Terry Fox Research Institute launches pan-Canadian network to find better tools to treat prostate cancer

July 25, 2012
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is pleased to be a partner in the Canadian Prostate Cancer Biomarker Network. Launched today by the Terry Fox Research Institute, the goal of this $4-million Partnership-supported project is to provide better tools — including new and more effective biomarkers — to treat and manage prostate cancer.

Read the Terry Fox Research Institute’s press release.

Safety and efficacy of carfilzomib for newly diagnosed and relapsed multiple myeloma

The USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approvied carfilzomib for treating advanced multiple myeloma. Dr. David Siegel, lead investigator from the John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University, USA, and his research team examined 266 "heavily-pretreated patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who received at least two prior therapies." Patients thus receiving carfilzomib twice weekly for 3-4 weeks exhibited significant responses (23.7%), median duration of response (7.8 months), and overal survival (median of 15.6 months). Dr. Siegel's team thus believes that these figrues indicate an acceptable safety profile.

More information about this study, along with two additionl trials discussing the effects of carfilzomib can be found here.

Study mentioned: Siegel DS et al. A phase 2 study of single-agent carfilzomib (PX-171-003-A1) in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Blood. 2012 Jul 25 [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 22833546

Brentuximab vedotin conditionally approved for treating patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma

The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has taken a positive approach towards recommending a conditional marketing authorization for the use of brentuximab vedotin for treating adult patients afflicted with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. According to the researchers, "the antitumor activity of brentuximab vedotin has been established in Hodgkin lymphoma...the different clinical endpoints demonstrated clinical benefit in terms of disease control, resolution of B-symptoms and in terms of enabling further potentially curative treatment options." Despite common side effects, including fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, there is a favorable benefit-to-risk balance for considering this drug as an anti-cancer agent.

To read more about this study, click here.

Rationale for routine screening in melanoma patients with BRAF L597 mutation

A study conducted at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) has concluded BRAF 597, an uncommon mutation of the BRAF gene, responds to MEK inhibitors, encouraging the uptake of screening and therapy in melanoma patients afflicted with this condition. According to the researchers, "the MEK inhibitor led to a dramatic shut down of signalling, suggesting that tumors harbouring BRAD L597...mutations might benefit from treatment with MEK inhibitors." Although the study is currently only in the phase I clinical trial stage, a patient undergoing two cycles of MEK inhibitor therapy was diagnosed as disease progression-free after more than 24 weeks.

To read more about these findings, click here.

Study mentioned: Dahlman KB et al. BRAF L597 mutations in melanoma are associated with sensitivity to MEK inhibitors. Cancer Discov. 2012 Jul 13 [Epub ahead of print].
PMID 22798288.

Scientists create first ever 3D "pancreas in a dish"

a $200 000 Innovation Grant from the Canadian Cancer Society has been awarded to Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital to determine how pancreatic cancer develops within the organ's duct system. Led by Dr. Senthil Muthuswamy, the Princess Margaret Hospital research team has created a 3-D biological model to "recreate the events that lead to cancer formation in the pancreas...the researchers will add genes, hormones, and other agents to see what causes the cells to mutate into cancerous lesions." Pancreatic cancer has a very low survival rate (only about 6% of afflicted patients survive five years after diagnosis), thus it is believed this model will lead to earlier pancreatic cancer detection.

To read more about the study, click here.

Cancer Cancer Society Drug Action Plan

The Canadian Cancer Society has developed a Drug Shortage Action Plan to address cancer medication shortages. The key recommendation is as follows:

"There must be one agency - Health Canada responsible for:

- overseeing efforts to prevent drug shortages

- providing leadership and coordinating a response when shortages occur

- providing regular, substantiated clear updates to Canadians on these ongoing efforts

To read more about this action plan, including the Canadian Cancer Society's position, click here.

Unmet needs of adolescent and young adult cancer patients

A new study conducted by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has concluded that social, psychological and informational support needs are being sufficiently addressed for adolescent and young adult cancer patients.  Dr. Bradley Zebrack, lead researcher of this study and his team surveyed 215 patients between 14 and 29 years old.  Observations confirmed that this age group faces issues such as "premature confrontation with mortality, changes in physical appearance, disruptions in school or work, financial challenges and loss of reproductive capacity."  Dr. Zebrack's findings therefore support increased referrals to community-based social service agencies to enhance care and improve the quality of life for these patients.

For more information on this study, click here.

