Onco Actu du 8 novembre 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
Oxygen-Starved Tumor Cells Have Survival Advantage That Promotes Cancer Spread [Johns Hopkins] The experiments mapping the “fate” of the cells in two- and three-dimensional lab-created tissue systems and in live animals specifically showed that cells from a primary cancer exposed to low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, have a four times greater probability of becoming viable circulating tumor cells—and likely spreading to distant tissues—than those under normal oxygen conditions.
	1.1 BIOLOGIE - GÉNOME
Double trouble for cancer gene [Science] The consequences of harboring double PIK3CA mutations on the same allele are far-reaching. Vasan et al. show that double PIK3CA mutations lead to significantly increased PI3K activity and downstream pathway activation when compared with those of single-hotspot mutations. This results in enhanced tumor growth in vivo.
	3.1.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC - E-CIGS
Number of U.S. cases of vaping-related illness tops 2,000 [STAT] The outbreak appears to have started in March. No single ingredient or vaping device has been linked to all the illnesses. Most who got sick said they vaped products containing THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana.
A New Smoking Gadget Says It's Safe. Should You Trust It? [Wired] Not quite an e-cigarette and not the old paper kind either, the Iqos is the latest controversial device to enter the vaping wars.
Juul Ends E-Cigarette Sales of Mint-Flavored Pods [NY Times] The company’s decision also followed the release earlier this week of two major surveys showing another year-over-year spike in teenage vaping of e-cigarettes, and the rising popularity of mint-flavored nicotine pods as other youth-friendly flavors like unicorn milk were pulled from retail shelves.
Juul Labs to stop sales of mint-flavored nicotine pods in U.S [Reuters] The move comes as the Trump administration is considering a ban on all e-cigarette flavors except tobacco.
	4.12 BIOPSIES LIQUIDES
Theranos redux? Not really. But claim of a ‘simple’ test for breast cancer warrants scrutiny [Health News Review] “Researchers are under huge pressure to show impact of their work to get funding,” Wakefield wrote. “This means that lots of interesting basic research is repackaged as a potential test, without input by pathologists, epidemiologists and health economists that a real test would involve.”
	4.5 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - COLORECTAL
Cervical Cancer Screening Numbers Drop Off in Women 45-65 [Michigan Health] Although half of cervical cancers are detected in women over 49, a first-of-its-kind study finds women are less likely to get screenings as they age.
	4.9 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - SEIN
NSGC Panel Divided on Whether Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients Should Undergo Panel Testing [Genome Web] Speakers called for increased testing of or at least knowledge of genetic testing by breast cancer patients, but another cautioned that the appropriateness of testing could hinge in part on whether it is being used to guide clinical decisions in high risk patients or for population screening. The speakers also diverged on whether all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients should undergo multi-gene panel testing.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Colorectal Cancers Dial up Mutability in Response to Targeted Treatments [Genome Web] Together, these and other results suggested that "cancer cells treated with targeted therapies activate stress-induced mutagenic mechanisms."
Cancer Cells Increase DNA Mutations to Evade Treatment [The Scientist] In response to antibiotic treatment, bacteria improve their odds of survival by increasing the rate of mutations in their genomes, giving them more chances to become resistant. The tactic isn’t limited to microbes. In a study published in Science, researchers have shown that colorectal cancer cells likewise increase their mutation rate to avoid death by a targeted therapy.
Revamped cancer drug starves tumors in mice [Science] Compound that robs tumors of essential amino acid headed for clinical trials.
Learning to stop cancer at its roots [Baylor College of Medicine] “The results of the drug discontinuation trials suggest that a cure may not be possible with tyrosine kinase inhibitors alone. We think that new breakthroughs in chronic myeloid leukemia therapy may emerge from the identification of novel mechanisms of leukemia stem cell self-renewal and the development of drugs that specifically target these mechanisms.”
	5.12 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES
Genetic Variations Help Explain Why Immunotherapy Works Differently in Different People [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center] For each person analyzed, the team found that the more molecularly diverse, or different from each other, the two copies of each of their HLA-1 genes were, the more likely someone was to respond to treatment and survive their cancer. The investigators developed a novel way to measure this difference, which they call HLA evolutionary diversity (HED).
	5.12.5.1 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - BIOTECH
New UK startup pursues off-the-shelf CAR-T, cancer vaccines through 'dark antigens' [EndPoints] Over millennia or eons of infecting humans and our mammalian ancestors, these ancient viruses incorporated themselves into our DNA and left a footprint that accounts for about 8% of human genetic code. Ervaxx’s pitch is that the rapid damage cancer causes to tumor DNA can lead proteins in these normally dead regions to be coded.
