Onco Actu du 8 janvier 2018

	1. Biologie
Microbiota-wide association studies and PD-1 immunotherapy [NIHilist's Immunology] In summary, we have no clear understanding of these results. There is no way to predict if the same microbiota set would provide any benefit to a given patient.
New cancer model shows genomic link between early-stage and invasive breast cancer types [MD Anderson Cancer Center] Development of new single-cell sequencing tool provides access to hard-to-detect cell data.
Effort to identify tumor-specific antigens: The University Industrial Complex study results [NIHilist's Immunology] New study in journal Cell is prime example why utilization of sophisticated high-throughput methods and computer technologies does not guarantee generation of clinically useful results. I imagine the only reason this study was even accepted in Cell was the fact that list of authors included many well-known scientists with links to both academia and silicon valley.
Bacteria and Cancer: Another Connection [In the Pipeline] When rodents are transplanted with xenograft tumor tissues of this type, antibiotic treatment (metronidazole) actually slows tumor progression. That takes us from the “associated with” situation to the “caused/exacerbated by” one, which is similar to what was seen with the earlier work on pancreatic cancer and Mycoplasmaspecies.
Which Cancers are Most Survivable and Why? [The Darwin Cancer Blog] Highly mutated cancers produce more abnormal proteins that the immune system can recognize as non-self. Thus, the lineup of the most survivable cancers will change in the future. What won’t change, is the need to deal with their evolution.
Fusobacterium May Help Colorectal Cancer Grow and Spread [NCI] The researchers found that the bacteria not only live in close contact with tumors in the colon and rectum but also reside in metastatic colorectal tumors elsewhere in the body. When the researchers used antibiotics to kill these bacteria in a mouse model of colorectal cancer, tumor growth slowed.
	2.10 Etiologie - Alcool
Alcohol and cancer: This is how booze damages DNA inside cells [Cancer Research UK] By showing that alcohol can damage DNA in stem cells, this research sheds new light on how it can cause cancer. And it confirms that stem cells can be damaged and affected by external factors – it’s not all just bad luck.
Drinking alcohol raises risk of cancer by snapping DNA, scientists find [The Telegraph] The researchers found that acetaldehyde snaps the DNA of stem cells, permanently altering the genetic code and triggering cancer.
How alcohol damages stem cell DNA and increases cancer risk [Reuters] Working with mice in a laboratory, British scientists used chromosome analysis and DNA sequencing to examine the genetic damage caused by acetaldehyde, a harmful chemical produced when the body processes alcohol.
Only one in 10 Britons know alcohol causes cancer, survey finds [The Guardian] In the same survey, undertaken by OnePoll for the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) of charities and medical groups, 77% of respondents said they supported the idea of a cancer warning being added to the labels of alcoholic products.
	2.6 Etiologie - Environnement
Monsanto wins support from 11 U.S. states in California cancer dispute [Reuters] The 11 states are supporting a federal lawsuit Monsanto, the National Association of Wheat Growers and other agricultural groups filed in November to stop the state from requiring glyphosate warnings.
	3.1 Prévention - Tabac
Use of non-cigarette tobacco products tied to teen smoking [Reuters] Researchers followed 10,000 nonsmokers ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old for one year to see how their use of other tobacco products influenced the odds that they would become smokers.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Too much screening has misled us about real cancer risk factors, experts say [STAT] Welch and Brawley call for less focus on risk factors for developing cancers, since those numbers both determine and reflect who gets screened, and more on risk factors for death from cancer.
	4.10 Dép., diag. & prono. - Poumon
Lung cancer screening works better when individual risk factors are taken into account, study says [LA Times] The group's finding comes at a time when the number of Americans eligible for lung cancer screening under the task force criteria is falling fast.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
British cancer test firm signs deal to break into China [The Telegraph] Oncimmune makes a blood test that can detect lung cancer up to four years earlier than standard methods. It has already launched the product in the US.
	5. Traitements
Scientists are combining drugs and radiotherapy, hunting for better results [Cancer Research UK] Plenty of questions need to be answered: which immunotherapies and doses should be used? Will this be different for different tumours? Is it better to give a patient one big dose of radiotherapy or lots of smaller ‘fractions’?