Study mentioned: Zebrack BJ et al. Psychosocial service use and unmet need among recently diagnosed adolescent and young adult cancer patients. Cancer. 2012 Jun 28 [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 22744865 

Pre-surgery therapy improves survival for esophagus cancer patients

A new study from the Netherlands (published in the May 31, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine) indicates that patients afflicted with esophagus cancer exhibit a greater chance of survival when administered chemotherapy and radiation before surgery. The study further states that "patients in the chemo-radiation group lived an average of about 4 years, compared to about 2 years in the patients who got surgery alone." The purpose of this treatment is to attempt to shrink the cancer and thus make it easier to remove.

To read more about this study, click here.

Study mentioned: van Hagen P et al. Preoprtative chemoradiotherapy for esophageal or junctional cancer. N Engl J Med. 2012 May 31; 366(22):2074-84. PMID 22646630

Crizotinib for treating anaplastic lymphoma kinase advanced non-small cell lung cancer

This past Thursday (July 19, 2012), the European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) conditionally approved marketing authorization for the drug crizotinib (Xalkori) to treat adults with previously anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).  Despite known side effects (vision disorder, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, edema, constipation, and fatigue) associated with this drug, the CHMP  points that with an objective response rate of 60%, and median progression free survival of 9.2 months, "there is a favorable benefit-to-risk balance for crizotinib." 

To read more about this research, click here.

England's approach to improving end-of-life care : a strategy for honoring patients' choices

From Current Grey Literature Report Volume 14, Number 3, May 2012 Title: England's approach to improving end-of-life care : a strategy for honoring patients' choices Author: Gray, Bradford H. Publisher: Commonwealth Fund This issue brief discusses the origins, content, and implementation of the Strategy, as well as its potential impact. Both England and the United States struggle with similar challenges, including looking beyond the province of hospice and palliative-care specialists and initiating palliative services before the patient's final days. Aspects of the English approach that may be useful in the United States include strategies to help physicians recognize when patients are entering a trajectory that may end in death, the use of "death at home" as a metric for measuring progress, improving the skills of clinical and caregiving personnel through Web-based training, and developing a national improvement pathway. Full report is available here.

CellMiner web-based tool facilitates matching cancer drugs with gene targets

A recent study conducted by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), introduces a new web-based software tool, CellMiner, aimed at improving the "capacity to compare data derived from large collections of genomic information against thousands of drugs." Dr. Yves Pommier comments on the significance of this new tool by emphasizing that researchers can now analyze drug responses and compare various drugs on a very minute level (i.e. gene to gene). In the past, a bioinformatics team was required to filter through all of the data.

CellMiner can be accessed by clicking here. More information on this study is available here.

Study mentioned: Reinhold WC et al. CellMiner: A web-based suite of genomic and pharmacologic tools to explore transcript and drug patterns in the NCI-60 cell line set. Cancer Res. 2012 Jul 15;72(14):3499-511. PMID 22802077

New free online tool provides deeper analysis of microarray data

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have unveiled the Gene Expression Commons, a new software program that provides researchers with a complete picture of gene expression in a sample. Dr. Irving Weissman, lead researcher for this project feel that this new tool will be invaluable in a number of different medical fields, including stem cells, cancer, and regenerative medicine: "it is exciting that a researcher is able to just type in the name of a gene and, within seconds, see the absolute level of the expression of that gene in every cell type in a panel."

To access the Gene Expression Commons tool, click here. To read more about this study, click here.

Global cancer prevalence in the adult population in 2008

A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer unveils estimates of the number of worldwide adult patients diagnosed with cancer between 2004 and 2008 who were still alive at the end of 2008. Lead researcher Dr Bray and colleagues from the International Agency for Research on Cancer studied cancer prevalence for "27 cancers and 184 countries from sources of global incidence and absolute survival data, and presented by world region and level of development (the human development index)". Based on their findings, it is believed that nearly 29 million adults were living with cancer in 2008; almost half of this total number (i.e. 14+ million) lived in highly developed nations. Further, breast cancer was seen as the most prevalent cancer worldwide, while cervical cancer dominated Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, with prostate cancer leading the way in North America, Oceania, and Northern and Western Europe.

Study mentioned: Bray F, Ren JS, Masuyer E, Ferlay J. Global estimates of cancer prevalence for 27 sites in the adult population in 2008. Int J Cancer. 2012 Jul 3. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 22752881

New impact factor for European Journal of Cancer (EJC), EACR's official journal

The 2011 Impact Factors – which measure citations made in 2011 to papers published in 2009 and 2010 – have been released by Thomson Reuters. During the last two years the EJC, the official journal of ECCO, the EORTC, EACR and EUSOMA, has published many high quality articles. This is reflected in the journal’s new Impact Factor, which is 5.536.

