Happy Holidays

Our library will be closed beginning at noon on Wednesday, December 24. We will re-open on Friday, January 2, 2015 at 0800 hrs. Postings will continue in the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

Bone drugs may protect against endometrial cancer

Bisphosphonates, which are drugs that treat bone loss, may lower the risk of endometrial cancer, new research suggests. The study found that women taking the drugs had about half the risk of endometrial cancer compared to women who don't take the drugs.

The study appears Dec. 22 in the journal Cancer. 

The study only found a connection between the bone-preserving medications and reduced risk of endometrial cancer. It did not prove cause-and-effect.

Study mentioned:

Cancer. 2014 Dec 22. Protective effect of bisphosphonates on endometrial cancer incidence in data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial.
Alford SH1, Rattan R, Buekers TE, Munkarah AR.

Researchers discover new genetic anomalies in lung cancer

Developing effective treatments for lung cancer has been challenging, in part because so many genetic mutations play a role in the disease. By analyzing the DNA and RNA of lung cancers, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that patients whose tumors contained a large number of gene fusions had worse outcomes than patients with fewer gene fusions. Read more here.

How does prostate cancer form?

Sirtuin enzymes have been implicated in neurodegeneration, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Research published in The American Journal of Pathology shows the loss of one of sirtuin (SIRT1) drives the formation of early prostate cancer (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia) in mouse models of the disease. "Using genetic deletion we found that SIRT1 normally restrains prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in animals. Therefore too little SIRT1 may be involved in the cellular processes that starts human prostate cancer," said Dr. Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, executive Vice President of Thomas Jefferson University and Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Read more here.

Lens-free microscope can detect cancer at the cellular level

UCLA researchers have developed a lens-free microscope that can be used to detect the presence of cancer or other cell-level abnormalities with the same accuracy as larger and more expensive optical microscopes. The invention could lead to less expensive and more portable technology for performing common examinations of tissue, blood and other biomedical specimens. It may prove especially useful in remote areas and in cases where large numbers of samples need to be examined quickly. Read more here.

Cells identified that enhance tumor growth and suppress anti-cancer immune attack

A study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists has identified the population of white blood cells that tumors use to enhance growth and suppress the disease-fighting immune system. The results, which appear in Immunity, mark a turning point in cancer immunology and provide the foundation for developing more effective immunotherapies. Working in the laboratory and in mouse models of cancer, researchers on this study showed immune suppression associated with myeloid-derived suppressor cells is primarily the work of a type of white blood cells called monocytes. Read more here.

Scientists look to 3-D printing to help treat cancer

British scientists have developed a new use for 3-D printing, putting it to work to create personalized replica models of cancerous parts of the body to allow doctors to target tumours more precisely. The initiative is the latest example of medicine harnessing the rapidly emerging technology, which has already been used to manufacture some medical implants. The new cancer work involves printing 3-D “phantoms” of tumours and organs based on CT scans taken of patients during treatment. These plastic moulds can be filled with liquid, allowing experts to see in detail the flow of so-called radiopharmaceuticals. Read more here.

FDA approves first in new class of drugs for advanced ovarian cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat advanced ovarian cancer, along with a test to identify patients eligible to receive the drug.
Lynparza (olaparib) belongs to a new class of drugs called poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. The drug is for women who have already received extensive treatment for advanced ovarian cancer associated with defective BRCA genes, according to an FDA news release issued on December 19, 2014.

Approval of the AstraZeneca drug was based on a clinical trial of almost 140 women with BRCA mutation-associated ovarian cancer. Thirty-four percent of the patients on the drug had partial shrinkage or complete disappearance of their tumors for an average of eight months, the FDA reported.

SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, Dec. 19, 2014

Long noncoding RNAs: a novel prognostic marker in older patients with acute leukemia

A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute describes a novel marker that might help doctors choose the least toxic, most effective treatment for many older patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The researchers investigated patterns of molecules called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The researchers examined the abundance, or expression, of lncRNAs in patients who were 60 years and older and who had cytogenetically normal AML. Read more here.

Roswell Park study suggests additional applications for FL118 as personalized therapy for cancer

A team led by Fengzhi Li, PhD, and Xinjiang Wang, PhD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute has reported new findings regarding therapeutic targets of the novel anticancer agent FL118. Previous studies from these researchers have showed that FL118 induces cancer cell death, or apoptosis, by inhibiting expression of multiple cell-survival proteins (survivin, Mcl-1, XIAP or cIAP2). Study results published in Cancer Research showed that FL118 can also activate the p53 tumor-suppressor pathway in cancer cells, encouraging cell senescence, or aging. Read more here.

Signaling mechanism could be target for survival, growth of tumor cells in brain cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center neurology researchers have identified an important cell signaling mechanism that plays an important role in brain cancer and may provide a new therapeutic target. Researchers found that this mechanism -- a type of signaling termed constitutive or non-canonical epidermal growth factor receptor signaling -- is highly active in glioblastomas, the most common type of adult brain cancer and a devastating disease with a poor prognosis. When activated in cancer cells, it protects the tumor cells, making them more resistant to chemotherapy treatment. Read more here.