Drug Combination Improves Outlook for Some Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia [NCI] Based on interim results from a phase 3 clinical trial, investigators reported that, compared with conventional chemotherapy, the combination of venetoclax (VenclextaTM) and rituximab (Rituxan®) reduced the risk of cancer progression by more than 80%.
Age may be a factor in facial skin cancer treatment [Reuters] Further, his team points out, more than half of the patients who were in their 90s died within a year. ”These small (cancers) would never have caused a problem,” the authors write.
Experts Forecast Cancer Research and Treatment Advances in 2018 [Cancer Research Catalyst] We asked experts in the fields of immunotherapy, precision medicine, and prevention and disparities research where the cancer research community is headed next and what major accomplishments we might expect in 2018 to take us closer to conquering cancer.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
Unique Trial Aims to Decrease Early Deaths in Patients with Rare Leukemia [NCI] Because of treatment advances over the past several decades, long-term survival has increased dramatically in people diagnosed with APL. The goal of the trial, however, is to see if this 24/7 support can help more patients with APL survive the first few weeks of treatment.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
'Is Ian cured? Maybe': the astonishing cancer treatment of Australia's chief scientist [The Guardian] Chubb’s experience, while still not representative of the majority of patients, is an increasingly common story from the world of cancer immunotherapy, which is revolutionising the field of oncology.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
2017 Was the Year of Gene-Therapy Breakthroughs [MIT Technology Review] Gene-fixing treatments have now cured a number of patients with cancer and rare diseases.
	5.12.4 Immunothérapies - Essais
Virus could treat brain tumours by boosting immune system [Institute of Cancer Research] The findings of the research are already being applied in a clinical setting. In a world first, a trial has started where patients will be given reovirus in combination with the standard treatment of radiotherapy and chemotherapy which follows surgery.
Viruses may boost immunotherapy in brain and breast cancer [Cancer Research UK] The new studies, both published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest that cancer-targeting viruses could prime these tumours for subsequent immune attack.
Immune boosting virus could be used to treat brain tumors [Reuters] The trial involved just nine patients, but scientists said that if the results could be replicated in larger studies, the naturally occurring ‘reovirus’ could be developed into an effective immunotherapy for people with aggressive brain tumors.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
World renowned immunologist, professor Eric Vivier, joins Innate Pharma as Chief Scientific Officer [Innate Pharma] Eric Vivier is currently Professor of Immunology at Aix-Marseille University and the Marseille Public Hospitals. He is an international leading authority in the field of immunology.
	5.12.7 Immunothérapies - vaccins
BioNTech raises mammoth $270M A round, nearing $1B mark as investors continue a love affair with mRNA [EndPoints] This morning the Mainz, German-based biotech took the wraps off a mega-raise of $270 million — an ‘A’ round designed to complete the rapid ramp-up of its considerable manufacturing operations as it looks to advance an early-stage personalized mRNA cancer vaccine designed to mob the antigens of individual patients.
	5.2 Pharma
FDA Accepts Supplemental Biologics License Application and Grants Priority Review for ADCETRIS® (Brentuximab Vedotin) in Frontline Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma [Seattle Genetics] Submission Based on Positive Results from the Phase 3 ECHELON-1 Clinical Trial.
Novartis Kisqali® received FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for initial endocrine-based treatment in premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer [Novartis] Designation based on Phase III MONALEESA-7 results demonstrating superior efficacy of Kisqali in combination with oral endocrine therapy compared to oral endocrine therapy in pre- or perimenopausal women who received no prior endocrine therapy for advanced disease.
Celgene's Revlimid fails lymphoma trial, and it's more than a data shortfall: analyst [FiercePharma] The Relevance miss "adds to the questions about the rigor of Celgene’s technical and investment decision-making," Porges noted, and those questions are likely to show in the company's stock performance.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Roche and GE enter partnership to develop integrated digital diagnostics platform to improve oncology and critical care treatment [Roche] Partnership will apply advanced analytics to in-vivo data from GE’s medical imaging and monitoring equipment with in-vitro data from Roche’s biomarker, tissue pathology, genomics and sequencing portfolio.
