Onco Actu du 24 avril 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
Pancreatic cancers ‘talk’ to neighbouring cells in mice, pointing to potential new drug targets [Cancer Research UK] To understand more about the relationship between stellate cells and pancreatic tumours, scientists at the Salk Institute in California analysed the proteins that lab-grown stellate cells were releasing into their surroundings. One of the proteins that came up was LIF, or leukaemia inhibitor factor.
	1.4 BIOLOGIE - TECHNOS
Watch: Cells are the building blocks of life. Scientists are making a map to understand them [STAT] Now, a group of scientists is conducting a cellular census, surveying every tissue in the human body and finding out what cells actually live there. They’re part of the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) project, an international collaboration of almost 900 institutions in 62 countries.
	2.4 ETIOLOGIE - PORTABLES, ONDES E-M
IARC Urged To Revisit RF Risk [Microwave News] Neither Kurt Straif, the head of IARC’s Monographs section, nor Joachim Schüz, the head of its environment and radiation section, responded to a query on the likelihood that the agency would follow through and convene a new RF assessment committee.
	3.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC
Walgreens Raises Tobacco-Buying Age to 21, Strengthening a Consensus [NY Times] In raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products at its stores, the drugstore chain joined other retailers and lawmakers seeking to curb teenagers’ use.
	4.10 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - POUMON
What If We Could Stop Lung Cancer Before It Starts? [Boston University] The new findings have identified four different genomic subtypes among current and former cigarette smokers who develop precancerous lesions.
Can differences in genomic immune system signatures detect lung cancer before it takes hold? [EndPoints] Their study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, found biological characteristics within the lesions that indicated a higher risk of progressing to lung cancer, and that the progressive lesions had a paucity of immune cells.
	4.2 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - GÉNOME
Multiple myeloma: DNA rearrangements may predict resistance, poor outcomes [Emory University] The findings emerged from the CoMMPass study, which made available whole-genome sequencing information from 795 newly diagnosed myeloma patients from several medical centers in North America and Europe.
	4.3 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - INDUSTRIELS
Roche launches new VENTANA HER2 Dual ISH companion diagnostic test for breast and gastric cancer patients eligible for targeted therapy [Roche] The VENTANA HER2 Dual ISH DNA Probe Cocktail assay3 aids in identifying breast and gastric cancer patients eligible for the targeted Roche drug Herceptin (trastuzumab), providing fast results with widely available laboratory instruments.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
The future hope of “flash” radiation cancer therapy [Stanford] "We and a few other labs around the world have started to see that when the radiation is given in a flash, we see equal or better tumor killing but much better normal tissue protection than with the conventional speed of radiation," Loo said. "And if that translates to humans, that's a huge breakthrough."
Imaging system helps surgeons remove tiny ovarian tumors [MIT] Using a novel fluorescence imaging system, they were able to find and remove tumors as small as 0.3 millimeters — smaller than a poppy seed — during surgery in mice. Mice that underwent this type of image-guided surgery survived 40 percent longer than those who had tumors removed without the guided system.
Study: Drugs reprogram genes in breast tumors to prevent endocrine resistance [University of Illinois] “By decreasing the expression of certain genes, the 4-OHT and selinexor combination prevented tumor cells from activating these survival pathways, which were prominent when the tumors were treated with either drug alone.”
	5.10 TRAITEMENTS - ESSAIS
Cancers controlled better when hit with multiple genetic drugs, UCSD study finds [San Diego Union Tribune] A related study is now enrolling earlier-stage cancer patients. It seeks those who have been recently diagnosed with cancers that have more than 50 percent mortality over two years. The goal of the new study is to see if the highly personalized approach will work even better in patients whose tumors have not yet developed resistance.