More is here.

The Partnership launches Electronic Synoptic Pathology Reporting Initiative (ESPRI) to advance Pan-Canadian standardized cancer pathology reporting

ESPRI aims to further the adoption and implementation of electronic synoptic pathology reporting in Canada to drive practice improvements across the cancer care continuum. Through this Initiative, advancements will be made to the depth and consistency of pathology information collected leveraging the CAP cancer protocols (the national content standard for cancer pathology reporting), ensuring that the information necessary to provide timely, top-quality care is available to inform treatment decisions.

More information is here.

Study: Surgery no better than observation for localized prostate cancer

News posted at American Cancer Society on July 18: A study by researchers from across the U.S. has found that men with localized prostate cancer lived just as long whether or not they had prostate-removal surgery. The study is published in the July 19, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Study mentioned: Radical Prostatectomy versus Observation for Localized Prostate Cancer. Published in the July 19, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 367, No. 3). PMID:22808955

Chemotherapy following removal of periampullary cancer may improve survival

Researchers at the University of Liverpool, lead by Dr. John Neoptolemos, have conducted the European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer to "determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy (fluorouracil or gemcitabone) provides improved overall survival following resection." After 8 years of research, this study, considered to be the largest randomized trial ever conducted for this patient group(a total of 428 patients were observed), findings concluded that use of adjuvant chemotherapy can indeed improve survival in patients afflicted with periampullary cancers.

To read more about this study, click here.

Study mentioned: Neoptolemos JP et al. Effect of adjuvant chemotherapy with fluorouracil plus folinic acid or gemcitabine vs observation on survival in patients with resected periampullary adenocarcinoma: The ESPAC-3 periampullary cancer randomized trial. JAMA. 2012 Jul 11;308(2):147-56. PMID 22782416

World Cancer Research Fund international grant applications announcement

Closing date for outline applications is October 12th 2012.

Please click here for further information.

WCRF International is inviting applications for grants to fund research into the effects of food, nutrition, physical activity and body fatness on cancer.

Investigator Initiated Grants: A maximum of £250,000 for up to four years. Applications are accepted from anywhere in the world, except the Americas.

Regional Seed Grants: A maximum of £60,000 for up to two years. Applications are accepted from WCRF International member organization countries (France, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and the UK), excluding the USA.

Improving the quality of cancer care: addressing the challenges of an Aging population

NCCS, along with 11 other organizations sponsored an Institute of Medicine (IOM) consensus study: Improving the Quality of Cancer Care: Addressing the Challenges of an Aging Population. The goal of this study is to revisit the quality of cancer care a decade after the first IOM report, Ensuring Quality Cancer Care, was published to determine what has changed, what challenges remain, whether new problems have emerged, and how health care reform might affect quality care.

Please see more information here.

NCCS participates in roundtable meeting to discuss future of Health IT

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) was recently invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on the potential role of Health Information Technology in cancer care and care coordination.

The June 7th meeting was organized by the National Cancer Institute at NIH, the eHealth Initiative, and Health IT at the Department of Health and Human Services.

NCCS advocates for the value of the engaged, informed patient in improving cancer care and embraces opportunities to work with other health care leaders to determine how Health IT can improve care and promote changes that meet the treatment and privacy needs of all survivors.

More is available here.

Postdoctoral opportunity SECTION OF CANCER INFORMATION

Using data mainly from population-based cancer registries around the world, the Section of Cancer Information (CIN) is working on a project that aims to assess in-depth the population impact of changes in longevity and duration of illness among patients with cancer.

A postdoctoral opportunity is available to work on this project including a data pooling study on population dynamics and major cancer trends in a global framework.

More information is here.

How metastasizing cancer cells evade organs

Physiologists and neuropathologists at the University of Zurich have uncovered the "pathway of metastasizing intestinal cancer cells out of the blood stream." This discovery lends proof to the notion that the consequences of metastasis are the cause of cancer deaths, rather than the primary tumors themselves (which only account for about 10% of deaths in industrial nations). This ground-breaking research allows scientists to focus on a new and different approach when developing drugs to combat metastasis.

To read more about this study, click here.

Albertans take private health care ban to court

CALGARY — Two Alberta men are challenging the province’s ban on private medical insurance for essential health care, questioning whether the law is constitutional. Both men paid thousands of dollars for surgery in the United States because the wait was too long in Alberta. The province then refused to reimburse them because the procedures were available at home. See the news from National Post.

