Onco Actu du 23 avril 2018

	1. Biologie
NCI Expands Repository of Cancer Research Models: A Conversation with Drs. Doroshow and Evrard [NCI] NCI’s Patient-Derived Models Repository (PDMR) is an initiative to generate and distribute cancer research models made directly from patients’ tumor tissue for use in laboratory research. NCI recently expanded the PDMR to include more research models, including models of some rare cancers.
The Pan-Cancer Atlas: A resource 10 years in the making [Cell CrossTalk] Now that the Pan-Cancer Atlas has been published by Cell Press, the papers from this consortium will act as a resource for the entire community of cancer researchers. It will be an asset as cancer researchers make further strides in exciting new fields such as immunotherapy and precision medicine.
Spreading Cancer (Or Just Waking It Up) [In the Pipeline] There seems to be no reason for this not to immediately move into clinical practice, and I hope that this paper gets widely noticed. NSAID therapy is cheap and well-tolerated, and the risk/benefit ratio would seem to be about as good as it can get.
Cancer, mutations and the facts of life [The Guardian] Mutations, then, must be our most vicious enemy, the ultimate undoing of our happy lives. Seen from our point of view, it certainly seems that way. But we must never forget that mutations are the source of all diversity and all evolutionary innovation.
	2.6 Etiologie - Environnement
Unbiased Perspective Of a Biochemist On Pesticide Toxicity: Glyphosate [The Scrutinizer] No one (humans) usually consumes 62lbs of produce everyday. This calculation clearly shows that even if we have consumed glyphosate in minimum amounts or the amount recommended by EPA to be sprayed on the plants, there is NO toxicity of glyphosate. All the conclusions on pesticides, I am basing on honesty of EPA.
	3.1 Prévention - Tabac
Philip Morris Plunges the Most in a Decade on Slump in Cigarettes [Bloomberg] As global smoking rates decline, tobacco companies are trying to keep up performance by boosting prices and introducing new products. That didn’t fully pan out last quarter as sales were hit by increased taxes in Saudi Arabia and slower demand.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
Prostate cancer breakthrough as UK team develops more accurate test [The Guardian] The Dundee University-based team say they have used an ultrasound process called shear wave elastography (SWE) to detect prostate tumours. The method is non-invasive and cheaper than current detection techniques.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
Association Between Online Information-Seeking and Adherence to Guidelines for Breast and Prostate Cancer Screening [CDC] We found little evidence that online information-seeking significantly affected screening for breast or prostate cancer in accordance with USPSTF guidelines among people at average risk.
	5. Traitements
Study may explain why some triple-negative breast cancers are resistant to chemotherapy [MD Anderson Cancer Center] Navin’s group believes pre-existence of chemoresistant genotypes in tumors indicates there may be diagnostic opportunities for detecting chemoresistant clones in TNBC patients prior to receiving NAC. Their findings that TNBC patients fall into clonal extinction or clonal persistent groups may be applicable to patient outcomes or survival.
	5.1 Traitements - Pré-clinique
Scans could guide drug treatment in breast cancer [institute of Cancer Research] In studies in mice, the tracker lit up pockets of tumours which contained high levels of a protein called HER3, which is linked to resistance to cancer drugs called HSP90 inhibitors.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
UK to align with EU clinical trial rules after Brexit [Cancer Research UK] “Continued collaboration with the EU on clinical trials is crucial for patients and researchers,” he said. “It’s now vital that UK and EU build on this commitment in negotiations to agree further key details about how we will work together on clinical trials in the future."
	5.12 Immunothérapies
The Problem With Miracle Cancer Cures [NY Times] I recently cared for a woman in her 80s, clearly dying of lung cancer. Or so I thought. “But what about immunotherapy?” her family wondered. When I reluctantly asked our oncologist about this, he didn’t scoff. “It could work,” he said quietly, as if not quite believing what he was saying.
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
Tocagen Reaches Exclusive Deal in China for Brain Cancer Therapy [Xconomy] Tocagen has taken an unusual approach in a developing treatment that targets a form of brain cancer known as recurrent, high-grade glioma (HGG). For one thing, the company uses gene therapy to carry a key part of its treatment into the brain.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
MorphoSys supersizes IPO, bagging $208M for cancer R&D [FierceBiotech] The dialed-up IPO haul gives MorphoSys a $500 million-plus war chest to crash the CAR-T party with a drug it thinks provides safer, more durable efficacy without the cost or complexity of cell therapies.
Kleiner Perkins’ Beth Seidenberg bumps Tmunity’s cell therapy round to a cool $135M [EndPoints] Tmunity is conducting a groundbreaking study using gene editing tech through its extensive involvement with investigators at Penn, led by cell therapy pioneer Carl June.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan is raising the bar on second-gen cancer drug studies [EndPoints] We evaluate our second-generation assets now at a higher bar. We… increasingly want to ensure that we have appropriate control arms so that we can see whether or not the combination is having an impact on top of the PD-1 mono.
