Onco Actu du 20 octobre 2017

	1. Biologie
1 to 10 mutations are needed to drive cancer, scientists find [Sanger Institute] The results show the number of mutations driving cancer varies considerably across different cancer types.
'Handful of changes' make cancer [BBC News] British scientists have worked out how many changes it takes to transform a healthy cell into a cancer. The team, at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, showed the answer was a tiny handful, between one and 10 mutations depending on the type of tumour.
Thousands of studies could be flawed due to contaminated cells [NHS Choices] The findings should not cause unnecessary concern about existing drug treatments. Not all of these "contaminated" studies would have assessed potential new drugs.
Creative Minds: Using Machine Learning to Understand Genome Function [NIH Director's Blog] While there’s still a long way to go, Kundaje says he’s already working with collaborators to explore his ideas in the context of heart disease and colorectal cancer.
	2. Etiologie
A common herbal medicine may cause liver cancer mutations [New Scientist] Extracts taken from plants of the genus Aristolochia, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a wide range of conditions, may be responsible for many liver cancers in Asia.
	2.6 Etiologie - Environnement
In glyphosate review, WHO cancer agency edited out 'non-carcinogenic' findings [Reuters] When the International Agency for Research on Cancer assessed the best-selling weedkiller glyphosate, significant changes were made between a draft of its report and the published version. The agency won't say who made the changes or why.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
EIT Innovators Award 2017 to prostate cancer screening project [Karolinska Institutet] Stockholm3 is a blood test that detects the risk of aggressive prostate cancer by combining five protein markers, more than 100 genetic markers, clinical data and a proprietary algorithm.
	4.13 Dép., diag. & prono. - Peau
Pioneering imaging tech measures cell changes in melanoma [Institute of Cancer Research] The results suggest that both photoacoustic imaging and magnetic resonance imaging could be used to measure the effectiveness of targeted cancer drugs.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
Studies Identify Therapies That May Delay Melanoma Recurrence after Surgery [NCI] Two recent clinical trials have identified treatments that may delay cancer from returning in some patients with melanoma. Patients in both trials had advanced melanoma that was surgically removed, and each trial tested different forms of post-surgical, or adjuvant, therapy.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Gene circuit switches on inside cancer cells, triggers immune attack [MIT News] Researchers at MIT have developed a synthetic gene circuit that triggers the body’s immune system to attack cancers when it detects signs of the disease. The circuit, which will only activate a therapeutic response when it detects two specific cancer markers, is described in a paper published today in the journal Cell.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
New gene-altering treatment offered for certain blood cancers [WUSTL] CAR-T cell therapy for pediatric ALL was approved by the FDA at the end of August and is available through Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
	5.2 Pharma
AstraZeneca EVP: Brexit is hindering our hiring [FierceBiotech] We’re starting to see people turn us down now, in the U.K., because they don’t know what the outcome will be in terms of future employment, even though we tell them we have no doubt great talent is going to be accepted down the road.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Biosimilar threat starts to creep up on Roche as Rituxan loses ground [FiercePharma] Avastin, another of Roche's cancer blockbusters, slumped as well; its third-quarter sales fell by 4% around the world. Herceptin's global sales were flat. Together, Anderson wrote, those drugs "present an unsettling vision for the years ahead" as biosimilar developers continue their assault on the top targets.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Why doctor and hospital groups are fighting a measure to rein in drug costs [STAT] The alliance between drug companies and doctor groups spotlights the sometimes counterintuitive mechanics of drug pricing amid various fights nationwide to make drugs more affordable.
Reframing the Conversation on Drug Pricing [NEJM Catalyst] These precision drugs will be good for patients and have higher value. But the cost of developing a drug for 10,000 people is not much different than for 10 million.
	5.6 ESMO
Precision Medicine Experts Exploit Multiple Mutations to Improve Cancer Treatment [ESMO] Highlights from MAP (13-14 October 2017, Zurich, Switzerland).
Cancer Outcome Depends on Complex Interactions Between Many Mutations [ESMO] The 2017 meeting focused on two aspects of so-called precision medicine: the complexity of the molecular mechanisms that lead to cancer progression, and the use of technologies to decipher this complexity.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
England’s cancer strategy: what has changed in the last two years? [Cancer Research UK] Some progress has been made, like the announcement of funding to upgrade radiotherapy machines, but there’s a lot more to be done. This is especially true for supporting understaffed NHS teams that diagnose cancer, as well as addressing cuts to cancer prevention services.
Sean Parker’s cancer institute keeps growing with some “mind blowing” new research projects [EndPoints] PICI CEO (and UC San Francisco professor) Jeff Bluestone tells me that they have more than 60 labs in the network now, including more than 300 scientists in the front ranks of a global army of investigators who are pushing oncology R&D on to the next level.
	6.1 Observation
Oral Sex and Smoking Increase Men’s Risk of Head and Neck Cancer But the Risk is Still Low, Making Screening for the Disease a Challenge [ESMO] The researchers analysed data from 13,089 people, aged 20-69, taking part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) who had been tested for oral HPV infection.
	6.11 Patients
New Patient Guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Offer Much-Needed Clarity around a Group of Rare Blood Cancers [NCCN] New NCCN Guidelines for Patients® cover the basics and beyond for patients and caregivers coping with myeloproliferative neoplasms.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
Data privacy in the age of big data [EMA] As the hosting organisation, EMA presented as an example the opportunities and challenges presented by big data in biomedical research across the EU.