Can cancer cells be reprogrammed to a state of permanent dormany?

Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center have unveiled a new study whereby regulating proteins outside breast cancer cells "can send signals to the cancer cells to permanently stop proliferating." Known as senescence, the process refers to cancer cells that either die or permanently stop proliferation upon successfully undergoing chemotherapy. While this discovery is a step in the right direction towards a therapeutic strategy to reprogram cancer cells to permanent dormancy, the researchers caution that observations were based on cell cultures; there are still many avenues to consider and test before this process can be applied to cancer therapy in humans.

To learn more about the study, click here.

IARC Meetings - 1st IARC Cancer and Society Lecture now online

Research is necessary but not sufficient: Challenges in preventing occupational and environmental cancer
Dr David Michaels, DoL/OSHA, Washington, USA

See the video here.

The role of cancer research in noncommunicable disease control

Cancer control needs a targeted approach on a regional basis in order to effectively reduce the burden of disease, according to a commentary published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on 10 July.

In September 2011, the United Nations General Assembly held a high‐level meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) that focused on four major contributors to the global burden of disease: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. The outcome of the meeting was a Political Declaration that highlights the need for prevention of NCDs.

The Role of Cancer Research in Noncommunicable Disease Control
J Natl Cancer Inst (2012) doi: 10.1093/jnci/djs262 Advance Access First published online: July 10, 2012

Collaboration key to better health

A collaboration announced Wednesday at the University of Calgary between Eli Lilly Canada Inc. and Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions – the Alberta/Lilly Translational Research Collaboration Fund – will provide $1.475 million to support health research at publicly funded Alberta post-secondary institutions. “Collaboration is the key to leading-edge health research,” said Fred Horne, Minister of Health. “These funds will help researchers turn collaborative ideas into solutions that will have a positive impact on the health of Albertans.” The research collaboration aims to provide health care workers with more of the tools and medicines they need to support quality primary care and promotes a stronger innovation and entrepreneurial culture in Alberta. More information is here.

Sanofi Toronto facility update regarding ImmuCyst

Health Canada has completed a thorough health risk assessment of the bladder cancer treatment ImmuCyst produced at Sanofi Pasteur's manufacturing plant in Toronto. Health Canada's review has concluded that ImmuCyst should remain available to bladder cancer patients, provided the drug continues to meet quality assurance standards. Samples from lots of ImmuCyst will be evaluated for quality by both the manufacturer and Health Canada before being released for use by Canadians. Lots that are determined to meet specific standards will be made available as required. Read more here.

Fertility drug usage and breast cancer risk

A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute comments on exposure to fertility drugs, which have been known to elevate estrogen levels, and whether or not use of these drugs resulted in a pregnancy lasting at least 10 weeks.  According to Dr. Chunyuan Fei and his team of colleagues from the USA National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS): "women using fertility drugs who did not conceive a 10-plus week pregnancy were at a statistically significant reduced risk of breast cancer compared to non-users."  Conversely however, "women using the drugs who conceived a 10-plus week pregnancy had a statistically significant increased risk of breast cancer compared to unsuccessfully treated women." 

To read more about this study, click here.

Study mentioned: Fei, C., Deroo, LA., Sandler, DP, & Weinberg, CR. Fertility drugs and young-onset breast cancer: Results from the two sister study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Jul 6 [Epub ahead of print].
PMID 22773825

Canadian Partnership Against Cancer: June/July 2012 e-bulletin

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) has now released its June/July 2012 E-bulletin.  This issue's feature articles include returning to work after a cancer diagnosis, new funding announced by Health Canada to support palliative care, and a new online resource for cervical cancer screening. 

To read more and access the e-bulletin, click here.

Registration deadline for 2012 ESMO Examination extended

The registration deadline for the 2012 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Examination has been extended to July 23, 2012.  This year's exam is being held in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, India, and Egypt.  Begun in 1989, the ESMO exam "endorses that a medical oncologist possesses the knowledge, skills, and aptitude essential for the optimal treatment of cancer patients."

More information about the exam, including links to sample questions from past exams, can be found here.

Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter - July 2012

This quarterly publication alerts health professionals to potential signals detected through the review of case reports submitted to Health Canada. It is a useful mechanism to stimulate adverse reaction reporting as well as to disseminate information on suspected adverse reactions to health products occurring in humans before comprehensive risk–benefit evaluations and regulatory decisions are undertaken. Read the July 2012 issue here.