More than 300 million people in at least 70 countries use smokeless tobacco

The first-ever report on the global use and public health impact of smokeless tobacco finds that more than 300 million people in at least 70 countries use these harmful products. The report, Smokeless Tobacco and Public Health: A Global Perspective, is being released today by the CDC and the National Cancer Institute at the National Conference on Smoking or Health in Mumbai, India. Thirty-two leading experts from around the world contributed to the report. Read more and download the full report here.

Premenopausal women who received ovarian suppression treatment along with tamoxifen had a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence

A clinical trial sponsored and supported by NCI showed that suppressing ovarian function reduced breast cancer recurrence in premenopausal women receiving the drug tamoxifen after surgery for early-stage breast cancer. The trial, SOFT (Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial), used either monthly injections of the drug triptorelin, surgical removal of both ovaries, or radiation of the ovaries as methods of ovarian suppression in women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Read more here.

Adaptive pathways

Scientists argue that scientific and policy changes will make adaptive pathways the preferred approach to make new treatments available. A number of scientists, including members of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and its scientific Committees take this position in an article published in the Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The concept of adaptive pathways foresees an early approval of a medicine for a restricted patient population based on small initial clinical studies. The first approval is followed by progressive adaptations of the marketing authorisation to expand access to the medicine to broader patient populations based on data gathered from its use and additional studies. Read more here.

Majority of women with early-stage breast cancer in U.S. receive unnecessarily long courses of radiation

Two-thirds of women treated for early-stage breast cancer in the U.S. receive longer radiation therapy than necessary, according to a new study from Penn Medicine researchers Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, and Justin E. Bekelman, MD. Their findings reveal that the vast majority of women after breast conserving surgery receive six to seven weeks of radiation therapy, despite multiple randomized trials and professional society guidelines showing that three weeks of radiation – called hypofractionated whole breast radiation – is just as clinically effective, more convenient, and less costly. Read more here.

New agent causes small cell lung tumors to shrink in pre-clinical testing

Small cell lung cancer has shown itself vulnerable to an agent that disables part of tumor cells’ basic survival machinery, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported. Investigators found that the agent THZ1 caused human-like small cell lung tumors in mice to shrink significantly, with no apparent side effects. The compound is now being developed into a drug for testing in human patients in clinical trials. Read more here.

Experience counts with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer

A recent study, led by researchers Evan Wuthrick, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), and Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the OSUCCC – James, compared survival and other outcomes in 470 patients treated with radiation therapy at 101 treatment centers through a clinical trial held from 2002 to 2005. The findings indicated that patients treated at the less-experienced centers were more likely to have cancer recurrence (62 percent versus 42 percent at five years) and had poorer overall survival compared with those at the highly-experienced centers (51 percent versus 69 percent five-year survival, respectively). Read more here.

NCCS Cancer Survival Toolbox - going fully digital

The award-winning Cancer Survival Toolbox®, a free audio program, is going fully digital. It was created by leading cancer organizations to help people develop skills to better meet and understand the challenges of their illness. The program contains a set of basic skills and special topics. Each scenario is inspired by true stories of real cancer patients. The Cancer Survival Toolbox is for people at any point in their care. It is used by patients, health care professionals, and by individuals or in support group settings. Read more and access the Toolbox here.

Agent prevents prostate cancer growth and spread in animal studies

Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have completed a critical step in the journey from a basic science discovery in the lab to a potential clinical application, showing that an experimental agent prevents tumor growth and spread in mice with prostate cancer harboring a common chromosomal abnormality. The scientists say the agent, YK-4-279, is the first drug targeted at the chromosomal translocations found in about half of prostate cancer cells. These translocations occur when two normal genes break off from a chromosome and fuse together in a new location. This so-called ETS fusion produces new genes that manufacture proteins, which then push prostate cancer cells to become more aggressive and spread. Read more here.

Older breast cancer patients still get radiation despite limited benefit

Women over the age of 70 who have certain early-stage breast cancers overwhelmingly receive radiation therapy despite published evidence that the treatment has limited benefit, researchers at Duke Medicine report. The study suggests that doctors and patients may find it difficult to withhold treatment previously considered standard of care, even in the setting of high quality data demonstrating that the advantages are small. Read more here.

Unprecedented benefit seen in worldwide test of a three-drug treatment for multiple myeloma

In the treatment of multiple myeloma, the addition of carfilzomib to a currently accepted two-drug combination produced significantly better results than using the two drugs alone, according to a worldwide research team led by investigators from Mayo Clinic. Interim analysis of the ASPIRE clinical trial, which enrolled 792 patients with relapsed multiple myeloma from 20 countries, found an “unprecedented” prolongation of the time patients were free of disease progression, says the study’s lead investigator, Keith Stewart, M.B., Ch.B, a Mayo Clinic oncologist in Arizona. Read more here.

Immunotherapy achieves breakthrough result in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

A therapy that liberates the immune system to attack cancer cells drove Hodgkin lymphoma into complete or partial remission in fully 87 percent of patients with resistant forms of the disease who participated in an early-phase clinical trial, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and partnering institutions report in a new study. The results provide some of the most dramatic evidence to date of the potential of therapies that increase the ability of the immune system to kill cancer cells. Read more here.

