Onco Actu du 4 novembre 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
Kidney Cancer Study Uncovers New Subtypes and Clues to Better Diagnosis and Treatment [Johns Hopkins] Multi-omic investigations further demonstrates the complexity of the disease.
	1.1 BIOLOGIE - GÉNOME
AACR Project GENIE Begins Five-year Collaborative Research Project with $36 Million in New Funding [AACR] The project will further enhance a unique, real-world clinico-genomic dataset through the joint efforts of nine biopharmaceutical companies.
	1.4 BIOLOGIE - TECHNOS, MODÈLES
Liquid-in-liquid printing method could put 3D-printed organs in reach [Science] New technique makes it easier to build stable “tissues”.
	2. ETIOLOGIE
Some gut bacteria may increase bowel cancer risk, research suggests [The Guardian] Many questions remain, including whether the genetic variants linked to the gut bacteria are directly driving the increased risk of bowel cancer. “The actual genetic changes [themselves] could be associated with the disease first and foremost which then drives variation in the bacteria,” said Wade.
Researchers identify certain gut bacteria that may be involved in causing bowel cancer [NCRI] The researchers used data from 3,890 people taking part in the Flemish Gut Flora Project, the German Food Chain Plus study and the PopGen study, and 120,328 people in the international Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium.
	2.13 ETIOLOGIE - NDMA
Statement on new testing results, including low levels of impurities in ranitidine drugs [FDA] We also conducted tests that simulate what happens to ranitidine after it has been exposed to acid in the stomach with a normal diet and results of these tests indicate that NDMA is not formed through this process. Similarly, if ranitidine is exposed to a simulated small intestine environment, NDMA is not formed.
FDA downplays risks from already recalled heartburn drug Zantac [Reuters] Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement that the levels of the probable carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) it found in ranitidine - sold under the brand name Zantac - “are similar to the levels you would expect to be exposed to if you ate common foods like grilled or smoked meats.”
	3.1.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC - E-CIGS
Update: Characteristics of Patients in a National Outbreak of E-cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injuries — United States, October 2019 [CDC] Most EVALI patients report using THC-containing products before symptom onset. CDC recommends that persons should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products containing THC. Because the specific compound or ingredient causing EVALI is not known, persons should consider refraining from use of all e-cigarette, or vaping, products.
China Effectively Bans Online Sales of E-Cigarettes [NY Times] The move could effectively shut off one of the biggest markets for an industry that is facing pressure around the world.
Factbox: U.S. vaping-related deaths climb to 39, Illinois reports third death [Reuters] The agency has urged people not to use e-cigarettes with marijuana ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, saying the high-inducing component may have a role in causing the illness. The CDC has also said there may be multiple reasons behind the outbreak and that the cause may not be the same across the country.
	3.3 PRÉVENTION - VACCINS
Merck again borrows Gardasil supplies from CDC [Biopharma Dive] Gardasil is a key product for Merck, earnings $1.3 billion in the months from July to September. But the drugmaker hasn't been able to keep enough of the vaccine flowing to meet rising demand, especially in China.
	4.12 BIOPSIES LIQUIDES
Breast cancer may be detected by blood test five years before clinical signs show [The Guardian] “These are clearly very preliminary data,” said Cambridge University cancer epidemiologist Prof Paul Pharoah. “A lot more research would be needed before any claim can be made that this is likely to represent a meaningful advance in the early detection of cancer.”
Simple blood test for early detection of breast cancer [NCRI] In a pilot study the researchers took blood samples from 90 breast cancer patients at the time they were diagnosed with breast cancer and matched them with samples taken from 90 patients without breast cancer (the control group).
	4.9 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - SEIN
Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk Predicted by Immune-Related Germline Variants [Genome Web] Researchers at the National Research Council Canada, the University of Calgary, and McGill University used their so-called eTumorMetastasis algorithm to search for germline signatures of recurrence based on protein-coding sequences for nearly 800 individuals with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer.
	5. TRAITEMENTS
HER2 Amplification Confers Drug Sensitivity Across Tumor Types in New Study [Genome Web] Overall, the team studied 5,002 patients with advanced cancer (excluding breast cancer) who underwent NGS as part of MD Anderson's precision oncology practice between January 2011 and June 2017. Within that group, they tracked the overall prevalence of HER2 amplification and the percentages for each cancer type represented in the cohort.