Myriad Genetics Announces Expanded Research Collaboration with AstraZeneca [Myriad] First Phase III PARP Inhibitor Clinical Trial to Use myChoice® HRD Plus as a Potential Companion Diagnostic.
Pfizer lines up an $830M alliance with Arvinas on protein degradation [EndPoints] Pfizer has signed on to fund the launch of a hunt for a slate of small molecules that can degrade proteins, a key therapeutic pathway that’s been playing a role in prostate cancer and other areas.
	5.2.2 Pharma - Fusions & Acquisitions
Celgene to Acquire Impact Biomedicines, Adding Fedratinib to Its Pipeline of Novel Therapies for Hematologic Malignancies [Celgene] Fedratinib demonstrated clinical improvement in a phase III trial with treatment-naïve myelofibrosis patients and in a phase II trial with myelofibrosis patients resistant or intolerant to ruxolitinib.
After 2nd Bet on Familiar Drug, Impact Bio Lands $1B Celgene Buyout [Xconomy] The deal rewards the determination of San Diego scientist John Hood, who helped bring fedratinib forward in the previous decade, only to see the FDA halt clinical testing due to safety problems when the drug was in the hands of Sanofi.
J.P. Morgan kicks off with a deal as Celgene pays $1.1B for Impact Biomedicines [FierceBiotech] The Big Biotech says it will spend $1.1 billion upfront for Impact Biomedicines, a tiny startup that got a $22 million series A just two months ago (and later around $90 million in extra funding), all for a JAK2 inhibitor fedratinib, a Sanofi cast-off.
Roche Bets $1.7B More on Precision Oncology With Ignyta Deal [Xconomy] Ignyta is one of two biotechs, along with Loxo Oncology, currently advancing similar-type drugs that aim for a tissue-agnostic FDA approval.
Roche to buy Ignyta for $1.7 billion [PharmaTimes] The firm’s lead molecule entrectinib is an orally bioavailable, CNS-active tyrosine kinase inhibitor being developed for tumours that harbor ROS1 fusions (in non-small cell lung cancer), or NTRK fusions (across a broad range of solid tumours).
Roche lines up at the FDA’s 10-yard line with $1.7B Ignyta buyout [EndPoints] Ignyta has been grabbing the attention of a booming field with its work in ROS1 and NTRK fusion-positive tumors, winning the FDA’s breakthrough status last May.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
Enterome gets €32M, Bristol-Myers Squibb backing, for cancer work [FierceBiotech] The cash boosts will be used by French microbiome biotech Enterome toward two proof-of-concept clinical trials: a phase 2 study of its oral FimH blocker EB8018 in Crohn’s disease, and a phase 1b study of EO2315, its immuno-oncology candidate, in patients with an aggressive type of brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme).
Made in China: New and Potentially Lifesaving Drugs [NY Times] The three new drugs will have to clear American regulatory hurdles. If they do, they can stand as proof of China’s growing ability to produce cutting-edge treatments, part of a broader transformation of the country’s economy as it moves into higher-value and increasingly complex sectors.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA)
FDA expands use of Amgen's blockbuster drug [Reuters] Amgen Inc said on Friday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its drug, Xgeva, to prevent fractures in patients with multiple myeloma.
Novartis drug Tasigna® is approved by FDA as first and only CML therapy with Treatment-free Remission data in its label [Novartis] Approval granted under priority review and is based on Novartis trials evaluating TFR with Tasigna in both the first-line and second-line settings.
FDA clears stereotactic radiotherapy system for use in treating breast cancer [FDA] The GammaPod system is intended for use in the noninvasive stereotactic delivery of a radiation dose to a portion (partial volume) of the breast in conjunction with breast conserving treatment.
FDA updates the label of Tasigna to reflect that certain patients with a type of leukemia may be eligible to stop treatment after sustained response [FDA] Discontinuation in treatment marks a first in chronic myeloid leukemia.