Narrow subset of cells is responsible for metastasis in multiple myeloma, study finds

Although it is among the most highly metastatic of all cancers, multiple myeloma is driven to spread by only a subset of the myeloma cells within a patient’s body, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found in a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. The study suggests that attacking those subsets with targeted drugs may degrade the disease’s ability to spread throughout the bone marrow of affected patients. Read more here.

Laparoscopic electric morcellators - update on the risk of spread of unsuspected uterine cancer - notice to hospitals

Health Canada has issued a Notice to Hospitals about the use of laparoscopic electric morcellators during hysterectomy and myomectomy for presumed benign uterine fibroids. The Notice stated that the use of these devices, which allows for a minimally invasive surgical approach, may result in the spread and upstaging of occult uterine cancer, which cannot be reliably detected preoperatively. The frequency of unsuspected uterine cancer in women undergoing surgery for the removal of presumed benign fibroids has now been estimated to be in the range of 1-in-350, which is more prevalent than previously reported. Health Canada has reviewed the relevant clinical and scientific data pertaining to this medical safety issue. Based on the results of its review, Health Canada will be working with device manufacturers to revise the instructions for use of laparoscopic electric morcellators. Read more here.

Ceritinib in ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer

Ceritinib is a new oral highly potent and selective ALK inhibitor. Shaw et al, conducted a phase 1 study of Ceritinib to determine safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetic properties and anti-tumour effects in patients with ALK-rearranged tumours. Read more here.

Adolescents and young adults with ALL benefit from paediatric protocols

Results from a large, prospective clinical trial add to mounting evidence that adolescent and young adult patients, aged 16 to 39 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), tend to fare better when treated with high-intensity paediatric protocols than previous patients who were treated with standard adult regimens. Read more here.

Researchers identify how opium poppies synthesize promising new drug

After only four years of intensive research, scientists from the University of Calgary have identified a pathway of genes in opium poppies that underlies the synthesis of noscapine — a promising cancer-fighting agent and a cough suppressant used in many European countries. Researchers Peter Facchini, recent PhD graduate Thuy Dang, and postdoctoral fellow Xue Chen identified 10 of the 11 dedicated steps encoded by a cluster of genes that lead to noscapine biosynthesis. Their work adds to knowledge of how the opium poppy makes the compound noscapine. Read more here.

Study debunks link between HPV vaccination and early sex

Vaccinating young girls against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) doesn’t lead to an increase in risky sexual activity, a new study shows. Teen girls in the study who were vaccinated against HPV were no more likely to become pregnant or contract another sexually transmitted infection than girls who were not vaccinated, the researchers found. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all boys and girls receive three HPV shots, which protects against multiple strains of the virus, which can cause cervical, anal, penile and throat cancer. Read more here.

FDA approves blinatumomab to treat a rare form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

The USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on 3 December, 2014 blinatumomab (Blincyto) to treat patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-cell ALL), an uncommon form of ALL. Read more here.

Smoking still causes large proportion of cancer deaths in the United States

A new American Cancer Society study finds that despite significant drops in smoking rates, cigarettes continue to cause about three in ten cancer deaths in the United States. The study, appearing in the Annals of Epidemiology, concludes that efforts to reduce smoking prevalence as rapidly as possible should be a top priority for the U.S. public health efforts to prevent cancer deaths. Read more here.

Discovery could lead to more targeted lung cancer treatments

New findings from a study – funded in part by the Canadian Cancer Society – may lead to more targeted treatments for the thousands of Canadians diagnosed each year with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common type of this deadly disease. A team of researchers in Toronto discovered that the proteins found in lung tumours are dramatically different from those in normal lung tissue and can predict patient survival. Pinpointing which proteins are driving tumour growth could lead to individualized treatments which are better tailored to a patient’s cancer and could lead to improved survival. Read more here.

American Cancer Society launches global cancer atlas to empower nations to reduce their cancer burden

With the number of global cancer cases expected to increase by more than 50 percent by 2030, researchers around the globe have collaborated to create a new tool for global leaders to determine what actions they must take to better control cancer. The American Cancer Society's newly published The Cancer Atlas, Second Edition has been released in partnership with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) within the World Health Organization, and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). The data featured in the book and on the website highlight the complex nature of the global cancer landscape, but also point to strategies that governments can use to reduce their cancer burden. Read more here.

Click here to view The Cancer Atlas, Second Edition.

'Wound response' of cancer stem cells may explain chemo-resistance in bladder cancer

A novel mechanism – similar to how normal tissue stem cells respond to wounding – might explain why bladder cancer stem cells actively contribute to chemo-resistance after multiple cycles of chemotherapy drug treatment. Targeting this “wound response” of cancer stem cells can potentially provide a novel approach for therapeutic invention, said researchers from the National Cancer Institute-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Read more here.

Vaccines may make war on cancer personal

In the near future, physicians may treat some cancer patients with personalized vaccines that spur their immune systems to attack malignant tumors. New research led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has brought the approach one step closer to reality. In the new study, scientists tested investigational vaccines in computer simulations, cell cultures and animal models. The results showed that the vaccines could enable the immune system to destroy or drive into remission a significant number of tumors. Read more here.