Chemotherapy sometimes sets the stage for drug-resistant leukemia at relapse [St. Jude Children's Research Hospital] An international collaboration has identified therapy-induced, drug-resistance mutations in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who relapse.
	5.10 TRAITEMENTS - ESSAIS
Seven Decades of Chemotherapy Clinical Trials: A Pan-Cancer Social Network Analysis [medRxiv] We examined the social network of cancer clinical trialists and its dynamic development over more than 70 years, including the roles of subspecialization and gender in relation to traditional and network-based metrics of productivity.
	5.12.2 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - CAR-T, THÉRAPIES CELLULAIRES
Science author digs into the story about a revolutionary cancer treatment used in immunotherapy [Washington Post] “Hoping for a miracle while preparing to die are mutually compatible ideas,” writes Yurkiewicz. “For an adversary as tough as cancer, we’ll take any tool we can get.”
	5.12.4 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - ESSAIS
Yale Cancer Center study shows checkpoint inhibitor prolongs survival in patients with certain head and neck cancers [Yale] The study looked at 882 participants enrolled in 200 medical centers in 37 countries, who were randomly assigned to one of three different groups: those receiving pembrolizumab, those treated with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy, and those getting the standard therapy with cetuximab and chemotherapy.
Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Small Cell Lung Cancer [NCI] In the study, treatment with durvalumab combined with a standard chemotherapy regimen increased overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed advanced SCLC by approximately 3 months compared with those treated with standard chemotherapy alone.
	5.12.5 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - PHARMA
Bristol-Myers warns I-O blockbuster Opdivo will be 'under pressure' in 2020 [Fierce Pharma] It's not all bad news for Opdivo, in Bristol's eyes: Boerner told analysts the drugmaker expected Opdivo to retake the initiative in sales after the lung cancer filings and trial readouts coming up in 2020 and 2021.
	5.17 TRAITEMENTS - RADIOTHÉRAPIE
ICR and The Royal Marsden form part of new radiotherapy research network after receiving major new funding [Institute of Cancer Research] Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden will focus on research to understand how cancer cells respond to radiotherapy at the molecular level and how the immune system affects cancer’s response to radiotherapy. Through a series of clinical trial protocols, they will also develop and test new combinations of drugs, including immunotherapies, with radiotherapy.
Personalised and powerful: UK to lead next-generation radiotherapy research [Cancer Research UK] The UK will be transformed into a global hub for radiotherapy research, pioneering the use of the latest techniques such as FLASH radiotherapy and artificial intelligence, with a new £56 million* research network.
	5.2 PHARMA
Is AbbVie's Imbruvica concerned about AZ's rising Calquence? We've got this covered, execs say [Fierce Pharma] So far, Calquence sniffing around hasn't dipped into Imbruvica's sales, which is a good thing, because AbbVie will need some help fending off biosimilar competition to Humira abroad.
Sanofi's oncology R&D group marks a pair of setbacks on isatuximab/Libtayo combo as cancer studies fizzle out [EndPoints] All we know from the pharma giant is contained in a brief mention of the burial in their Q3 report out Thursday, noting that the combination studies were iced after investigators found that they had fizzled on the efficacy side. Safety was not an issue.
	5.2.1 PHARMA - PARTENARIATS
Amgen's China ambitions become clear with BeiGene deal [Biopharma Dive] BeiGene will contribute up to $1.25 billion to the development of up to 20 Amgen pipeline projects, and in return will get Chinese commercial rights for at least seven years for any that get approved in the country.
Amgen acquires stake in BeiGene to expand cancer drug business to China [STAT] The California-based biotech joins a long list of American firms seeking to tap the pharmaceutical market in China, which is said to have as many cancer patients as the U.S. and Europe combined.
Amgen takes a $2.7B stake in BeiGene, gaining a prominent ally in China to help seize a leading role in cancer drug commercialization and development [EndPoints] BeiGene will put its 700-person commercial team to work selling Xgeva (denosumab), Kyprolis (carfilzomib) and Blincyto (blinatumomab) in China, where the last 2 are in Phase III development. They will share profits and losses.
Amgen takes 20.5% stake in BeiGene to sell cancer drugs in China [Reuters] Amgen and BeiGene will share profits for at least five years on Xgeva, which prevents fractures caused by cancer that has spread to the bone, as well as blood cancer drugs Kyprolis and Blincyto.