Platelet drug helps some patients with aplastic anemia

An early phase clinical trial has shown promise in treating some cases of severe aplastic anemia that hasn’t responded to other treatments. In the trial, 25 patients with aplastic anemia that hadn’t responded to treatment received a drug called Promacta (eltrombopag) that was designed to stimulate production of platelets from bone marrow. Researchers hoped it would also improve the number of blood stem cells and blood counts overall. After 12 weeks, 11 of the patients showed improved production of at least 1 kind of blood cell. Blood counts rose enough for 9 patients to stop having platelet transfusions. The drug is given orally and patients had few side effects. The researchers say that even though the drug is currently available for other diseases, it should be limited to aplastic anemia patients in clinical trials until more research is done. Read the news report here.

Study mentioned: Olnes MJ. Eltrombopag and improved hematopoiesis in refractory aplastic anemia. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jul 5;367(1):11-9. PMID: 22762314

CMA's move to expand CME offerings producing rapid results

Six months after the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) launched its first accredited online continuing medical education (CME) course, the number of registrations for courses has passed 1,000 and further growth appears guaranteed because of ongoing expansion in the number of courses being offered. Dr. Sam Shortt, the CMA's director of knowledge transfer, says only three courses were available when CMA Courses was launched last fall, but 11 new courses are expected to be added during 2012. Read more here.

Canadian Medical Association speech

In a speech to the Economic Club of Ottawa, CMA President John Haggie discussed the impact of issues such as income and housing have on Canadians' well-being. "If you are in the bottom 10 percentile of income in this country, your disease-free life expectancy at birth - the period you can expect to live before developing chronic disease - is 52 years. The Canadian average is 68 years, and if you are in the top 10 percent in terms of family income, your average disease-free life expectancy at birth is 78 years." Read the full speech here.

Strategies for reducing toxicity of cancer therapy

Whille a substantial portion of cancer research is aimed at providing the best level of treatment to the afflicted patient, investigating the side effects and toxicity of the various therapies has not received much focus.  Led by Dr. Charles Cleeland, McCullough Professor of Cancer Research at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center, a panel of clinicians, researchers, and representatives from advocacy groups, federal agencies, and the pharmaceutical industry was recently formed "to identify gaps in cancer treatment toxicity research and provide direction for future action."  In the course of its investigations, the panel has seen how toxicity from cancer therapy affects one's treatment regimen and survival.  Developing a strategy to implement toxicity phenotypes is thus seen as an immediate need to combat these adverse effects. 

Further information on this study can be found here.

Study mentioned: Cleeland CS et al.  Reducing the toxicity of cancer therapy: Recognizing needs, taking action.  Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2012 Jul 3 [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 22751283

Summary basis of decision for Caprelsa

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance to AstraZeneca Canada Inc. for the drug product, Caprelsa. Caprelsa contains the medicinal ingredient vandetanib which is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic or progressive medullary thyroid cancer in adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic disease. Read more here.

Neighbouring non-cancer cells may contribute to drug resistance in melanoma

As many cancer researchers can attest to, determining how and why cancer evades drug treatment is a continuous phenomenon.  In a new study recently published online in Nature, a team from the Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Instiitute, and the Massachusetts General Hospital are focussing their research on the interaction between healthy cells and their cancer-causing counterparts.  Findings from this study indicate that "normal cells that reside within the tumor, as part of the tumor microenvironment, may supply factors that help cancer cells grow and survive despite the presence of anti-cancer drugs."

More information on this study is available here.

Study mentioned: Straussman R et al. Tumour micro-environment elicits innate resistance to RAF inhibitors through HGF secretion, Nature. 2012 Jul 4; [Epub ehad of print]. PMID: 22763439

UN strengthens regulations on melamine, seafood, melons, dried figs and labelling

The UN food standards body has agreed on new regulations to protect the health of consumers across the world. Aflatoxins, a group of mycotoxins produced by molds, are toxic and are known to be carcinogenic. They can be found in a variety of products such as dried fruits, nuts, spices and cereals at high levels if the produce is not stored properly. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WHO, has now agreed on a safe maximum limit of 10 mg/kg for dried figs, together with details on how test sampling should be conducted. Read the World Health Organization news release here.