New cell therapy player launches with $57M from marquee investors to go after 'definitive' tumor targets [EndPoints] The biotech is working with two target classes: peptide MHC targets and targets that are “irreversibly lost in tumor cells.” The former builds on an increasingly popular strategy of locating neoantigens for T cells to home in on, while the latter is inspired by a mechanism used by natural killer cells.
	5.2 PHARMA
Phase 3 Trial of NINLAROTM (ixazomib) as First Line Maintenance Therapy Met Primary Endpoint in Multiple Myeloma Patients not treated with Stem Cell Transplantation [Takeda] TOURMALINE-MM4 is the first industry sponsored Phase 3 trial to explore the concept of “switch” maintenance, the use of medicines not included in initial induction therapy, in this setting.
Declaring topline PhIII win, Takeda revives blockbuster hopes for its troubled multiple myeloma drug [EndPoints] Five months after dismal trial results convinced Takeda to scrap an entire Phase III program for their multiple myeloma drug Ninlaro, the Japanese giant announced a different late-stage trial has met its primary endpoint — although they have yet to release any data.
	5.2.3 PHARMA - ÉCONOMIE
Say hello to Roche's worst-case scenario: Teva's Rituxan biosim set to launch in U.S. [Fierce Pharma] A successful launch for Truxima could spell doom for Rituxan, which is already facing sales erosion abroad as biosim competitors chip away at its market dominance. In the first nine months of the year, Rituxan sales declined 33% in Europe and 46% in Japan as biosim competitors crowded in.
	5.3 TRAITEMENTS - FDA, EMA, NICE...
E-cigs and opioids: The next FDA chief will face several ongoing crises [Nature] The agency is at the centre of a national debate over e-cigarettes, prompted by a mysterious vaping-related illness that has made more than 2,000 people sick — 39 of whom have died. As a result, lawmakers are questioning the FDA’s lenient regulation of the burgeoning industry.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
Value-Based Cancer Care: Paying for Performance [Cancer Research Catalyst] For an individual or for a population, the tireless pursuit of precision cancer medicine—getting the right intervention to the right person at the right time—will be the true driver of value-based cancer care.
	5.8 ASH
Celgene posts pivotal CAR-T data ahead of FDA filing [Fierce Biotech] The response rates are around 20 percentage points higher than those on the Kymriah label and one or two percentage points above the results achieved by Yescarta. As the three drugs were studied in different trials, factors other than their efficacy may account for the differences.
Celgene's last hurrah at ASH a defining moment for Bristol-Myers' buyout [Biopharma Dive] The storied biotech is going out with a bang, however, with plans to release pivotal trial results for its leading cancer cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel, or liso-cel. Securing FDA approval of the drug by the end of 2020 is an essential step to its investors receiving $6 billion more from buyer Bristol-Myers Squibb.
	5.8.1 ASH - COMMUNIQUÉS
bluebird bio to Present New Data from Gene and Cell Therapy Programs at 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition [bluebird bio] Updated safety and efficacy results from ongoing Phase 1 CRB-402 study of bb21217 in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
	6.1 OBSERVATION
Lung Cancer Incidence in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties — United States, 2007–2016 [CDC] During 2007–2016, lung cancer incidence rates decreased more in metropolitan than nonmetropolitan counties, more among males than females, and more among middle-aged adults than older adults.
	6.10.1 POLITIQUES (USA)
Texas Taxpayers to Give Cancer Research Another $3 Billion [The Scientist] Voters approved a measure to double the state’s Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas.
	6.7.1 IA/BIOINFORMATIQUE
HealthX's Bakken: AI Can Unlock Health Data's Potential, But Access Still Difficult [Xconomy] He says the biggest barrier to achieving that vision remains access to quality data, which is necessary for successfully training and operating AI software. “It’s still not as easy as some people think it should be for getting access to [health] data, but it’s getting better,” Bakken says.
The FDA needs to set standards for using artificial intelligence in drug development [STAT] I’m the founder and CEO of a company that uses artificial intelligence to streamline clinical trials and make them more efficient. You might expect me to counsel the FDA to back off on creating hurdles for companies that want to apply artificial intelligence to drug development. Not so.
	6.7.2 APPLIS
Electronic PROs a Proposed Feature of Successor Model in Oncology Care [AJMC] While oncologists didn’t object to the concept of gathering patient feedback, they pointed to several technical and cultural barriers to electronic patient reported outcomes (ePROs) that CMMI should consider—and they asked who would pay the cost of gathering the data.