Onco Actu du 20 mars 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
How tumors behave on acid [MIT] Acidic environment triggers genes that help cancer cells metastasize.
	2.6 ETIOLOGIE - ENVIRONNEMENT
Bayer statement on jury’s decision in phase one of California glyphosate trial [Bayer] We are disappointed with the jury’s initial decision, but we continue to believe firmly that the science confirms that glyphosate-based herbicides do not cause cancer. We are confident the evidence in phase two will show that Monsanto’s conduct has been appropriate and that the company should not be liable for Mr. Hardeman’s cancer.
Monsanto: Roundup substantial factor in man’s cancer, jury finds in key verdict [The Guardian] Hardeman’s case is considered a “bellwether” trial for hundreds of other plaintiffs in the US with similar claims, which means the verdict could affect future litigation and other cancer patients and families.
Monsanto Weedkiller Roundup Was ‘Substantial Factor’ in Causing Man’s Cancer, Jury Says [NY Times] Mr. Hardeman used Roundup to control weeds and poison oak on his property for 26 years. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015.
Second U.S. jury finds Bayer's Roundup caused cancer [Reuters] Tuesday’s unanimous jury decision in San Francisco federal court, which came after five days of deliberation, was not a finding of Bayer’s liability for the cancer of plaintiff Edwin Hardeman. Liability and damages will be decided by the same jury in a second trial phase beginning on Wednesday.
	3.1.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC - E-CIGS
FDA's Departing Gottlieb Aims to Keep Heat on E-Cigarette Makers [Bloomberg] He said he had ‘difficult’ meeting last week with Juul, Altria. The agency could look to pull pod-based products from market.
San Francisco officials look to ban sale of e-cigarettes [Reuters] San Francisco officials on Tuesday proposed legislation that would ban the sale of e-cigarettes from companies such as Juul until a review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as part of the city’s efforts to tackle underage vaping.
	4.1 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - PROSTATE
Revealing a potential new marker for aggressive prostate cancer [Cancer Research UK] Baena and her team have uncovered a new marker on the surface of these resistant cells, called LY6D. Publishing their work in Cell Reports, the team show that prostate cancer cells in mice that carry the marker are resistant to hormone treatment.
Understanding intermediate-risk prostate cancer: The whole may be greater than the sum of its parts [OICR] More specifically, they identified that the combination of protein and methylation data could, on average, predict the severity of a tumour better than looking at just the proteins – the proteome – or just the methylation patterns – the methylome – alone.
	4.12 BIOPSIES LIQUIDES
Researchers develop new method to detect cancerous DNA in lung cancer patients’ blood: an advance in liquid biopsies [ecancer News] The researchers collected blood samples from 127 patients with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC that had spread (metastasised) to other parts of the body or who had recurrent metastases.
	4.9 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - SEIN
Breast Density Assessment Varies Greatly by Screening Method and Race [RSNA] In this retrospective study, researchers analyzed data from 24,736 women who underwent mammography screening at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) between 2010 and 2017.
'3D mammography' could transform breast cancer screening and save thousands from unnecessary biopsies [The Telegraph] If rolled out across the NHS, the technology could mean thousands fewer women have to undergo invasive surgery only for doctors to find that they were not suffering from cancer.
	5.10 TRAITEMENTS - ESSAIS
Data from GARNET study indicates robust activity of dostarlimab in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer [GSK] GARNET is the single largest study to date of an anti-PD-1 monotherapy in women with advanced or recurrent MSI-H and MSS endometrial cancer.
GSK reports positive data from trial of endometrial cancer drug [Reuters] Dostarlimab was developed as part of a collaboration between Tesaro and AnaptysBio Inc. GSK agreed to buy U.S. cancer specialist Tesaro for $5.1 billion in December, giving it a marketed product for ovarian cancer, Zejula, which belongs to a promising class of medicines.
	5.12 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES
Determining the Clinical Benefit of Treatment Beyond Progression with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors [FDA] To address the question of whether treatment beyond progression has clinical benefit, CDER researchers pooled data from eight melanoma trials submitted to FDA.
	5.12.3 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES-COMBINAISONS
Targeted Therapy–Immunotherapy Combinations Effective for Advanced Kidney Cancer [NCI] As for which combination treatment will be the best for which patients, that’s still unclear, Dr. Rini said. “There are subtleties. We don’t know the right answer yet,” Dr. Rini said. “We hope to sort this out over the next several years.”
