Onco Actu du 5 novembre 2018

	2.4 Etiologie - Portables, ondes e-m
Mobile phones and cancer: misleading headlines fail to mention rats [Cancer Research UK] Large studies in people, such as the INTERPHONE study and the Million Women Study, have found no increased risk of cancer from using mobile phones. And considering these previous studies were in people, this latest study in rats, using conditions that don’t match normal phone use, shouldn’t ring alarm bells.
Statement from Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., J.D., Director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health on the National Toxicology Program’s report on radiofrequency energy exposure [FDA] As scientists, we welcome new studies. Animal studies like this one contribute to our discussions on this topic, but we must remember the study was not designed to test the safety of cell phone use in humans, so we cannot draw conclusions about the risks of cell phone use from it.
Study of Cellphone Risks Finds ‘Some Evidence’ of Link to Cancer, at Least in Male Rats [NY Times] Many caveats apply, and the results involve radio frequencies long out of routine use.
Mobile phone cancer link in rats – Expert Reaction [Science Media Centre] There are a number of key issues that need to be considered when interpreting the NTP press release and research publications: 1. The animals exposed to radiofrequency fields lived significantly longer than the controls (and cancer risk increases as you get older).
What Does Bombarding Rodents With Cell Phone Radiation Tell Us About Risks To Humans? [Forbes] For the NTP to upgrade the weak results concerning schwannomas to “clear evidence” is arguable, and any relevance of the alleged effect, if real, to human risk is unclear. This revision merely suggests that, given the huge expense of the study and the public interest in the question, the NTP is trying to extract some meaningful result.
	3.1.1 Prévention - Tabac - e-cigs
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on meetings with industry related to the agency’s ongoing policy commitment to firmly address rising epidemic rates in youth e-cigarette use [FDA] We’ll continue to ensure that the companies making and selling these products are doing their part to reverse this epidemic and we’ll hold accountable those that don’t take this responsibility seriously.
	3.3 Prévention - Vaccins
HPV Vaccination for Cancer Prevention: Progress, Opportunities, and a Renewed Call to Action [President's Cancer Panel] In this report, the Panel Chair provides an overview of progress made over the past five years and presents priorities and strategies to speed progress toward goals identified in the previous report. Several research priorities also are highlighted.
	4. Dépistage, diagnostic et pronostic
Glowing chemical 'could aid brain cancer surgery' [BBC News] Next steps could include testing the 5-ALA in children with brain tumours, or to help surgeons distinguish between tumour tissue and scar tissue in adult patients, whose brain cancers have recurred following treatment.
'Fluorescent marker' could help surgeons remove deadly brain tumours [The Telegraph] Scientists used a compound called 5-aminolevulinic acid or 5-ALA, which glows pink when a light is shone on it. Previous research shows that, when consumed, 5-ALA accumulates in fast growing cancer cells and this means it can act as a fluorescent marker of high-grade cells.
	4.12 Biopsies liquides
Circulating Tumor DNA–Defined Minimal Residual Disease in Solid Tumors: Opportunities to Accelerate the Development of Adjuvant Therapies [Journal of Clinical Oncology] Although ctDNA holds immense potential, it is important to acknowledge its limitations. Current ctDNA assays have modest sensitivity in the adjuvant setting, ranging from 50% to 60%.
	4.3 Dép., diag. & prono. - Industriels
DNA sequencing giant Illumina just bought rival Pac Bio for $1.2 billion — here's why [CNBC] "Illumina needs a technology like Pac Bio to increase their capabilities and stay dominant," Estep explained. Estep believes he combination will appeal to customers in the research field, where Illumina has focused its efforts historically, as well as the clinical or medical space, which is key to Illumina's future.
DNA Sequencing Giant Illumina Will Buy Pacific Biosciences For $1.2 Billion – Exclusive CEO Interview [Forbes] Illumina expects the long-read market to grow from $600 million today to $2.5 billion in 2021. “We’re going to make that technology more accessible around the world,” deSouza says.
Illumina to Acquire Pacific Biosciences for Approximately $1.2 Billion, Broadening Access to Long-Read Sequencing and Accelerating Scientific Discovery [Illumina] Brings Together Highly Accurate Short- and Long-Read Sequencing Technologies, Paving the Path to a More Perfect View of a Genome.
Illumina Set to Acquire “Long-Read” DNA Sequencer PacBio for $1.2B [Xconomy] Though both Illumina and PacBio offer gene sequencing systems, the companies say the deal brings together complementary technologies.
	4.7 Dép., diag. & prono. - Col de l'utérus
Computer simulation suggests testing for HPV first could mean cervical screening can be stopped earlier [Cancer Research UK] The computer simulation predicted that those who had attended screening regularly and tested negative for HPV at age 55 had a 0.04% chance of developing cervical cancer in later life. The study used Canadian health data and was published in The Lancet Oncology.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
A Prognostic Model May Predict Survival in African-American Women with Breast Cancer [AACR] Utilizing data from The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA), Bhattarai and colleagues analyzed protein expression levels of 224 proteins from 754 breast cancer patients. Of these patients, 620 were of European descent, and 134 were African-American.
