Onco Actu du 24 octobre 2018

	1. Biologie
World-first study uncovers potential DNA secrets of prostate cancer in African Men [Garvan Institute] A new study is the first in the world to sequence the entire tumour DNA of African men with prostate cancer, revealing significant differences compared to the tumour DNA of those of non-Africans.
	2. Etiologie
Tall people at greater risk of cancer 'because they have more cells' [The Guardian] Nunney compared the overall risk of men and women developing cancer of any type with increasing height, as found from previous studies of large cohorts, with what might be expected from calculations based on the number of cells in a body.
	2.6 Etiologie - Environnement
Monsanto trial: judge rejects bid to overturn landmark cancer verdict [The Guardian] Dewayne Johnson originally won $289m after finding Roundup weedkiller caused illness, but judge reduces financial award.
Judge upholds Monsanto weed killer cancer verdict but slashes damages to groundsman [The Telegraph] Judge Suzanne Bolanos denied Monsanto's request for a new trial but cut the $289 million damages award to $78 million to comply with the law regarding how punitive damages awards must be calculated.
	3.1 Prévention - Tabac
‘If Philip Morris really wants people to stop smoking they should stop making cigarettes’ [Cancer Research UK] It’s a staggering hypocrisy, where this tobacco giant is running a PR campaign in the UK to promote its own ‘quit smoking’ products, all the while continuing to promote its deadly tobacco products in countries where it’s still legal to do so.
	3.1.1 Prévention - Tabac - e-cigs
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on agency’s ongoing commitment to improving efficiency, transparency of tobacco product application review process as part of FDA’s comprehensive framework to reduce tobacco-related disease and death [FDA] As we continue to advance these policies to significantly reduce tobacco-related disease and death, including a particular emphasis on protecting kids from the dangers of nicotine, it’s critical that we have an efficient regulatory process that puts novel products like e-cigarettes through an appropriate series of regulatory gates to fully evaluate their risks and their potential benefits.
JUUL's social media campaign resonates alarmingly with teens [Reuters] The popular e-cigarette brand JUUL is attracting an alarming number of teens online, researchers say. At least a quarter of JUUL’s twitter followers may be under 18, they write in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
	3.8 Prévention - Alimentation
Eating organic food linked with lower cancer risk [NHS Choices] There was a notable difference in sociodemographics and lifestyles of those eating the most organic food. The researchers tried to adjust for these factors, but there's still a chance these things influenced the results. This means the study can't prove that eating organic food is responsible for the reduced risk – it could just be down to living a healthier lifestyle in general.
No, Organic Food Doesn't Reduce Cancer Risk. That's Biologically Impossible [ACSH] Of the study's participants, 78% were female, so the data are skewed by gender. The data were also collected using questionnaires, which is an incredibly unreliable way to do research. The authors' ability to properly control for all confounders was unconvincing. And the authors didn't even attempt to collect data on pesticide exposure. (So, what exactly were they measuring?)
Organic foods tied to slightly lower cancer risk [Reuters] Compared to people who consumed the least amount of organic foods, people who consumed the most were 25 percent less likely to develop cancer during the study. In absolute terms, this translated into about a 0.6 percent lower risk of cancer.
Organic Foods for Cancer Prevention—Worth the Investment? [JAMA Internal Medicine] While the study by Baudry et al has several notable strengths, such as its large sample size, prospective design, and modest loss to follow-up, it also has significant weaknesses, which mandate careful interpretation of the findings. Most salient among the weaknesses is the fact that the organic food questionnaire was not validated; therefore, it is unclear what the intended exposure, organic food consumption, was actually measuring.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Study Improves the Quality of Biopsy Specimens for Cancer Research [NCI] Conducting biopsies for research purposes can be challenging, Dr. Ferry-Galow noted. One challenge is that such biopsies ideally involve the collection of more tissue from a patient than biopsies conducted during routine patient care.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
HPV blood test shows promise for tracking head and neck cancer after treatment [UNC] For their study, the researchers followed 89 patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who received chemotherapy and radiation treatment. They administered the blood test before and during treatment, and during post-treatment follow-up visits.
	4.7 Dép., diag. & prono. - Col de l'utérus
Cervical screening: Millions missing smear tests [BBC News] Screening rates are at their lowest for two decades. Public Health England said it was "concerned" by the fall. A further million women aged 50 to 64 have not had a smear test for at least five and a half years.
