Onco Actu du 2 février 2018

	1. Biologie
Bacteria Play Critical Role In Driving Colon Cancers [Johns Hopkins] Two species may work together to drive tumor formation in hereditary colon cancer syndrome and sporadic colon cancer.
	1.1 Biologie - Gènes
Fusions in Solid Tumours [ESMO] Identification and targeting of oncogenic gene fusions called as one of the most important breakthroughs in oncology over the past century.
	4.7 Dép., diag. & prono. - Col de l'utérus
Thousands of cancer tests to be checked after women wrongly given the all clear [The Telegraph] Screening services said 2,500 samples taken between April 2016 and September 2017 are now being rescreened. Women with signs of cancer have been asked to undergo further investigations, with others receiving letters telling them they will need to have repeat smears.
	5. Traitements
Fine-tuning cancer medicine [MIT News] While other institutions have begun efforts in precision medicine as well, the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine stands out for using engineering approaches to solve complex clinical challenges in cancer treatment that are rooted in biology.
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
AstraZeneca, Syndax ally to test PD-L1 drug and CSF1R inhibitor in solid tumor patients [FierceBiotech] Syndax is currently testing SNDX-6352 as a monotherapy in 24 solid tumor patients. But, as with lead drug entinostat, its immunosuppression-focused mechanism means its long-term future may be as an enabler of other drugs, specifically checkpoint inhibitors.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Biotech’s biggest unicorn is now worth $7.5 billion [STAT] At a closed-door investor event in September, the Cambridge, Mass., company said it had solved the scientific issues that made its earlier mRNA treatments too toxic for clinical trials. The company has also begun testing in humans an mRNA that would work in concert with approved immunotherapies for cancer.
Despite Doubters, Moderna Raises $500 Million, Is Now Worth $7 Billion [Forbes] Moderna says it has 19 medicines in development, including 10 in human trials. Stéphane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive officer, notes that more vaccine data are expected this year, as are data from a cancer vaccine, a drug that is delivered directly into tumors, and several programs in the liver.
	5.12.7 Immunothérapies - vaccins
Cancer ‘vaccine’ eliminates tumors in mice [Stanford Medicine] The researchers believe the local application of very small amounts of the agents could serve as a rapid and relatively inexpensive cancer therapy that is unlikely to cause the adverse side effects often seen with bodywide immune stimulation.
Locally-Injected Immunotherapy Eradicates Tumors in Mice [The Scientist] Scientists at Stanford University injected a pair of molecules—an antibody against a protein on the surface of T cells, known as OX40, and a short piece of DNA called a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide—into various types of solid tumors, including melanoma and breast and colon cancers, in mice.
	5.2 Pharma
After EMA flop, Puma takes Nerlynx to China in new out-licensing deal [EndPoints] Puma’s drug was approved by the FDA in July 2017 for preventing the return of breast cancer after therapy. The company planned to take the drug to Europe, but got slapped down by the EMA last month due to concerns its regulators had with the drug.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Tianjing Li: What’s not shared—building on the FDA’s transparency momentum [BMJ] How do clinical study reports (CSRs) released by FDA compare with those released by EMA? Is voluntary submission sufficient to achieve the transparency goal? I urge the scientific community to participate in the FDA’s pilot programme and comment on the ease of access, as well as usability and completeness of data in the released CSRs.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
Record number of personalized medicines approved in 2017 [PhRMA] Looking ahead, more than 42 percent of medicines in development by biopharmaceutical researchers have the potential to be personalized medicines. In cancer, a remarkable 73 percent may be personalized medicines, reflecting the major impact genetic and molecular science is having on oncology research.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
What’s at stake if U.S. drug prices fall? [Healthcare Economist] The authors provide additional details of the positive societal and economic implications that would occur if European and other developed countries increased drug prices.
As states target high drug prices, pharma targets state lawmakers [STAT] With federal officials seemingly unwilling or unable to come up with legislation to control skyrocketing drug prices, that task is increasingly moving to the states. But so is pharma muscle and money opposing the measures, regulatory disclosures and corporate filings from the last two years show.
	6. Lutte contre les cancers
World Cancer Day: Get the Facts [AACR] The World Cancer Day slogan, “We Can. I Can,” is a reminder that everyone, whether in a collective group or as individuals, can play a part in reducing the global burden of cancer.
	6.1 Observation
Why should the poor die young? Closing the gap in cancer outcomes [The Guardian] The statistics, outlining an expected 72% increase in the number of Australians living with cancer or in remission by the year 2040, were startling – but even more concerning are the trends that show the gap between the haves and have-nots when it comes to cancer survival.
Prostate cancer deaths overtake those from breast cancer [BBC News] The latest figures from 2015 show there were 11,819 deaths from prostate cancer compared with 11,442 from breast cancer.
Prostate cancer now kills more people than breast cancer, UK figures reveal [The Guardian] Male illness now third most common cause of cancer death behind lung and bowel.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
I’m the ideal person to support right to try. But I can’t — it’s a disaster in the making [STAT] As I am learning firsthand, being diagnosed with a terminal disease is extremely challenging for patients and their families. Introducing significant new financial, legal, and medical uncertainties via the Right to Try Act would make matters worse.
Trump's 'Right To Try' Push Would Only Punish The Seriously Ill [Forbes] Despite its name, “right to try” doesn’t give patients any new rights. It doesn’t require companies to provide the drugs being requested. Instead, it takes FDA review away.
LCA Praises Bipartisan, Bicameral Congressional Leadership on Women’s Health Imperative [Lung Cancer Alliance] “Lung cancer kills more women each year than any other cancer. This year, 70,500 women will lose their lives to this disease. While we know the key risk factors, many questions remain,” said Senator Feinstein. “For example, lung cancer has been found in far more women who don’t smoke than in men who don’t smoke, and we have no idea why. This bill will strengthen our efforts to reduce lung cancer and improve patient outcomes.”
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
An incredibly important paper on whether data can ever be "anonymized" and how we should handle release of large data-sets [Boing Boing] Instead of "ad-hoc" de-identification methods, the authors recommend a wonkish, exciting idea called "differential privacy," in which precise amounts of noise is added to the data-set before it is released, allowing the publisher to quantify exactly how likely a future re-identification attack is, balancing the benefits of release with the potential costs to the people implicated in it.
	6.9 Controverses
Richard Smith: Doctors and patients heading in opposite directions [BMJ Blogs] One fellow tweeter pointed out that specialisation is unavoidable because of our increasing knowledge (I’d prefer the word information) about people’s problems. My response was that machines are much better than humans at remembering and finding knowledge. Doctors should concentrate on the human parts of caring, if they can remember how.