Oncometabolite linked to acute myeloid leukemia

As reported in the July 4, 2012 issue of Nature, an international team of scientists from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto), Weill Cornell Medical College (New York), and Agios Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts), have discovered a definitive link between a metabolic enzyme and acute myeloid leukemia.  Lead by Dr. Tak Mak, Director of the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, these findings are substantial, as, "for the first time, the cancer scientists have demonstrated how a metabolite can cause cancer."  In fact, it is believed that this particular mutation is present in 40% of lymphomas, and is involved in 70%-90% of low-grade brain cancer. 

More information about this study is available by clicking here

Study mentioned: Sasaki M et al. IDH1 (R132H) mutation increases murine haematopoietic progenitors and alters epigenetics. Nature. 2012 Jul 4 [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 22763442
. 

European Association for Cancer Research (EACR): general assembly

The EACR general assembly will take place on July 8th at the Barcelona Congress Centre. The agenda and supporting papers are available in the members area to download and read. Read more here.

Registration now open for the Alberta Cancer Foundation Research Conference 2012

Registration is now open for the 2012 Alberta Cancer Foundation Research Conference, held at the Banff Park Lodge, November 1-3, 2012.

Plenary sessions include discussions around cancer both below and above the waist, while concurrent sessions will present information on therapeutics, imaging, diagnostics, regulatory pathways, survivorship and more. 

More information on the conference is available here.

OECI newsletter - latest release

The latest issue of OECI (Organisation of European Cancer Institutes) News is now available. Topics include developments presented at the Berlin Annual Meeting and General Assembly, and a summary of OECI policy issues, projects and initiatives. Read the newsletter here.

Addition of cetuximab to adjuvant chemotherapy not supported for resected stage III colon cancer patients

As first announced at the recent European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) World Congress on Gastrtointestinal Cancer (Barcelona, Spain, June 27 - July 1, 2012), there appears to be no benefit shown when adding cetuximab to standard adjuvant chemotherapy in patients wirth resected stage III colon cancer.  Dr. Julien Taieb and his team of researchers from the Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou in Paris, while recognizing FOLFOX as the standard adjuvant therapy for this type and stage of colon cancer, had believed that the addition of cetuximab would provided added benefit.  However, while the interim analysis may not have provided the level of support that was anticipated, gastrointestinal cancer experts have not yet given up hope.  While "large clinical trials are needed to show significant benefits from new adjuvant chemotherapy", the results of this study are still relevant in continuing to seek out the best possible course of treatment.

More information on this study is available by clicking here.

Young Adult Cancer Canada marks 12th anniversary

Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) has just celebrated its 12th year of operations.  Dedicated to supporting young adults across Canada afflicted with various types and stages of cancer, YACC programs are in high demand, and are comprised of "a community of hundreds of survivors, supporters, health professionals whose passion, support, and knowledge fuel us every day." 

Upcoming events for the YACC include the first ever Retreat Yourself Adventure, taking place in Gros Morne, Newfoundland in August, as well as the 6th annual Survivor Conference in Toronto from November 1-5, 2012. 

To read more about the YACC, click here.

July issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The July issue of WHO Bulletin, available here, includes an article that discusses the benefit and cost of protein therapy as cancer treatment, When subatomic physics research meets clinical oncology. Read more here.

Former president Bush in Zambia, Botswana to promote Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative to fight cervical cancer

Former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush are traveling in Zambia and Botswana this week to promote "the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative spearheaded by his foundation that seeks to expand cervical and breast cancer screening and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa," CNN reports. Read the CNN report here and the complete Times of Zambia article here.

ARTEMIS Breast Cancer Newsletter: July 2012 issue now available

The July 2012 issue of ARTEMIS, the John Hopkins Breast Center monthly newsletter is now available online by clicking here.  This month's featured articles include discovery of a new DNA marker that may indicate differences in breast cancer, and a study demonstrating the correlation between night work and women's increased health risks. 

Aging cells influence tumour growth and metastasis

A new study from the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University has demonstrated the molecular link between aging cells and cancer cell growth.  According to Dr. Michael Lisanti, Professor and Chair of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, "normal neighbouring cells that are becoming senescent or 'old' are directly making food to 'feed' the cancer."  This fact brings yet another important development to the continuous fight for cancer prevention. 

To learn more about the study, click here.

New trial alert: Bevacizumab/mFOLFOX6 for metastatic colorectal cancer

The Cross Cancer Insitute in Edmonton is current recruiting first-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients to participate in a randomized, phase II study.  Comparing the effects of bevacizumab/mFOLFOX6 versus bevacizumab/FOLFRI via repeated intravenous influsions, the primary outcome of the trial is progression-free survival. 

To learn more about the trial, including the full inclusion and exclusion criteria, click here.