	5.12.2 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - CAR-T, THÉRAPIES CELLULAIRES
USC-led advance in groundbreaking cancer treatment eliminates severe side effects [USC] The study was supported financially by the Marino Biotechnology Corp., a private donation from Yi-Lin Zhu, and grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
As safety looms larger in CAR-T research, study highlights how small tweaks can make it easier to use [EndPoints] By adding a few amino acids in the hinge region, Chen’s team was able to create a CAR-T that proliferated more slowly, giving the patient’s body more time to clear cytokines in the blood.
	5.12.8 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - ECONOMIE
Medicare proposes higher payments for innovative cancer treatment [Washington Post] If approved, the increased reimbursements for CAR T-cell therapy and “breakthrough” devices would go into effect on Oct. 1.
Medicare offers to partially raise payment for cancer CAR-Ts [Reuters] CMS, which runs the federal government’s healthcare plan for seniors, issued a proposed rule raising its maximum “new technology add-on payment” (NTAP) from 50% of estimated costs to 65%, which would increase reimbursement to $242,450 from the current $186,500. But that is still far short of actual costs.
	5.2 PHARMA
The Changing Landscape of Research and Development [IQVIA] This report puts forth a proprietary Clinical Development Productivity Index that reflects changes in trial complexity, success and duration over time. Eight key trends driving change in clinical development are explored and their expected quantitative impact on productivity through 2023 are discussed.
Biotechs getting bigger in late-stage R&D, leaving Big Pharmas behind: report [Fierce Biotech] The report says that the “importance of large pharma in originating molecules is decreasing,” but they “remain important partners” for biotech. Still, they see the need for smaller biopharmas to team up with Big Pharma companies—and their large sales teams—as becoming less important.
	5.3 TRAITEMENTS - FDA, EMA, NICE...
U.S. biologics and biosimilars need distinguishable names [STAT] As this landscape evolves, and interchangeable products enter the market, it will underscore the importance in the U.S. of building the capability for accurate traceability and intentional pharmacy substitution. Appropriate systems need to be in place to support this.
	5.3.4 TRAITEMENTS - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
How real world evidence was used to support approval of Ibrance for male breast cancer [The Cancer Letter] We posed the same 10 questions to FDA, Pfizer and Flatiron Health. Here is what came back.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
Top 10 Best-Selling Cancer Drugs of 2018 [GEN] Sales of oncology treatments grew 17.5% and projected to reach $200B worldwide by 2022.
	5.6 ESMO
Innovation at the heart of breast cancer care: First ESMO Breast Cancer Congress [ESMO] The Congress programme offers numerous sessions looking at a variety of topics such as DNA damage, early clinical opportunities, immunotherapy and breast cancer response, metabolism, regulation of breast cancer diversity, and resistance.
	6. LUTTE CONTRE LES CANCERS
NCI advisors approve eight concepts, including three Cancer Moonshot concepts [The Cancer Letter] The NCI Board of Scientific Advisors approved eight new Requests for Applications, Requests for Proposals, and PAR—a program announcement reviewed in the institute—concepts at a meeting March 25, including three new Cancer Moonshot concepts.
	6.11 PATIENTS
The breast cancer surgeon who got breast cancer [BBC News] Liz O'Riordan ended up having to give up the job she had trained 20 years for, after she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2015, at the age of 40, she had a mastectomy and last May suffered a recurrence of the disease.
	6.6 PUBLICATIONS
Should I publish in an open access journal? [BMJ] An “author pays” publishing model is the only fair way to make biomedical research findings accessible to all, say Matthew Kurien and David S Sanders, but James J Ashton and R Mark Beattie worry that it can lead to bias in the evidence base towards commercially driven results.
	6.7 DMP, BIG DATA & APPLIS
Hancock: NHS must adopt new technology or it will not survive [The Telegraph] In a foreword to the report, Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, said: “Tech transformation in the NHS directly unlocks or frees resources for just about every other improvement we want to see, from using data to help boost cancer survival rates to joining up health and care to giving clinicians back the precious gift of time."
	6.9 CONTROVERSES
After firings, MD Anderson officials try to calm fears of racial profiling [Science] Investigations “not based on ethnicity,” administrator says at town hall meeting.