	5.12.1 Immunothérapies - partenariats
AstraZeneca strikes big, multipart immuno-oncology deal with Innate [FierceBiotech] The size of the bet on a drug with limited clinical data reflects a belief that monalizumab can help cancer patients who are underserved by current therapies, both by boosting and broadening the efficacy of PD-1/L1 drugs and by providing a better, alternative option to these cornerstone therapies.
AstraZeneca strengthens and expands oncology development and commercialisation collaboration with Innate Pharma [AstraZeneca] AstraZeneca will obtain full oncology rights to the first-in-class humanised anti-NKG2A antibody, monalizumab, expanding its partnership with Innate from the initial collaboration announced in 2015. AstraZeneca also gains option rights to IPH5201, an antibody targeting CD39, as well as four preclinical molecules from Innate’s pipeline.
AstraZeneca is paying Innate Pharma at least $242M in near-term cash to sew up rights to monalizumab-plus [EndPoints] The jewel in this crown is monalizumab, which promises to restore an immune response by NK and T cells, half of the heart of the I/O approach, where AstraZeneca sees a big future for Imfinzi, its PD-L1 checkpoint that allows a more effective assault by immune cells, taking the brakes off the system.
AstraZeneca digs deeper into cancer with Innate stake [Reuters] Tuesday’s agreement is a coup for Innate - run by former AstraZeneca executive Mondher Mahjoubi - which gains rights to sell AstraZeneca’s newly approved rare blood cancer drug Lumoxiti as its first commercial product.
	5.12.3 Immunothérapies-combinaisons
Bristol-Myers' Opdivo-Yervoy combo hits a regulatory snag in lung cancer [FiercePharma] On Friday, the New Jersey drugmaker disclosed that EU regulators had requested more survival data from its Checkmate-227 trial, which is evaluating the duo in previously untreated lung cancer. And while the company has already submitted a new analysis, it’s now facing a regulatory slowdown. The FDA pushed back its decision date by three months, and now expects to hand down a verdict by May 20 of next year.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Provides Update on the Ongoing Regulatory Review of Opdivo Plus Low-Dose Yervoy in First-Line Lung Cancer Patients with Tumor Mutational Burden ≥10 mut/Mb [BMS] New analysis submitted to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) constitutes a major amendment to the Company’s supplemental Biologics License Application.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Amid pipeline woes, Celgene brings on Keytruda and Bavencio R&D executive in shake-up [FierceBiotech] Celgene’s R&D strategy over the last few years has been to forge partnerships for early-stage programs while acquiring companies with promising later-stage drugs. The latter approach yielded acute myeloid leukemia Idhifa (enasidenib), which other than Otezla is Celgene’s only other launch in the last five years.
	5.12.6 Immunothérapies - AMM
Immunotherapy Drug Cemiplimab Approved for Advanced Squamous Cell Skin Cancer [NCI] This is the first agent to be approved by FDA specifically for advanced SCC.
	5.2 Pharma
Phase III trial of darolutamide in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer meets primary endpoint [Bayer] The safety and tolerability observed in the trial were consistent with previously published data on darolutamide.
Bayer, Orion drug shown to delay spread of prostate cancer [Reuters] A study on men with non-metastatic prostate cancer that could not be helped with hormonal therapy met the primary goal of showing oral drug darolutamide can delay the spread of metastases, the companies said in a statement.
Genmab Announces Positive Topline Results in Phase III CASSIOPEIA Study of Daratumumab in Front Line Multiple Myeloma [Genmab] Trial sponsored by the French Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome (IFM) in collaboration with the Dutch-Belgian Cooperative Trial Group for Hematology Oncology (HOVON).
Merrimack Pharma’s stock plunges (again) on its latest cancer drug trial flop [EndPoints] The drug MM-121 (seribantumab) added to docetaxel did not do any better than docetaxel alone in improving the progression-free survival of patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer.