NCI establishes Genomic Data Commons to facilitate identification of molecular subtypes of cancer and potential drug targets

The National Cancer Institute is establishing the NCI Genomic Data Commons to store, analyze and distribute cancer genomics data generated by NCI and other research organizations. The GDC will provide an interactive system for researchers to access data, with the goal of advancing the molecular diagnosis of cancer and suggest potential therapeutic targets based on genomic information. Read more here.

Antacids linked to better survival in head and neck cancer

Patients with head and neck cancer who used antacid medicines to control acid reflux had better overall survival, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Reflux can be a common side effect of chemotherapy or radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. Doctors at the University of Michigan frequently prescribe two types of antacids - proton pump inhibitors or histamine 2 blockers - to help treat this side effect. Read more here.

FDA approves ruxolitinib to treat patients with polycythemia vera

The USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on 4 December 2014 a new use for ruxolitinib (Jakafi) to treat patients with polycythemia vera, a chronic type of bone marrow disease. Ruxolitinib is the first drug approved by the FDA for this condition. Read more here.

HIV drug blocks bone metastases in prostate cancer

Although prostate cancer can be successfully treated in many men, when the disease metastasizes to the bone, it is eventually lethal. In a study in Cancer Research, researchers show that the receptor CCR5 best known for its role in HIV therapy, may also be involved in driving the spread of prostate cancer to the bone. "Because this work shows we can dramatically reduce metastasis in pre-clinical models, and because the drug is already FDA approved for HIV treatment- we may be able to test soon whether this drug can block metastasis in patients with prostate cancer," says Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, Director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and senior author on the study. Read more here.

Research on a rare cancer exposes possible route to new treatments

Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah discovered the unusual role of lactate in the metabolism of alveolar soft part sarcoma, a rare, aggressive cancer that primarily affects adolescents and young adults. The study also confirmed that a fusion gene is the cancer-causing agent in this disease. ASPS tumor cells contain a chromosomal translocation--strands of DNA from two chromosomes trade places. The two strands fuse together to create a new gene, ASPSCR1-TFE3 that functions differently than either "parent" gene. For the study, Kevin B. Jones, MD, an HCI investigator and assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the U of U, and his research team activated the ASPSCR1-TFE3 gene in mice. Read more here.

UCLA scientists discover why certain patients respond to a life-saving melanoma drug

UCLA researchers have pioneered a new methodology to predict why some patients battling advanced melanoma respond well or not at all to the new breakthrough drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda). The study, led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center members Drs. Paul Tumeh and Antoni Ribas, primary investigator of pembrolizumab, is the first of its kind since the FDA approved the use of Keytruda in September and could lead the way for more effective use of the drug in patients with melanoma and other cancers. Read more here.

Breast cancer vaccine shows promise in small clinical trial

A breast cancer vaccine developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is safe in patients with metastatic breast cancer, results of an early clinical trial indicate. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the vaccine primed the patients' immune systems to attack tumor cells and helped slow the cancer's progression. The new vaccine causes the body's immune system to home in on a protein called mammaglobin-A, found almost exclusively in breast tissue. The protein's role in healthy tissue is unclear, but breast tumors express it at abnormally high levels, past research has shown. Read more here.

Survivors of childhood eye cancer experience normal cognitive functioning as adults

Most long-term survivors of retinoblastoma, particularly those who had been diagnosed with tumors by their first birthdays, have normal cognitive function as adults, according to a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital study. The research found that the vast majority of survivors work full time, live independently and fulfill other milestones of adult life. The study is the first to examine how adult survivors of retinoblastoma fare cognitively and socially decades after their diagnosis. Read more here.

One-two punch of drugs better than either alone against colorectal cancer

Commonly, mutations or rearrangements of genes in the MAPK signaling pathway create cancer’s fast growth, and alterations in the PI3K signaling pathway allow cancer cells to survive into virtual immortality. Of course, researchers have extensively targeted these two signaling pathways, designing drugs that turn on or off genes in these pathways, thus interrupting the transmission of cancer-causing signals. Unfortunately, these pathways have proven difficult to drug and also it has been difficult to show the effectiveness of drugs that successfully interrupt the transmission of signals along these pathways. A study by the University of Colorado Cancer Center published in the journal PLoS ONE and concurrent phase I clinical trial is examining a new strategy: targeting both these important cancer-causing pathways simultaneously. Read more here.

Johns Hopkins scientists link gene to tamoxifen-resistant breast cancers

After mining the genetic records of thousands of breast cancer patients, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have identified a gene whose presence may explain why some breast cancers are resistant to tamoxifen, a widely used hormone treatment generally used after surgery, radiation and other chemotherapy. The gene, called MACROD2, might also be useful in screening for some aggressive forms of breast cancers, and, someday, offering a new target for therapy, says Ben Ho Park, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of oncology in the Kimmel Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Program and a member of the research team. Read more here.

Multiple biopsies are superior to a single biopsy in detecting cervical cancer precursors

Performing multiple biopsies during a procedure known as colposcopy—visual inspection of the cervix—is more effective than performing only a single biopsy of the worst-appearing area for detecting cervical cancer precursors. This multiple biopsy approach may help to detect disease early and avoid repeated biopsies for women with initial negative findings, according to a new study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute and their colleagues. Read more here.