	5.3 TRAITEMENTS - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Trump nominates MD Anderson’s Stephen Hahn to lead FDA [STAT] While he is an accomplished physician and researcher, he has never worked in government — leaving his potential FDA agenda a mystery.
MD Anderson's Hahn picked as next FDA commissioner [Fierce Biotech] Some prominent people had called for Trump to make more of a continuity pick by nominating Sharpless, with former FDA commissioners, including Gottlieb, having lobbied for him to get the position on a permanent basis, as did more than 50 groups involved in cancer and other areas affected by the agency. That lobbying has failed.
Right on deadline, Trump taps Stephen Hahn as new FDA commish. Now what? [EndPoints] The question is whether he’ll keep pushing the envelope on greater regulatory flexibility that has helped revolutionize cancer drug development and changed the dynamics of R&D. That’s something no one seems to know much about.
Sharpless to return to NCI as Hahn gets nominated as FDA commissioner, with Giroir to serve as acting [The Cancer Letter] Hahn would also be taking a pay cut. As acting FDA commissioner, he will earn $155,500, federal disclosures show. His most recently reported compensation at MD Anderson added up to $1.3 million.
Trump to Nominate Stephen Hahn, Cancer Researcher, to Head F.D.A. [NY Times] Dr. Robert Califf, who was F.D.A. commissioner during the Obama administration and has supported Dr. Sharpless, said the learning curve at the agency is steep. “It takes six months to figure out where the bathrooms are,” he said. “The loss of continuity seems like a big negative.”
Trump nominates MD Anderson oncologist as U.S. FDA Commissioner [Reuters] Hahn’s nomination passes over Ned Sharpless, a previous director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), who is currently serving as acting FDA commissioner. Sharpless will return to his role at NCI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Friday.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
Drug shortages are worsening, and there are no simple solutions [Science-Based Medicine] The FDA’s proposal to assess quality management systems is a good one, and something that realistically only the FDA could undertake. But other solutions require a fundamental rethink about our approach to buying and using generic drugs.
	5.9 AACR
Targets Conference Showcases Exciting Data from Clinical Trials of Innovative Cancer Therapeutics [Cancer Research Catalyst] A number of early-stage clinical trials discussed at the meeting tested innovative therapeutics against rare and hard-to-treat cancers, including advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and plexiform neurofibromas.
	6.1 OBSERVATION
Liver cancer deaths climb by around 50% in the last decade [Cancer Research UK] While there are several factors affecting liver cancer risk, being overweight or obese and smoking are two of the biggest preventable causes. 23% of liver cancer cases can be linked to being overweight or obese, and 20% can be linked to smoking. Overall, around half of cases are preventable.
Unhealthy lifestyles fuel a 50 per cent rise in UK deaths from liver cancer The Telegraph] The figures from Cancer Research UK show that between 2007 and 2017, the number of deaths from the disease rose from 3,200 to 5,700.
Sharp 80% rise in liver cancer deaths in UK [The Guardian] Increase due to several factors including deprivation and rise in obesity says Cancer Research UK.
	6.6 PUBLICATIONS
Publish or perish: The cost of reformatting academic papers [Stanford] Based on their survey results, the authors estimated that the total time spent reformatting the 2.3 million scientific articles published annually translates into a global cost of over $1 billion.
	6.7.1 IA/BIOINFORMATIQUE
AI will revolutionize drug discovery — but only if experts are involved [STAT] The role of artificial intelligence, whether it is applied to identifying targets, designing new drugs, or repurposing old ones, is to augment scientists’ abilities, not replace them. Scientists play essential roles in determining the data to use in machine learning and in providing expert evaluation of the results, both for additional accuracy and nuance.
	6.7.3 DMP
The EMR has changed the doctor-patient duet into a ménage-à-trois [STAT] A typical medical visit these days consists of the doctor wrestling with the computer while the patient gazes at the supply cabinet. I try valiantly to maintain eye contact with my patients, but it’s virtually impossible with the demands of the EMR.
Our Hospital’s New Software Frets About My ‘Deficiencies’ [NY Times] Some have asked why doctors haven’t organized, why we haven’t raged against the system that has left us underslept, overstretched, chained to our computers — pushed to the edge of sanity in a frenetic system that values throughput and profit over physician well-being and authentic human connection. Here is one answer: We have no idea how.