	5.12.5 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - PHARMA
Pfizer, Merck KGaA throw in the towel on another Bavencio PhIII as once bright hopes shrivel fast [EndPoints] Researchers had hoped to find promising data for their combination of Bavencio (avelumab) with talazoparib, the PARP Pfizer obtained in the Medivation buyout.
	5.12.6 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - AMM
In another I-O first for Roche, Tecentriq nabs blockbuster small cell lung cancer nod [Fierce Pharma] SCLC is a smaller market compared with non-small cell lung cancer, accounting for about 10% to 15% of all lung cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. Nevertheless, Baader Helvea analysts previously predicted that the indication could add $1.5 billion to Tecentriq’s sales.
Roche's Tecentriq secures another immunotherapy first [Biopharma Dive] Roche's IMpower-133 study showed adding Tecentriq to chemotherapy improved overall survival by about two months compared to chemotherapy alone — a reduction in risk of 30%. While that benefit is modest, fewer advances have been made in small cell lung cancer than the much more common non-small cell type.
Roche stacks up Tecentriq nods, following up breast cancer approval with small cell lung cancer [EndPoints] Roche’s Tecentriq still has much to do before it catches up with de facto leaders: Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol-Myers’ Opdivo, but its strategy of nabbing indications overlooked or ahead of the others could help establish it as a key player in the increasingly crowded field.
	5.12.8 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - ECONOMIE
Seeking a place among giants in the oncolytic virus field, little Cold Genesys bags $22M Series C [EndPoints] A modified adenovirus type 5, CG0070 works like a standard oncolytic virus: designed to infect cancer cells, killing them, which subsequently signals the immune system to mount an attack on the survivors.
	5.2 PHARMA
Venclexta trial deaths force AbbVie, Roche to stop recruiting myeloma patients [Fierce Pharma] But the drug isn’t the first closely watched cancer treatment to run into problems in myeloma. In 2017, Merck paused enrollment on a pair of phase 3 Keytruda studies in multiple myeloma to investigate deaths among patients taking the IO star with Celgene’s Revlimid and Pomalyst.
AbbVie Provides Update on VENCLEXTA®/VENCLYXTO® (venetoclax) Multiple Myeloma Program [AbbVie] Patients should talk to their doctor immediately if they are receiving venetoclax for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Roche, AbbVie forced to slam brakes on myeloma studies of star drug Venclexta after researchers flag higher risk of death [EndPoints] The sudden halt on recruitment will likely put a crimp in their plans to hit $3 billion in peak sales for the drug, which was initially limited to patients with a 17p deletion, accounting for about 10% of all cases.
FDA puts partial hold on clinical trials of AbbVie's cancer drug [Reuters] The drug is already approved to treat other types of cancer, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. It brought in $344 million revenue for AbbVie in 2018.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
Canada to create national drug agency to help cut cost of medicines [Reuters] The agency - which is not scheduled to start work until the 2022-23 fiscal year - would assess the effectiveness of new drugs, negotiate prices and recommend which medications represented the best value for money.
	6.1 OBSERVATION
Breast cancer death rates continue to fall in UK [Cancer Research UK] Death rates from breast cancer in the EU are forecast to fall from 14.6 per 100,000 women in 2014, to 13.4 per 100,000 in 2019, a drop of 8.7%. A decrease is expected in every EU country apart from Poland, according to the study published in the journal Annals of Oncology.
	6.2 IMPLANTS MAMMAIRES
FDA issues warning letters to two breast implant manufacturers for failure to comply with post-approval study requirements [FDA] The FDA welcomes public dialogue about breast implant safety and risk at the upcoming public meeting of the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel at the FDA’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland on March 25-26, 2019, which will also be available via webcast.
Reports of Breast Implant Illnesses Prompt Federal Review [NY Times] Reports from thousands of women that breast implants are causing problems like debilitating joint pain and fatigue, claims long dismissed by the medical profession, are receiving new attention from the Food and Drug Administration and researchers.
FDA issues warning to two breast implant makers [NBC] Letters warned that certain implants could be pulled off the market if the companies didn’t fulfill the agency’s requirements to continue safety studies.