Launch of Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development website

Cancer incidence and mortality are rising rapidly worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. There is an overwhelming need for countries to adopt and implement cancer control actions. Yet only 1 in 5 low- and middle-income countries have the necessary data to drive policy and reduce the burden and suffering due to cancer. The Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) is a coordinated, multi-partner approach to deliver the required change. Visit the website here.

New WHO guide to prevent and control cervical cancer

New guidance from World Health Organization (WHO) aims to help countries better prevent and control cervical cancer. The disease is one of the world’s deadliest – but most easily preventable – forms of cancer for women, responsible for more than 270 000 deaths annually, 85% of which occur in developing countries. The new "Comprehensive cervical cancer control: a guide to essential practice" is launched at the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Melbourne, Australia on 3 December 2014. Read more here.

Sask. scientist may have found oldest case of human cancer

A study by a group of researchers that includes a Saskatchewan scientist has found what may be the oldest case of human cancer in the world. Bones of a man exhumed in Siberia that date back 4,500 years show he had lung or prostate cancer that spread throughout his body. Angela Lieverse, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Saskatchewan, says the evidence refutes a widely held belief that cancer is a modern medical phenomenon. Read more here.

IARC summer school in cancer epidemiology, 2015 - call for applications open

The aim of the IARC Summer School is to stimulate research in cancer epidemiology by improving scientific knowledge and developing skills among researchers worldwide. Special consideration is given to countries with limited resources for the control of chronic diseases, including cancer. By helping to develop local expertise in cancer epidemiology and by strengthening research institutions through international collaborations, IARC aims to enhance cancer prevention. Read more here.

IARC's first Russian-language recommendations for cancer registries

Following the first International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cancer registration course in Russian, held in Astana, with participation from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the IARC proposed a set of recommendations to enhance the availability and quality of population-based cancer registration in CIS countries. Read more here.

Half a million new cancers in 2012 due to overweight and obesity

A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that nearly half a million new cancer cases per year can be attributed to high body mass index (BMI). The study highlights that overweight and obesity have become a major risk factor, responsible for an estimated 3.6% (481 000) of all new cancer cases in 2012. The study highlights that the proportion of cancers related to obesity is higher in women than in men, with population attributable fractions of 5.3% and 1.9%, respectively. Read more here.

Linking real-time ultrasound to MRI may aid prostate cancer assessment

One of the biggest challenges for urologists is distinguishing between low-risk prostate cancers and those that are aggressive enough to require treatment. Now there is hope for change with a new imaging technique, often referred to as fusion biopsy, that links an MRI of the patient with images from a real-time ultrasound, allowing doctors to see suspicious areas better and target them for tissue sample testing. The development has the potential to help doctors identify aggressive forms of cancer, reduce the number of painful biopsy needles needed, and give men clearer answers sooner. Read more here.

Antacids may improve head and neck cancer survival

A new study conducted at the University of Michigan Medical School indicates that use of antacids to control acid reflux may improve survival rates of head and neck cancer patients.  Acid reflux, more commonly referred to as heartburn, is a side effect associated with chemotherapy or radiation treatments.  According to study author Dr. Silvana Papagerakis, patients taking one of two types of antacids, proton pump inhibitors and histamine 2 blockers, had a lower risk of death (45% and 33% respectively).  While further research aimed at understanding exactly how antacids improve survival is still to be undertaken, Dr. Papagerakis states that "these medications may be more beneficial to the patients than just controlling side effects."

To read more about this study, click here.

Lifestyle choices may help to reduce the risk of having another diagnosis of breast cancer or dying from the disease

World Cancer Research Fund International’s Continuous Update Project report on breast
cancer survivors is the most rigorous, systematic, global analysis of the scientific
research currently available on breast cancer survivors, and how certain lifestyle factors
affect how likely it is that a person will survive after developing the disease.
The report is the latest from our Continuous Update Project - the world’s largest source
of scientific research on cancer prevention and survivorship through diet, weight and
physical activity. Connect to the full report, Diet, nutrition, physical activity and breast cancer survivors, here.

‘Rapidly moving’ evidence showing benefits of physical activity in cancer prevention & survivorship

Evidence is becoming more and more persuasive that physical activity not only can lower the risk of certain cancers, but also provide important benefits to cancer survivors. That was the word from speakers at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Annual Conference. “This field has moved very rapidly in the last 10 to 15 years, and programs are being developed for cancer patients across the continuum,” said Christine Friedenreich, PhD, Scientific Leader for the Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research of CancerControl Alberta and the Head of the Division of Preventive Oncology at the University of Calgary, who chaired a session on physical activity and cancer survivorship. “We're certainly not there yet, but we're getting there.” Read more here.

Report shows association between obesity and cancers

Obesity is associated with close to 500,000 new cancer cases worldwide each year, and nearly two-thirds of obesity-related cancers occur in North America and Europe, a new report shows.

The analysis of data from 184 countries showed that excess weight was associated with 345,000 (5.4 percent) of new cancers in women in 2012, and 136,000 (1.9 percent) of new cancers in men in 2012.

Read more here.

