Onco Actu du 12 avril 2018

	1. Biologie
Researchers Use WGS, RNA-Seq to Characterize Colorectal Cancer Mutational Landscape [Genome Web] Further, when the researchers exposed the tumors to anti-cancer drugs, they observed that even closely related cells in the same tumor had markedly different responses, indicating that colorectal cancer cells experience substantial increases in the rates of their somatic mutations as compared to normal colorectal cells.
	1.1 Biologie - Gènes
Cancer Genetic Mutations not all Treatable: System to Rank Relevance of Mutations Needed [ESMO] The TCGA collaboration conducted genome analysis, called the Pan-Cancer Atlas, on more than 10,000 tumours from 33 types of cancer and published 29 papers. “The studies highlight genomic alterations in cancer tissue, but while it is tempting to believe that they are all important, sometimes giving a drug matched to the mutation does not benefit patients,” said Prof. Fabrice André.
	3.1.1 Prévention - Tabac - e-cigs
“A toxicological experiment”: Additional study needed on e-cigarette use [Stanford Medicine] Given the countless unique e-liquid flavors and the on-going development of new devices, this research is difficult to generalize, they said, but they are concerned that more unidentified toxins exist.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
NCI study revises molecular classification for most common type of lymphoma [NCI] “These findings are the culmination of two decades of research at NCI and elsewhere, advancing our understanding of the effect of DNA mutations and gene expression on lymphoma biology and outcome,” said NCI Director Ned Sharpless, M.D.
	5. Traitements
RB1 gene mutations underlie clinical resistance to CDK 4/6 inhibitor therapy for breast cancer [Mass. General Hospital] Bardia and his colleagues report on three patients who received CDK 4/6 inhibitor treatment for invasive HR-positive, HER2 negative breast cancer at the MGH Cancer Center, Institute Gustave Roussy or at U.S. Oncology.
	5.1 Traitements - Pré-clinique
Perioperative NSAIDs may prevent early metastatic relapse in post-surgical breast cancer patients [MIT News] Mouse study links early metastasis to systemic inflammation caused by wound healing.
Cancer surgery can awaken tumor cells, but in mice a cheap pill stops metastasis [STAT] Weinberg said he and his colleagues are definitely not suggesting cancer patients decline recommended lumpectomy or mastectomy or other surgery. Rather, they hope this research leads to human studies that rigorously test adding NSAIDs to post-op protocols.
	5.12 Immunothérapies
The “Immuno Revolution”: Turning Up the Heat on Resistant Tumors [Penn Medicine] A promising class of drugs known as CD40 monoclonal antibodies could be the spark needed to light the fire in the immune system of patients who don’t respond to the newer cancer immunotherapies.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
Cellectis raises $164M for CAR-T and gene-editing programs [FierceBiotech] Its CAR-T candidates —which use donated cells rather than cells harvested from individual patients like currently approved CAR-Ts from Novartis and Kite Pharma/Gilead— should in theory be cheaper to make and deliver.
	5.12.3 Immunothérapies-combinaisons
With New Data, Drug Combos, Lung Cancer Experts Scramble to Keep Pace [Xconomy] With tumor mutation burden now coming to light as an important diagnostic measurement, for instance, lung cancer is becoming ever more stratified. Chae is looking forward to each study’s analysis of patient subgroups, not just the overall numbers. “It will truly be a personalized approach with this many options coming aboard,” he says.
	5.12.4 Immunothérapies - Essais
Roche hits pause on Tecentriq-Cotellic trial enrollment after deaths raise red flags [FiercePharma] The decision follows a review from an independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) that tallied three deaths in the Tecentriq-Cotellic group—one, from cardiogenic shock, that was treatment-related, and two that came as a result of disease progression.
Roche halts enrollment in a PhII combo study of Tecentriq and Cotellic in wake of several patient deaths [EndPoints] The study was designed to bring in about 1,400 patients with an eye to divvying them up into various combinations with Tecentriq for metastatic colon cancer.
	5.12.7 Immunothérapies - vaccins
Personalised vaccine for ovarian cancer nearly doubles two year survival rate, pilot study shows [The Telegraph] Nearly eight out of 10 (78 per cent) of women given the vaccine alongside immunotherapy drugs have now survived for two years, compared with 44 per cent who received the drugs alone.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Molecular Partners gets AZ support for lung cancer trial [FierceBiotech] AZ’s involvement thus far is simply to supply EGFR inhibitor Tagrisso (osimertinib) at no charge for the study, but Molecular Partners’ shares blipped upwards on the announcement on hopes that its drug could benefit from a positive trial in tandem with AZ’s rapidly growing drug which was well on its way towards blockbuster status last year with sales of $955 million.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Demand cancer drugs that truly help patients [Nature] In my view, regulators should ensure that drugs benefit patients before allowing them to persist on the market.
	5.6.4 ESMO - Poumon
Alectinib Provides Longer Symptom Improvement than Crizotinib in ALK-positive Lung Cancer [ESMO] The phase III ALEX trial was a head-to-head comparison of the next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) alectinib versus the standard of care TKI crizotinib in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive NSCLC, dependent on a rearrangement of the ALK gene.
Further Evidence that Immunotherapy Provides a Long-term Survival Benefit for Lung Cancer Patients [ESMO] The trial randomised 287 patients from 61 sites across 13 countries with advanced NSCLC to the anti-PD-L1 antibody atezolizumab or docetaxel (chemotherapy).
	5.9.8 AACR - Pharma
Cellectis to Present Data at the 2018 AACR Annual Meeting [Cellectis] Three posters regarding the Company's allogeneic, off-the-shelf, CAR-T product candidates will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting to be held from April 14 to 18, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.
	6.1 Observation
Cancer Risk Rises as Patients Wait for Diagnostic Testing [Penn Medicine] Literature review finds increased risk of cancer, late stage cancer, and mortality with increasing wait time between a positive screening and start of diagnostic testing.
	6.5 Médecines alternatives
The dubious cancer “virotherapy” Rigvir returns with an equally dubious case report [Respectful Insolence] More and more, I’m convinced that Rigvir virotherapy has many of the hallmarks of cancer quackery. There’s nothing in the way of rigorous evidence in the form of well-designed randomized clinical trials to support its efficacy for anything, and what is out there is of low quality or inaccessible, having been published decades ago in journals from Eastern Europe.
	6.6 Publications
French Scientists Petition for Firm Stance Against Springer [The Scientist] A group of researchers at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) started an online petition last weekend (April 8) to publically support Couperin.org, a national consortium representing more than 250 academic institutions in France, in its fee negotiations with academic publisher SpringerNature. More than 2,000 people have signed the petition so far.
	6.9 Controverses
J&J, Imerys unit must pay $117 million in N.J. asbestos cancer case [Reuters] The jury ordered the companies to pay an additional $80 million in punitive damages to Stephen Lanzo after awarding him and his wife $37 million in compensatory damages during the first stage of the trial last Thursday.