Onco Actu du 25 septembre 2019

	1.1 BIOLOGIE - GÉNOME
NIH funds centers for advancing the reference sequence of the human genome [NIH] The currently available reference sequence of the human genome is becoming obsolete. The funds are necessary for making advances in DNA sequencing technology and computational methods possible. As a result, NHGRI will fund two centers as a part of a new Human Genome Reference Program (HGRP).
	3.1.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC - E-CIGS
Spread of mysterious lung illness prompts a new question in the exam room: ‘Do you vape?’ [STAT] “That is the most important change over the last couple weeks for me. … Do you vape? Do you Juul? Very bluntly. It’s part of what I ask now,” said Dr. Pnina Weiss, a pediatric pulmonologist and professor at Yale School of Medicine.
National Survey Reveals One in Five Young Adults Regularly Uses E-Cigarettes and Believes They are Harmless, Not Addictive [ASCO] ASCO’s third annual National Cancer Opinion Survey also found that nearly three in 10 young adults think flavored e-cigarettes are less damaging than non-flavored ones.
Massachusetts Orders 4-Month Ban on Sale of All Vaping Products [NY Times] The state’s action is the toughest to date, as vaping-related illnesses and teenage use of e-cigarettes climb. Facing declining sales and public backlash, Juul, the dominant e-cigarette maker, is considering layoffs.
China may roll out e-cigarette rules amid global vaping backlash: state media [Reuters] The e-cigarette market in China, which has over 300 million smokers, is still considered less developed compared with other nations. However, dozens of domestic manufacturers such as Relx, Yooz and SNOW+ have taken tens of millions of dollars in venture capital funding.
Massachusetts imposes four-month ban on vaping product sales as mystery illness spreads [Reuters] The state will block all sales of e-cigarettes and supplies, both those used for tobacco and marijuana, which is legal in the state, Governor Charlie Baker and state officials told a news conference.
	4.15 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - IMAGERIE
AI equal with human experts in medical diagnosis, study finds [The Guardian] Research suggests AI able to interpret medical images using deep learning algorithm. However, experts have warned the latest findings are based on a small number of studies, since the field is littered with poor-quality research.
Human versus machine in medicine: can scientific literature answer the question? [The Lancet Digital Health] AI in many forms, including explainable AI and augmented intelligence, continues to climb towards the peak of inflated expectations on the 2019 Gartner Hype Cycle. As scientists and physicians, we should take on a responsible assessment of this new and rapidly developing technology, and stick to the facts, rather than risking a drop into the trough of disillusionment and a third major AI winter.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
“Metabolic Inhibitor” Compound Extends Survival in Mice with MYC-Expressing Pediatric Brain Tumors [Johns Hopkins] Versions of an antibiotic drug called DON first isolated from soil bacteria more than 60 years ago have shown promising signs of extending survival in mice models of especially lethal pediatric brain tumors marked by the high expression of a cancer-causing gene known as the MYC oncogene, according to results of two studies from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
	5.10 TRAITEMENTS - ESSAIS
Reporting guidelines for clinical trials evaluating artificial intelligence interventions are needed [Nature Medicine] As artificial intelligence moves into the realm of clinical trials, consideration is needed on whether the current CONSORT and SPIRIT reporting statements are sufficient to ensure transparency.
	5.12.11 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Engineered killer T cells could provide long-lasting immunity against cancer [UCLA] UCLA researchers use stem cells to engineer cells that attack human tumors in mice.
	5.12.6 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - AMM
Bristol-Myers Squibb Receives Positive CHMP Opinion Recommending Approval of Opdivo (nivolumab) Four-Week Dosing Schedule for the Adjuvant Treatment of Adult Patients with Melanoma with Involvement of Lymph Nodes or Metastatic Disease who have Undergone Complete Resection [BMS] In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 65 countries, including the United States, the European Union, Japan and China.
	5.17 TRAITEMENTS - RADIOTHÉRAPIE
Lung cancer radiation may increase the risk of major adverse cardiac events [CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians] “In this day and age, no cancer patient undergoing chest radiation should fail to see a cardio‐oncologist.”
	5.2.3 PHARMA - ÉCONOMIE
Clovis shares plunge after downgrade raises questions on path forward [Biopharma Dive] Among the pressures on Clovis shares is the fear that it will not be acquired by a big pharma, as GlaxoSmithKline did with Tesaro to gain rights to Zejula. Clovis debt also approaches $700 million and Berens does not forecast a standalone Clovis will become profitable before 2024.
	5.3.4 TRAITEMENTS - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
Do new cancer drugs work? Too often we don’t really know (and neither does your doctor) [The Conversation] Approval of new cancer drugs is often based on short-term health outcomes, referred to as “surrogate outcomes”, such as shrinking or slower growth of tumours. The hope is these surrogate outcomes predict longer-term benefits. For many cancers, however, they have been found to do a poor job of predicting improved survival.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
Do the Costs of Cancer Drugs Receive Enough Attention? [Wiley] Among the 43 submissions that were evaluated by pCODR, the gain in QALYs in most submissions was small, and in almost two-thirds (65 percent) of cases, the submitter’s best estimate of cost-effectiveness of the drug was in excess of $100,000 per QALY. More than half (56 percent) of submissions did not include original data on health-related quality of life, with most relying instead on evidence from previous studies.
	5.6 ESMO
Pfizer Presents New Evidence of IBRANCE® (palbociclib) Effectiveness in HR+, HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients in Four Real-World Studies at ESMO Congress 2019 [Pfizer] First-of-its-kind comparative analysis of real-world data in the CDK 4/6 inhibitor class supports benefits of IBRANCE combination therapy initially shown in clinical trials.
	6. LUTTE CONTRE LES CANCERS
Why the cancer ‘moonshot’ has been so disappointing [Washington Post] Rather than a concerted effort to cure cancer, pharmaceutical companies pour resources into “orphan drugs.”.
We Need More Doctors Who Are Scientists [NY Times] Our world needs a growing, corps of professionals who bring a human understanding of patients to medical research, and a researcher’s expertise to improving patients’ lives.
	6.11 PATIENTS
Is Everyone Doing Chemo Without Me? [NY Times] The TAILORx study, the largest ever breast cancer treatment trial based on over 10,000 patients’ recurrence scores, had just been published, showing that 70 percent of women with my type of early stage breast cancer could avoid chemotherapy. My score was right on the cusp.