SOURCE: The Lancet Oncology, news release, Nov. 25, 2014

FDA adds 'boxed warning' to devices used to remove uterine fibroids

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that new "boxed warning" labels will be added to devices called laparoscopic power morcellators, which are used to grind up uterine fibroid growths.

The warning labels follow a recommendation issued in July by an FDA advisory panel that stated there's no way to guarantee surgical morcellation wouldn't increase the risk of spreading cancer to other parts of a woman's body.

Two other warnings will state that the morcellators should not be used in patients who are in or around menopause or in most patients who would need to undergo hysterectomy due to fibroids. The morcellators are also not to be used "in gynecologic surgery in which the tissue to be morcellated is known or suspected to be cancerous," the FDA added.

That's because in about one in every 350 cases, women who undergo hysterectomy for fibroids may have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma, the FDA said, and morcellation might help spread that cancer.

Read more here.

SOURCES: Nov. 24, 2014, news release, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; April 17, 2014, U.S. Food and Drug Administration news briefing with William Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., deputy director, science, and chief scientist, Center for Devices and Radiological Health; Wall Street Journal

Fighting disparity in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment

This report from Lung Cancer Canada was prepared and designed to highlight the national voices and faces of patients and families living with lung cancer. More than Canadians with other cancers or illnesses, those with lung cancer face the challenges of disparity even more deeply on five important levels that are examined in this report: stigma, toll, diagnosis, treatment, and research. Read the full report here.

Oral cancer-causing HPV transmission

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections were more common among men who had female partners with oral and/or genital HPV infection, suggesting that the transmission of HPV occurs via oral-oral and oral-genital routes, according to a McGill University study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Read more here.

96% of Canadians have not tested their homes for cancer-causing radon gas, Canadian Cancer Society survey shows

96% of Canadians have not tested their homes for radon gas, a recent survey commissioned by the Canadian Cancer Society shows. Yet 51% of Canadians said they would move if they were aware that there was radon in their home. “Many people think that smoking is the only cause of lung cancer, but in fact about 16% of lung cancer deaths are caused by radon exposure, making it the second-leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco,” says Robert Nuttall, Assistant Director, Cancer Control Policy, Canadian Cancer Society. Read more here.

Major international lung cancer clinical trial launched

The NCIC Clinical Trials Group (NCIC CTG) in Kingston, Ontario, has developed and will lead an international clinical trial of a new class of cancer drug aimed at curing lung cancer in patients who have had surgery and chemotherapy for disease confined to the lung. The NCIC CTG is funded by the Canadian Cancer Society. The trial will impact lung cancer patients following standard treatment. The new drug is one of a new class of pharmaceuticals that helps the body’s immune system recognize and attack cancer. Drugs in this class have already been approved for use in patients with malignant melanoma. Read more here.

Novel regulatory mechanism for cell division found

A protein kinase or enzyme known as PKM2 has proven to control cell division, potentially providing a molecular basis for tumor diagnosis and treatment. A study, led by Zhimin Lu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuro-oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, showcased the non-metabolic abilities of PKM2 (pyruvate kinase M2) in promoting tumor cell proliferation when cells produce more of the enzyme. Read more here.

STING pathway key to tumor immunity

A recently discovered protein complex known as STING plays a crucial role in detecting the presence of tumor cells and promoting an aggressive anti-tumor response by the body's innate immune system, according to two separate studies published in Immunity. The studies, both from University of Chicago-based research teams, have major implications for the growing field of cancer immunotherapy. The findings show that when activated, the STING pathway triggers a natural immune response against the tumor. This includes production of chemical signals that help the immune system identify tumor cells and generate specific killer T cells. The research also found that targeted high-dose radiation therapy dials up the activation of this pathway, which promotes immune-mediated tumor control. Read more here.

More breast cancer patients opting for mastectomy, Vanderbilt study finds

Far more breast cancer patients are choosing to undergo mastectomy, including removal of both breasts, instead of choosing breast conservation surgery even when they have early stage disease that is confined to one breast, a Vanderbilt study shows. In the past decade, there have also been marked trends toward higher proportions of women opting for breast reconstruction. This is a reversal of trends seen since the 1990s when breast conservation surgery (BCS) was found to produce equivalent cancer outcomes and was endorsed as a standard of excellence by a National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference. Read more here.

Power behind ‘master’ gene for cancer discovered

In bean sprouts, a collection of amino acids known as a protein complex allows them to grow longer in the darkness than in the light. In humans, a similar protein complex called CSN and its subunit CSN6 is now believed to be a cancer-causing gene that impacts activity of another gene (Myc) tied to tumor growth. Somehow the same mechanisms that result in bigger bean sprouts, also cause cancer metastasis and tumor development. A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center led by Mong-Hong Lee, Ph.D., a professor of molecular and cellular oncology, has demonstrated the significance of CSN6 in regulating Myc which may very well open up a new pathway for treating and killing tumors. Read more here.

Antiangiogenic treatment improves survival in animal model of ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal cancer of the female reproductive organs, with more than 200,000 new cases and more than 125,000 deaths each year worldwide. Now new research in an animal model finds that a novel combination therapy, which couples low-dose chemotherapy with an antiangiogenic treatment, resulted in better survival rates compared with standard therapy. Led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the University of Guelph, the findings show that the agent, 3TSR, not only led to tumor regression, but also improved tumor blood flow and enabled more efficient delivery of much smaller and less toxic doses of chemotherapy. Read more here.

