Onco Actu du 20 novembre 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
Epigenetic Changes Pinpointed as the Cause of Some GISTs [NCI] The new study shows that, in tumors of some people with SDH-deficient GIST, epigenetic alterations turned up several cell-growth genes to such high levels that they drove cancer growth.
Cell death or cancer growth: a question of cohesion [DKFZ] Individual cells are programmed to die following CD95 activation. In contrast, CD95 activation stimulates growth in clusters of cancer cells, for example in solid tumors.
	3.1.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC - E-CIGS
American Cancer Society Updates Position on Electronic Cigarettes [ACS] The ACS also believes e-cigarettes should not be used to quit smoking. No e-cigarette has been approved as a safe and effective cessation product by the FDA. All tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, pose a risk to the health of the user.
Trump’s stalling on flavored vape ban draws blowback — and fears of lasting damage to American health [STAT] Several public health experts told STAT that while the shift in the Trump administration’s stance might appease voters in the vaping community, it underestimates the potential impact of outrage over any reversal.
American Medical Association Calls for Removal of the Main Competitors to Cigarettes from the Market [The Rest of the Story] There is absolutely no way in which the AMA can justify calling for a ban on e-cigarettes while allowing real tobacco cigarettes to stay on the market.
2 More States Sue Juul Over the Marketing of Its Vaping Products [NY Times] The attorneys general of New York and California filed lawsuits alleging that the company had targeted young people with deceptive advertising.
AMA calls for total ban on all vaping products not approved by FDA [AMA] “It’s simple – we must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market."
Influential U.S. doctors group calls for ban on vaping products [Reuters] The AMA is urging regulators and legislators at the state and local levels to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarette and vaping products, and stipulates that those products should only be available by prescription.
	4.12 BIOPSIES LIQUIDES
Exact Sciences Marker Panel Detects Early Liver Cancer With Triple Sensitivity of Current Biomarker [Genome Web] Now, the company has released data showing that its panel of biomarkers is nearly three times as sensitive as AFP testing for the detection of early-stage HCC. The blood-based test, developed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, is composed of four methylated DNA markers and two protein markers.
	4.2 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - GÉNOME
Double Mutations in PIK3CA Gene Increase Patient Sensitivity to Targeted Therapies, Study Finds [Genome Web] The recently published study found that patients with double or multiple mutations in this gene appear to respond robustly to PI3K inhibitors, suggesting that the multiplicity of mutations could serve as a biomarker for determining which patients will respond best to treatment, and highlighting the importance of looking beyond single-nucleotide variants when trying to identify best responders to cancer treatment.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Milestone reached in new leukemia drug [Cold Spring Harbor Lab] The new compound created by the team to target SIK3 reprograms a transcription factor, which is a protein that can help turn specific genes on or off by binding to DNA. Vakoc’s lab has been at the forefront of trying to reprogram transcription factors in cancer therapy.
Arthritis drugs could prevent fatal spread of breast cancer [The Telegrah] Research teams from the University of Manchester and the University of Sheffield discovered that a protein released by bone marrow, called interleukin 1-beta encouraged breast cancer cells to form secondary tumours once they reach the bone. Tests found that this molecule can be blocked by the drug anakinra, already used to treat arthritis.
Study Suggests Repurposed Drugs Might Treat Aggressive Lung Cancer [NIH Director's Blog] Aiming high in terms of scale, researchers used CRISPR to knock out systematically, one by one, each of about 5,000 genes in cells from the SCLC mouse model, as well in cells from mouse models of other types of lung and pancreatic cancers.
	5.12.11 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Trispecific antibodies offer a third way forward for anticancer immunotherapy [Nature] Immunotherapy approaches seek to boost immune responses against cancer. A single antibody engineered to recognize three targets shows promise, when tested in animals, in improving the ability of T cells to target cancer.
	5.12.8 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - ECONOMIE
Keytruda overtakes Opdivo to lead sales in global immune checkpoint inhibitor market, report reveals [Pharmafile] MSD’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) overtook Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BMS) blockbuster drug Opdivo (nivolumab) in total sales in the third quarter of 2019 to emerge as leader in the global immune checkpoint inhibitor market, according to a new report from GlobalData.
	5.2 PHARMA
Myovant's oral prostate cancer drug matches incumbent in phase 3 [Fierce Biotech] Approval in prostate cancer would put Myovant in a fight for market share against drugs including leuprolide, goserelin, triptorelin, histrelin and degarelix. The faster onset of action of relugolix than leuprolide is one potential differentiator of Myovant’s drug.
Myovant to Seek FDA OK on Pill to Treat Advanced Prostate Cancer [Xconomy] Myovant says it plans to ask the FDA to review the results in the second quarter of 2020. Later it plans to talk with regulators in Europe and Japan.
Myovant to submit lead drug for prostate cancer approval after Phase 3 results [Biopharma Dive] If approved, relugolix would be the first oral GnRH antagonist for advanced prostate cancer, as older treatments like degarelix are delivered subcutaneously.
Myovant Sciences Announces 97% Response Rate in Positive Phase 3 HERO Study of Once-Daily, Oral Relugolix in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer [Myovant] Primary efficacy endpoint met with 96.7% of men achieving sustained testosterone suppression to castrate levels (< 50 ng/dL) through 48 weeks.
As uterine race with AbbVie heats up, Myovant eyes FDA approval with trial results from prostate cancer [EndPoints] The trial tested a relugolix arm alongside a standard-of-care, leuprolide, arm in their ability to suppress testosterone in patients with advanced prostate cancer.
	5.2.3 PHARMA - ÉCONOMIE
31 biopharmas at high risk of bankruptcy in 2020 [Biopharma Dive] Business struggles, significant debt and legal liabilities put some industry players at particularly high risk of declaring bankruptcy in the near future, including large drugmakers like Teva Pharmaceutical and Bausch Health as well as small biotechs including Clovis Oncology and Puma Biotechnology.
	5.3.4 TRAITEMENTS - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
Genmab Announces European Marketing Authorization for DARZALEX® (Daratumumab) in Combination with Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone in Frontline Multiple Myeloma [Genmab] Approval based on data from Phase III MAIA study.
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Zanubrutinib for Mantle Cell Lymphoma [ESMO] Evidence for efficacy is based on the results from BGB-3111-206 and BGB-3111-AU-003 studies.
	6.1 OBSERVATION
Anal cancer rates and mortality have risen dramatically among Americans [UT Health] The study was the first to compare and categorize contemporary national trends in incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, a type of anal cancer caused by HPV, by stage at diagnosis, year of birth, and mortality.
Anal cancer rates and deaths are climbing in the US, study says [CNN] From 2001 to 2015, cases of the most common type of anal cancer increased by 2.7% per year, while anal cancer death rates increased by 3.1% per year from 2001 to 2016. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, "gives numbers to a trend that seems to be happening over the last decade."
	6.7 DMP, BIG DATA & APPLIS
Google health-data scandal spooks researchers [Nature] Scientists fear the controversy over the Nightingale project will undermine trust in research.
Tools to help healthcare providers deliver better care [Google] To ensure that our tools are safe for Ascension doctors and nurses treating real patients, members of our team might come into contact with identifiable patient data. Because of this, we have strict controls for the limited Google employees who handle such data.
	6.7.1 IA/BIOINFORMATIQUE
London AI upstart, which counts Novartis as a customer, can teach your computer to read [EndPoints] The tiny 11-person startup Causaly, which is working with Novartis and a host of other biopharmaceutical companies, has developed artificial intelligence technology that processes language from this avalanche of published biomedical data — and is designed to extract causal relationships the way humans can — except faster and more efficiently.