	5.2 Pharma
Novartis appoints John Tsai Head of Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer [Novartis] Dr. Tsai will also lead the GDD organization's ongoing transformation embracing the power of advanced data sciences and digital technologies to create a more agile model for drug development.
	5.2.1 Pharma - Partenariats
Germany's Merck seeks partners for cancer and immune system drugs [Reuters] Luciano Rossetti, its drug research and development chief, said Merck was looking to strike agreements for treatments including oral lung cancer drug tepotinib as well as a so-called bifunctional fusion protein at an earlier stage of development, which aims to assist the immune system in fighting cancer cells. Merck did not disclose the names of potential partners.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
EMA initiates divorce process from the UK’s MHRA [Pharmafile] The first stage of separation for the EMA from the UK came with the decision to relocate its headquarters to Amsterdam, and now the second stage has taken place whereby the EMA has reassigned the MHRA’s role vetting medicines to other countries.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
FDA Approves Combo Immunotherapy for Kidney Cancer [Cancer Research Catalyst] After a median follow-up of 25.2 months, the 18-month survival rate was 77 percent for the immunotherapy combination arm compared with 60 percent for the sunitinib arm.
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
Science hinted that cancer patients could take less of a $148,000-a-year drug. Its maker tripled the price of a pill. [Washington Post] Just as scientific momentum was building to test the effectiveness of lower doses, the new pricing scheme ensures dose reductions won't save patients money or erode companies' revenue from selling the drug (ibrutinib). In fact, patients who had been doing well on a low dose of the drug would now pay more for their treatment.
	5.9 AACR
AACR Annual Meeting 2018: The Biden Cancer Initiative Colloquium [Cancer Research Catalyst] Roads and roadblocks, both literal and metaphorical, figured into a panel discussion on the state of cancer research and care in the U.S. and globally, held April 17 at the AACR Annual Meeting 2018 in Chicago.
	6.11 Patients
Losing my mum to breast cancer defined my radiography career [The Guardian] My mum was diagnosed following a routine mammogram in 2007. At that point I had started working as a diagnostic radiographer. As she went through treatment – surgery, then chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it started to become clear that I wanted to specialise in breast cancer.
	6.4 Médico-éco
Want Fries With That? A Brief History Of Medical MRI, Starting With A McDonald's [Forbes] In 2016, approximately 121 MRI scans were performed for every 1,000 Americans, compared with about 56 in Canada and 43 in Australia, and these days MRI is held up as the ultimate example of America’s dysfunctional, overly expensive healthcare system.
	6.6 Publications
Science's "Reproducibility Crisis" Is Being Used as Political Ammunition [Wired] A report from the National Association of Scholars takes on the reproducibility crisis in science. Not everyone views the group’s motives as pure.
Springer Nature aims to raise 1.2 billion euros in new money in IPO [Reuters] Investors can expect a dividend payment of 110 million euros for the ending December 2018, and in following years Springer Nature expects to pay out about 50 percent of its annual adjusted net profit, the company said.
	6.7 DMP, Big Data & applis
23andMe Wants You to Share Even More Health Data [Wired] 23andMe does have data that other treatment comparison companies don’t: DNA. Theoretically, pairing its massive genetic databases with reports of treatment efficacy could help the company take steps toward offering precision medicine solutions: treatments tailored to your DNA.
Medical research needs big data – Tessa Jowell gets the ball rolling [The Guardian] We seem to be less anguished about under-regulated, global tech giants holding deeply personal information about us than an arm’s-length NHS body. That asymmetry isn’t surprising – it’s just yet another product of our irrationality.
	6.7.1 IA/bioinformatique
Artificial intelligence will put a premium on physicians’ knowledge and decision-making skills [STAT] Just as the stethoscope was only as useful as Laennec’s ability to assess what he was hearing in his patient’s chest, the success of artificial intelligence will depend largely on the ability of physicians to interpret and apply its findings.
	6.8 Communication
Between news release hype and peer-reviewed publication, patients wait in limbo [HealthNewsReview] First, is it even ethical to claim benefits of a drug (very often to the exclusion of noteworthy harms) and publicly release them without supporting data? Second, which matters more if the goal is fostering innovation and improving patient outcomes? Completeness or speed?
In the War on Cancer, Truth Becomes a Casualty [Wall Street Journal] The multibillion-dollar treatment industry appeals to emotion in misleading ads.
	6.9 Controverses
Salk puts cancer scientist Inder Verma on leave after harassment allegations, announces investigation [Science] On 17 April, Science requested an interview with Salk officials regarding sexual harassment allegations against Verma, who was hired there in 1974. The institute asked instead for a list of detailed written questions, which it received from Science on Wednesday morning, 18 April. Verma denied the allegations in a statement issued by his lawyer.