Memorial Sloan Kettering team makes key discovery in understanding immunotherapy’s successes—and its failures

A collaborative team of leaders in the field of cancer immunology from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has made a key discovery that advances the understanding of why some patients respond to ipilimumab, an immunotherapy drug, while others do not. MSK was at the forefront of the clinical research that brought this CTLA-4 blocking antibody to melanoma patients. Read more here.

Salk scientists deliver a promising one-two punch for lung cancer

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a powerful one-two punch for countering a common genetic mutation that often leads to drug-resistant cancers. The dual-drug therapy–with analogs already in use for other diseases–doubled the survival rate of mice with lung cancer and halted cancer in pancreatic cells. “There really have been no effective treatments to target the KRAS mutation so far,” says Inder Verma, a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics and American Cancer Society Professor of Molecular Biology. “We found a drug combination that successfully targets KRAS and stops tumor growth in the mouse model.” Read more here.

Withdrawal of the marketing authorisation application for balugrastim

On 4 November 2014, Teva Pharma B.V. officially notified the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) that it wishes to withdraw its application for a marketing authorisation for balugrastim (Egranli), for reduction in the duration of neutropaenia and the occurrence of febrile neutropaenia in adult cancer patients. Read more here.

NICE Is updating Its guideline on suspected cancer to help GPs spot the early signs and symptoms of cancer

Around 300,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales in 2011. The best way of tackling the disease is for patients to receive an early diagnosis, as this improves the chances of beating cancer. If cancer is caught at an early stage before the disease has spread, treatment is more likely to be successful.

Yet not enough is currently being done in England to identify cancer and treat it an early stage. Up to 10,000 people in England could be dying each year due to late diagnoses.

To help GPs ensure they are making prompt and accurate diagnoses, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has updated its suspected cancer guideline and has included a number of tables which link symptoms to the cancers they are associated with. Read more here.

Ontario moves to regulate e-cigarettes, ban flavoured tobacco

Ontario moved Monday to regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes, ban all flavoured tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, and mandate calorie counts on restaurant menus with its Making Healthier Choices Act. The omnibus bill would treat e-cigarettes just like tobacco cigarettes, with a total ban on sales to youth and on using them in restaurants and public buildings. Read more here.

NCCS post: Forgotten survivors - supporting the needs of patients with advanced cancers

"Though more and more cancer patients are being diagnosed today than ever before (1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women, based on the American Cancer Society ) more and more are becoming survivors of their disease and treatment. This can result in those who eventually lose their lives to this disease being less noticed and in some cases, forgotten. They are forgotten cancer survivors. Some may live only a few months post diagnosis while others may live a decade or more. Their issues and concerns are not the same as those who are believed to be cured from their cancer. They have unique needs that all too often go unaddressed." Continue reading the NCCS blog here.

Summary Basis of Decision (SBD) for KADCYLA

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance to Hoffmann-La Roche Limitedfor the drug product Kadcyla. Based on Health Canada's review, the benefit/risk profile of Kadcyla is favourable as a single agent for the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, metastatic breast cancer who received both prior treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and a taxane, separately or in combination. Patients should have either received prior therapy for metastatic disease, or developed disease recurrence during or within 6 months of completing adjuvant therapy. Read more here.

Patients with advanced papillary RCC respond well to a combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib

Dr Ramaprasad Srinivasan, head of the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Section, Urologic Oncology Branch, of the National Cancer Institute, USA, reported at the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain (18-21 November 2014) that the combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib produced excellent response rates with tolerable side effects in patients with advanced papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) and in patients with a highly aggressive form of pRCC called hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC). Read more here.

Immuno-Oncology 2014 press release: Immunotherapy set to revolutionise cancer treatment

Immunotherapy is set to revolutionise the treatment of cancer, according to ESMO President Professor Rolf A. Stahel. His comments come as the ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology 2014 is about to open in Geneva, Switzerland (21-22 November). Read more here.

First genetic-based tool to detect circulating cancer cells in blood

Northwestern University scientists now have demonstrated a simple but powerful tool that can detect live cancer cells in the bloodstream, potentially long before the cells could settle somewhere in the body and form a dangerous tumor. The NanoFlare technology is the first genetic-based approach that is able to detect live circulating tumor cells out of the complex matrix that is human blood -- no easy feat. In a breast cancer study, the NanoFlares easily entered cells and lit up the cell if a biomarker target was present, even if only a trace amount. The NanoFlares are tiny spherical nucleic acids with gold nanoparticle cores outfitted with single-stranded DNA "flares." Read more here.

TopBP1 a sweet spot for treatment in multiple cancers

A compound called calcein may act to inhibit topoisomerase IIβ-binding protein 1 (TopBP1), which enhances the growth of tumors, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online in the journal Nature Communications. "The progression of many solid tumors is driven by de-regulation of multiple common pathways," said Dr. Weei-Chin Lin, associate professor of medicine- hematology & oncology, and a member of the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor. Among those are the retinoblastoma (Rb), PI(3)K/Akt and p53 pathways, which, when de-regulated, lead to accumulation and structural alteration of TopBP1. Read more here.