Women Carrying Rare Breast Cancer Variants Are More Likely to Develop Interval Breast Cancers [AACR] Li and colleagues analyzed data from over 5,000 breast cancer patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2008 through the Stockholm-Gotland Regional Breast Cancer quality register. The researchers studied associations with tumor characteristics and survival outcomes for patients with rare protein-truncating variants (PTVs) in 31 cancer predisposition genes, including BRCA1/2.
	5. Traitements
Minimally invasive radical hysterectomy may increase death risk in patients with early-stage cervical cancer [Mass. Geneal Hospital] “This result is very surprising, since randomized trials have demonstrated the safety of minimally invasive surgery for uterine, gastric and colorectal cancers,” says Alexander Melamed, MD, MPH, of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the MGH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, lead author of the NEJM paper.
For Cervical Cancer Patients, Less Invasive Surgery Is Worse For Survival [NPR] The study involved more than 600 women recruited at medical centers worldwide. Half had their uterus removed through open abdominal surgery; the other half had minimally invasive surgery.
Studies Warn Against Minimally Invasive Surgery for Cervical Cancer [NY Times] The results, published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, had been circulating among cancer specialists in recent months and are already changing medical practices.
More deaths seen for less invasive cervical cancer surgery [AP] New evidence about a cancer operation in women finds a higher death rate for the less invasive version, challenging standard practice and the “less is more” approach to treating cervical cancer.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
U.K. House of Commons committee report calls for more transparency on clinical trials [FierceBiotech] “The HRA (Health Research Authority) must act now to ensure current regulations are enforced and impose tough sanctions on those who seem to think it is acceptable to disregard valuable research, threaten research integrity and, in some cases, endanger human life. Many of these trials are funded with public money and the taxpayer has a right to expect those who benefit from public funding to follow the rules and publish in full.”
	5.12 Immunothérapies
Specific CD8 T cell states may indicate response to immune checkpoint therapy for melanoma [Mass. General Hospital] "As checkpoint inhibition becomes the standard of care for tens and thousands of patients worldwide, there is an unmet need to apply the strategy used in this study to other types of cancer to discover the specific mechanisms underlying the success or failure of this type of treatment.”
A cure for cancer: how to kill a killer [The Guardian] Revolutionary work on the body’s immune system and a host of new drug trials mean that beating cancer may be achievable.
	5.12.4 Immunothérapies - Essais
As rivals press in, Stanford spinout Forty Seven burnishes its prospects from an impressive PhIb [EndPoints] Their antibody — Hu5F9-G4, of 5F9 — is designed to spur macrophages to slaughter cancer cells. And in this study researchers recruited a handful of people with two kinds of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma.
	5.12.6 Immunothérapies - AMM
FDA approves pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy for first-line treatment of metastatic squamous NSCLC [FDA] Approval was based on KEYNOTE-407 (NCT02775435), a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 559 patients with metastatic squamous NSCLC, regardless of PD-L1 tumor expression status, who had not previously received systemic therapy for metastatic disease.
Merck beats out Roche with yet another Keytruda lung cancer approval [FiercePharma] The approval follows data rolled out at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting that showed the Keytruda-chemo pairing could cut down the risk of disease worsening or death by 44% and the risk of death on its own by 36%.
	5.2 Pharma
AbbVie Announces Positive Results from CLL14, a Phase 3 Trial Evaluating a Venetoclax Combination as First-Line Therapy with a Fixed Duration of Treatment in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia [AbbVie] Randomized Phase 3 trial met primary endpoint, demonstrating patients treated with venetoclax plus obinutuzumab had superior progression-free survival (PFS) compared to patients treated with standard of care obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil.
Phase III data showed that Venclexta/Venclyxto plus Gazyva/Gazyvaro reduced the risk of disease worsening or death in people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with co-morbidities [Roche] Data will be submitted to health authorities and presented at an upcoming medical meeting.
AbbVie, Roche combo treatment meets main goal of leukemia trial [Reuters] The results demonstrate the potential of Venclexta as a treatment with a fixed duration for patients with CLL, and may serve as the basis to expand into first-line treatment, AbbVie Chief Scientific Officer Michael Severino said in a statement.
	5.3.4 Traitements - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
Pfizer racks up its third cancer drug OK in 2 months, but is it enough to replace regular price hikes? [EndPoints] There’s a lot about this drug that illustrates the current state of cancer drug development. Pfizer picked up an accelerated OK on positive Phase I/II data that will need to be borne out by pivotal results. Regulators were happy to provide a fast green light for a drug that fits in the treatment spectrum in the wake of a failure on alectinib, brigatinib or ceritinib.