New drug approvals hit 21-year high in 2017 [Reuters] U.S. drug approvals hit a 21-year high in 2017, with 46 novel medicines winning a green light -- more than double the previous year -- while the figure also rose in the European Union.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Humira’s Best-Selling Drug Formula: Start at a High Price. Go Higher. [NY Times] AbbVie joined a few of its rivals in saying it would limit price increases to single digits this year, and so only raised Humira by another 9.7 percent this month, roughly four and a half times the inflation rate. For the drug industry, that counts as generosity.
How does cost sharing rules influence drug prices in Germany? [Healthcare Economist] The authors discuss how the use of copayment exemption levels (CEL) affect demand for pharmaceuticals. These CELs are a set price, below which patients do not have to pay a copayment for these pharmaceuticals.
NICE to reassess Pfizer’s leukaemia drug Besponsa [PharmaTimes] The move follows a successful appeal by Pfizer against the Institute’s decision to reject Besponsa (inotuzumab ozogamicin) as a treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory CD22-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
Proton beam cancer treatment to start in Manchester in 2018 [BBC News] Up until now, the NHS has been sending patients who needed proton beam therapy to clinics in Switzerland or the USA.
Resolutions of a Cancer Doctor [NY Times] My mom was given a diagnosis of lung cancer this past year. And whether I liked it or not, almost midway through my career, it put me squarely in the position of being re-educated about cancer from the other end of the biopsy needle.
7 Key Cancer Trends For 2018 [Forbes] I expect progress. Here’s my list of major trends and issues that will affect the lives of cancer patients in 2018.
Precision Medical Treatments Have A Quality Control Problem [NPR] You might not suspect that the success of the emerging field of precision medicine depends heavily on the couriers who push carts down hospital halls.
	6.1 Observation
Cancer Mortality in the U.S. Continues Decades-Long Drop [ACS] The cancer death rate dropped 1.7% from 2014 to 2015, continuing a drop that began in 1991 and has reached 26%, resulting in nearly 2.4 million fewer cancer deaths during that time.
Cancer Deaths Continue a Steep Decline [NY Times] Over the past decade, cancer incidence in men has dropped by about 2 percent a year, while it has remained the same in women.
When Cancer Strikes Twice [NY Times] Too often, Dr. Hudson’s team wrote, once they finish cancer treatment and its immediate aftermath, survivors fail to receive appropriate care from their primary care doctors.
Cancer survival rates are up [The Telegraph] NHS England has analysed the latest statistics which show that of the 300,000 people diagnosed with cancer in 2015, a total of 216,000 were alive the following year, a 0.7 per cent increase - or 2,100 people - compared to the previous year.
	6.11 Patients
When the Lung Cancer Patient Climbs Mountains [NY Times] In 2016 he enrolled in his current trial after a biopsy showed his cancer had developed a specific mutation to resist the original drug he’d been on. A newly developed drug known as EGF816 targeted his acquired resistance. Within days of being treated, Andy noticed he was breathing better.
	6.6 Publications
Germany vs Elsevier: universities win temporary journal access after refusing to pay fees [Nature] Scientists in Germany can still read journals even though institutions there have not renewed their subscriptions.
Editor quits journal over pay-for-expedited peer-review offer [Science] An editor of Scientific Reports, one of Nature Publishing Group’s (NPG’s) open-access journals, has resigned in a very public protest of NPG’s recent decision to allow authors to pay money to expedite peer review of their submitted papers.
	6.7.1 Bioinformatique
Deep learning sharpens views of cells and genes [Nature] When Google wanted to use deep learning to find mutations in genomes, its scientists had to convert strands of DNA letters into images that computers could recognize.
Microsoft, Google invest in precision medicine startup DNAnexus [Healthcare IT News] Company will use the $58 million round of financing to advance its cloud-based platform for genomics and biomedical datasets.
	6.8 Communication
Representing a “revolution”: how the popular press has portrayed personalized medicine [Genetics in Medicine] This promotion of PM serves as an example of the science hyping that takes place in science reportage and may have implications for consumers, public expectations, and related health policy.