Investigational oral drug combo shows promise for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in Mayo Clinic-led study

The investigational drug ixazomib taken orally in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone shows promise in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to the results of a phase 1/2 study published in the journal Lancet Oncology. "Ixazomib is an investigational, oral proteasome inhibitor with promising anti-myeloma effects and low rates of peripheral neuropathy," says Shaji Kumar, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. Read more here.

A noncoding RNA promotes pediatric bone cancer

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation indicates that a long noncoding RNA named Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1) is a critical target of the fusion protein and contributes to the complex network of changes that occur in Ewing Sarcoma. A team led by Alejandro Sweet-Cordero at Stanford University identified increased expression of EWSAT1 in cancer cells from children with Ewing sarcoma. Further they showed that this noncoding RNA is important for cancer cell growth and associated with the repression of several genes downstream of EWS-FLI1. Read more here.

Metabolic ‘reprogramming’ by the p53 gene family leads to tumor regression

Scientists have found that altering members of the p53 gene family, known as tumor suppressor genes, causes rapid regression of tumors that are deficient in or totally missing p53. Study results suggest existing diabetes drugs, which impact the same gene-protein pathway, might be effective for cancer treatment. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center investigation showed that, in vivo, the genes p63 and p73 can be manipulated to upregulate or increase levels of IAPP, a protein important for the body’s ability to metabolize glucose. Read more here.

Potential therapy found for incurable pediatric brain tumor

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new potential drug therapy for a rare, incurable pediatric brain tumor by targeting a genetic mutation found in children with the cancer. By inhibiting the tumor-forming consequences of the mutation using an experimental drug called GSKJ4, they delayed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with pediatric brainstem glioma. Read more here.

Killing cancer by protecting normal cells

Although radiation treatments have become much more refined in recent years, it remains a challenge to both sufficiently dose the tumor while sparing the surrounding tissue. A new anti-cancer drug, already in clinical development, may help address this issue by protecting normal cells – but not the cancer – from the effects of radiation. The research further suggests this drug may also be useful in treating accidental exposure to radiation. Read more here.

Nonsmokers in automobiles are exposed to significant secondhand smoke

Nonsmokers sitting in an automobile with a smoker for one hour had markers of significantly increased levels of carcinogens and other toxins in their urine, indicating that secondhand smoke in motor vehicles poses a potentially major health risk according to a groundbreaking study led by UC San Francisco researchers. The nonsmoking passengers showed elevated levels of butadiene, acrylonitrile, benzene, methylating agents and ethylene oxide. Read more here.

IU researchers identify key mechanism and potential target to prevent leukemia

Researchers have identified two proteins that appear crucial to the development -- and patient relapse -- of acute myeloid leukemia. They have also shown they can block the development of leukemia by targeting those proteins. The studies, in animal models, could lead to new effective treatments for leukemias that are resistant to chemotherapy, said Reuben Kapur, Ph.D., Freida and Albrecht Kipp Professor of Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Read more here.

Direct drug screening of patient biopsies could overcome resistance to targeted therapy

A new screening platform using cells grown directly from tumor biopsy samples may lead to truly individualized treatment strategies that would get around the problem of treatment resistance, which limits the effectiveness of current targeted therapy drugs. Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center describe how screening samples grown from treatment-resistant tumors against a panel of current and potential targeted therapy drugs identified previously unknown resistance mechanisms, several of which could not be found by gene sequencing. Read more here.

FDA approves bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy for platinum resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer

On 14 November 2014, the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab in combination with paclitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, or topotecan for the treatment of patients with platinum resistant, recurrent epithelial ovarian, Fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

The approval is based on the results of an international, randomised AURELIA trial. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) in patients treated with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy alone. Read more here.

Hedgehog signaling pathway for breast cancer identified

Molecules called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in breast cancer but exactly why they cause metastasis and tumor growth has been little understood...until now. Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report that hedgehog, a unique cell signaling pathway known to contribute to many types of cancer, may be behind breast cancer metastasis. This molecular message service works with the lncRNA known as BCAR4 giving the genetic green light for tumor growth. Read more here.

Tumor suppressor also inhibits key property of stem cells, researchers say

A protein that plays a critical role in preventing the development of many types of human cancers has been shown also to inhibit a vital stem cell property called pluripotency, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking expression of the protein, called retinoblastoma, in mouse cells allowed the researchers to more easily transform them into what are known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. Read more here.

Novel cancer vaccine approach for brain tumors

Glioblastoma is the most common aggressive primary brain tumor, and despite advances in standard treatment, the median survival is about 15 months (compared to 4 months without treatment). Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have been working on a cancer vaccine that would extend that survival by activating the patient’s immune system to fight the brain tumor. Read more here.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT could be cost effective according to Dartmouth study

Dartmouth researchers say lung cancer screening in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) meets a commonly accepted standard for cost effectiveness as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. This relatively new screening test uses annual low-dose CT scans to spot lung tumors early in individuals facing the highest risks of lung cancer due to age and smoking history. Read more here.