Real-world study shows using Giotrif®/Gilotrif® (afatinib) followed by osimertinib provides a median of 27.6 months of chemotherapy-free time in patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC [Boehringer Ingelheim] GioTag is the first global, real-world study to evaluate the sequencing of targeted treatments in patients with the most common acquired treatment resistance mutation.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
A New Targeted Cancer Company To Watch [Forbes] Jean Cui led the invention of Pfizer's Xalkori. Now she has her own company focusing on drug-resistant cancers, and it has raised $147 million.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
It’s All in the Numbers: FDA Issues New Draft Guidance on Presenting Quantitative Efficacy and Risk Information in DTC Promotion [FDA Law Blog] Use Absolute Probability Presentations – firms should convey information in terms of absolute frequencies (e.g., 57 out of 100) or percentages (57%); if relative frequency information is provided (e.g., 50% reduction of risk), absolute probability measures should also be provided (e.g., 50% reduction of risk – 1% had a stroke compared to 2% in the control group).
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
Summary of opinion (post authorisation) - Keytruda pembrolizumab (EMA] The CHMP adopted a new indication as follows: “Keytruda as monotherapy is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma in adults with lymph node involvement who have undergone complete resection (see section 5.1).”
	5.4 Traitements - Economie
NICE spurns Lilly’s breast cancer drug Verzenio in favor of rivals from Pfizer and Novartis [FiercePharma] The company does have some time to make an appeal: NICE is taking comments on its recommendation until Nov. 8 and meeting a week later to appraise the drug again.
NICE rejects Elil Lilly's Verzenio for breast cancer in draft guidance [Pharmafile] Like its competitors Ibrance and Kisqali, Verzenio is a CDK4/6 inhibitor and taken with anti-cancer aromatase inhibitors which block the production of oestrogen, a hormone which would otherwise stimulate the growth of breast cancer tumours.
	5.6 ESMO
ESMO's not what it used to be—and that's a good thing, executives say [FiercePharma] “So many things are coming out, you can’t be dependent on one congress,” Sandler agreed As a result, ESMO isn’t the only cancer meeting gaining in importance. Just look at this year’s American Association for Cancer Research summit, which featured pivotal lung cancer survival results from both Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
ESMO ’18: Precision Meds, Breast, Lung, and More from the Cancer Front [Xconomy] We’ve sorted the headlines into a few big categories: immunotherapy combinations, breast cancer, lung cancer, the growing class of drugs called PARP inhibitors, and new drugs that treat tumors based on genetic signature.
	5.6.6.1 ESMO - Sein (triple négatif)
Immunotherapy trial shows promise for some women with an aggressive breast cancer [Cancer Research UK] Atezolizumab didn’t significantly improve patient survival overall, but there were encouraging signs in patients whose tumour samples carried high levels of PD-L1, as measured by lab tests.
	5.6.6.3 ESMO - Sein (palbociclib)
Targeted drug could extend lives of some women with advanced breast cancer [Cancer Research UK] “Although the treatment gave some people with breast cancer precious extra months, it's not a cure, and won't work for everyone,” he said. “So, we need to understand more about breast cancer's weak spots and exploit them to develop even more effective treatments in the future.”
	6.1 Observation
Bowel cancer on the rise among young people in Europe [The Guardian] Rate among people aged 20-39 rose 7.4% a year between 2008 and 2016, researchers say.
	6.10 Politiques
Europe’s Nobel laureates step up warnings about Brexit’s effect on science [Nature] Leading scientists and mathematicians urge UK and European Union leaders to strike a deal on research amid stalling negotiations.
	6.12 Ethique
Cancer Research to cut funding for scientists who bully colleagues [The Guardian] UK charity cracks down on harassment after recent high-profile accusations.
	6.13 Soins palliatifs
2018 Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium Press Program to Feature New Research on Pain Management and Immunotherapy-Related Toxicities [ASCO] Abstracts presented at the symposium will provide information that is vital to the entire cancer care continuum, from research regarding biologic mechanisms of symptoms to caring for patients’ psychosocial and spiritual needs during cancer treatment and at end of life.
	6.5 Médecines alternatives/complémentaires
Crowdfunding raises millions for unproven — and potentially harmful — treatments [STAT] Vox and his colleagues combed through campaigns posted from Nov. 2015 to Dec. 2017 that contained key words like “homeopathy” and “cancer” and were set up to specifically fund a treatment. The 474 campaigns to pay for homeopathic or naturopathic care for cancer collected the most, totaling nearly $3.5 million.
	6.7.1 IA/bioinformatique
Head of IBM Watson Health leaving post after company stumbles, growing criticism [STAT] Even as it has heavily advertised the potential of Watson Health, IBM has not met lofty expectations in some areas. Its flagship cancer software, which used artificial intelligence to recommend courses of treatment, has been ridiculed by some doctors inside and outside of the company.