U.S. FDA Approves LORBRENA® (lorlatinib) for Previously-Treated ALK-Positive Metastatic NSCLC [Pfizer] This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.
FDA approves Pfizer's treatment for certain lung cancer patients [Reuters] Lorbrena, known chemically as lorlatinib, is designed to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer in patients with a mutation of the ALK gene, who have relapsed after being treated with ALK inhibitors, such as Pfizer’s Xalkori.
Yet another AbbVie-Roche regimen, this time with Venclexta and Gazyva, hits its marks in CLL [FiercePharma] Roche, for its part, is happy to see relative newcomer Gazyva begin to take the baton from Rituxan, which is one of a handful of Roche cancer fighters biosimilar copycats are targeting.
AbbVie Receives European Commission Approval of VENCLYXTO® (venetoclax) Plus Rituximab for the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Who Have Received at Least One Prior Therapy [AbbVie] Today's approval makes VENCLYXTO plus rituximab the first chemotherapy-free combination with a 24-month fixed duration for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who have received at least one prior therapy.
Roche announces EU approval of Venclyxto plus MabThera for people with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia [Roche] Approval is based on randomised phase III MURANO study showing that fixed duration of treatment with Venclyxto plus MabThera is well tolerated and reduced risk of disease progression or death by 83% compared to a current standard of care.
	5.8.2 ASH - Pharma
Novartis data at ASH and SABCS show strength of pipeline and portfolio in hematology and oncology [Novartis] Longer term follow-up from global pivotal clinical trials ELIANA and JULIET to be presented at ASH, reporting clinical impact of Kymriah® in patients with r/r pediatric B-cell ALL and adult DLBCL.
Amgen To Present New Data Showcasing Extensive Portfolio And Exciting Early Oncology Pipeline At ASH 2018 [Amgen] First-in-Human Data Evaluating AMG 420 in Multiple Myeloma and AMG 330 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Underscore Potential of BiTE® Immunotherapy Platform Across Hematologic Malignancies.
Takeda to Present Data During 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting on Wide Array of Treatment Needs for Blood Cancers [Takeda] Results from Phase 3 Studies Including TOURMALINE-MM3 Trial of NINLARO™ (ixazomib) as Post- Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Maintenance Therapy and ECHELON-2 Trial of ADCETRIS® (brentuximab vedotin) in Frontline CD30-Positive Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Featured in Oral Sessions.
Roche to present new data from its industry-leading haematology portfolio at the American Society of Hematology 2018 Annual Meeting [Roche] Ten medicines featured in over 70 abstracts, including 25 oral presentations.
Janssen Shows Commitment to Advancing the Science and Treatment of Blood Cancers and Related Conditions With More Than 80 ASH 2018 Data Presentations From Differentiated Oncology and Cardiovascular Portfolios [Janssen] Highlights include eight company-sponsored oral presentations, including data for the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib), anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody DARZALEX® (daratumumab), as well as updated results from the BCMA-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy LCAR-B38M in multiple myeloma. Data for the Factor Xa inhibitor XARELTO® (rivaroxaban) are also being presented.
	6.1 Observation
Prostate cancer surgery and radiation tied to antidepressant use [Reuters] Compared to a control group of men in the general population without a prostate cancer diagnosis, men with prostate cancer were 49 percent more likely to be taking antidepressants five years after surgery and 33 percent more likely to take antidepressants five years after radiation treatment, the study found.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
Drug price controls? A good idea, but don't bet on it [Modern Healthcare] The reality is that innovation doesn’t come from pouring more money into the coffers of the pharmaceutical industry. If that were true, we would have had a cure for cancer two generations ago. Rather, innovation comes from the advance of medical science, which is slow, arduous and totally dependent on government- and philanthropy-funded basic research. Most medical breakthroughs occur in NIH-funded labs.
	6.11 Patients
She Chose To 'Go Flat' And Wants Other Breast Cancer Survivors To Know They Can Too [NPR] FLAT (Skyhorse Publishing) is about Guthrie's journey to feeling comfortable in her own body again after getting a double mastectomy and opting not to get reconstructive breast surgery — after learning it might impair her strength and mobility — and instead choosing to go "flat".
	6.12 Ethique
Could an ELF have saved Baselga? [Bioethics] We encourage researchers to create an “ELF,” an electronic long-form disclosure statement that lists financial relationships, as well as any political, advocacy, or religious points of view, pertinent investments, and the like — any information that could help readers assess potential author bias.
	6.5 Médecines alternatives/complémentaires
Belief in alternative cancer cures: We have a lot of work to do to combat quackery [Respectful Insolence] A lot of people believe in alternative cancer cures and don’t know the potential downsides of pursuing them. It’s a problem that’s likely to be even more difficult to tackle than antivaccine conspiracy theories, given that antivaccine views, although associated with the same sort of world view as belief in alternative cancer cures, are not held by nearly as large a percentage of the public.