it to them not to let the information their participation enabled get stuck in a file drawer.
	5.2.2 Pharma - Fusions & Acquisitions
IFM Gets $300M Bristol Buyout, Plans Second Strike With New Spinout [Xconomy] The deal is a big gamble on science that has yet to produce any human clinical data.
Bristol-Myers Squibb to Acquire IFM Therapeutics to Strengthen Oncology Pipeline Focus on Innate Immunity [BMS] Programs represent potentially differentiated approaches to initiate and augment immune responses in non-inflamed tumors.
Bristol-Myers Squibb in $2.3B I-O biotech biobucks buyout deal [FierceBiotech] BMS wants the cancer assets now but may take on its other candidates down the line. The $1.01 billion, which will be in addition to the $300 million upfront, comes in the form of milestones for each of the first products from the two programs, making it worth $2.3 billion in total.
Bristol-Myers beefs up big cancer drug pipeline, buying IFM drugs in $2.3B-plus deal [EndPoints] IFM was aimed at a prime target when it jumped into view last summer. The two lead cancer projects look to use small molecules to activate NLRP3 and STING, revving up innate immune responses that can play a complementary role with adaptive immune therapies.
Bristol-Myers to buy IFM Therapeutics to strengthen cancer pipeline [Reuters] The acquisition of IFM, whose backers include Novartis, will give Bristol-Myers access to the company's preclinical cancer programs.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA)
FDA offers another speedy cancer drug OK, approving Jazz’s Vyxeos for acute myeloid leukemia [EndPoints] Comparing their drug to the two separate components, the drug improved overall survival rates from 9.56 months vs. 5.95 months in a pivotal study with 309 patients.
FDA approves first treatment for certain types of poor-prognosis acute myeloid leukemia [FDA] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vyxeos for the treatment of adults with two types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML): newly diagnosed therapy-related AML (t-AML) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC). Vyxeos is a fixed-combination of chemotherapy drugs daunorubicin and cytarabine.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Pancreatic cancer patients to have routine access to life extending drug after new deal, says NICE [NICE] NICE has recommended nab-paclitaxel for routine NHS use after the company agreed a confidential price discount and provided more evidence on its effectiveness.
Pancreatic cancer patients in England get CDF access to Abraxane [Pharma Times] The decision means that Abraxane (nab-Paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine is an option for adult patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma via the NHS when other combination chemotherapies are unsuitable and they would otherwise have gemcitabine monotherapy.
NICE leans towards a ‘no’ for Keytruda in urothelial cancer [Pharma Times] It concluded that all plausible cost effectiveness estimates overshoot what NICE normally considers acceptable for end-of-life treatments - £50,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained - and thus could not recommend routine NHS use of the drug.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Glioblastoma—Unraveling the Threads: A Q&A with Drs. Mark Gilbert and Terri Armstrong of the NIH Neuro-Oncology Branch [NCI] Despite ongoing worldwide efforts to develop new therapies for this type of brain cancer, none has so far improved survival appreciably.
	6.10 Politiques
CAREFOR Calls on EU to Safeguard Independent Academic Research [ESMO] CAREFOR (the Clinical Academic Cancer Research Forum) is a joint initiative by the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
Senate approves key FDA legislation, sending bill to Trump’s desk [STAT] The bipartisan package had long been expected to clear Congress. The FDA casts the agreements as “critical” for its ability to keep the lights on, and existing agreements are set to expire at the end of September.
Libertarians score big victory in 'right-to-try' drug bill [Politico] It’s hard for lawmakers to say no to “hope.” “Opposing right-to-try laws is akin to opposing motherhood, apple pie, and the American flag; you just don’t do it and expect to be re-elected,” David Gorski, an oncologist at Wayne State University, wrote in his blog on science-based medicine.
Senate Passes F.D.A. Funding and ‘Right to Try’ Drug Bills [NY Times] The bill would establish national standards and rules to help channel drugs still under development to terminally ill patients. It would also shield pharmaceutical companies and doctors from some of the legal risks of providing drugs that have not been approved by the agency.
	6.11 Patients
Here’s What Not to Say to Someone With Cancer [NY Mag] Sure, there’s not much to hope for when your cancer’s returned for a third round. But it offers more wiggle room than the alternatives of “You’re a hero” and “You’re going to beat this.”
	6.6 Publications
What Does Transparent Peer Review Mean and Why is it Important? [The Scholarly Kitchen] While they all agree on the importance of peer review, there’s divergence around what we mean by transparency in peer review and, critically, how to achieve it.
	6.9 Controverses
Gene editing used to repair diseased genes in embryos [NHS Choices] This research shows that the questions of how we want to legislate for this type of technique are becoming pressing. While the technology is not there yet, it is advancing quickly.