A new review shows that depression relapse prevention with mindfulness therapy is 'on par' with drugs

April 27, 2016 - People who've recovered from depression stave off relapses with mindfulness therapy as well as with antidepressants, a new review finds.Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an eight-week group program that helps people become better observers of their own thoughts and emotions and to learn to distance themselves before ruminations spiral downwards.

An international team of psychiatry researchers combined data from nine randomized trials of 1,258 patients total with recurrent depression to compare the mindfulness therapy to placebo, treatment as usual and other active treatments including antidepressants. Read more here.

Read the review published in JAMA here.

Targeted photoimmunotherapy approach for cancer moves forward

On April 25, 2016 two new studies from NCI researchers add to growing evidence of the promise of a novel type of cancer immunotherapy that uses infrared light to activate rapid and selective killing of cancer cells.

One of the studies, presentedExit Disclaimer last week at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in New Orleans, showed that this approach, called near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT), could unleash immune activity against tumors in mice by depleting the tumor microenvironment of certain immune cells that act to restrain the immune response against tumors. Read more here.

New treatment target identified for key prostate cancer driver

On April 22, 2016 researchers have identified a potential alternative approach to blocking the activity of a key molecular driver of an advanced form of prostate cancer, called androgen-independent or castration-resistant prostate cancer.

In prostate cancer cell lines and in several mouse models of prostate cancer, treatment with drug-like small molecules that target a protein called ROR-γ disrupted the activity of the androgen receptor (AR), the researchers showed. Signaling through AR is the chief means by which prostate cancer cells grow and spread. Read more here.

Avastin for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer

CADTH pan-Canadian oncology drug review recently released its initial clinical guidance report for the use of avastin for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Along with the clinical review they have released the initial economic guidance report and the initial pERC recommendation.

Read the initial clinical guidance report here.
Read the initial economic guidance report here.
Read the initial pERC recommendations here.

Virtual reality glasses used during brain surgery for the first time

February 17, 2016 - In a world first, a patient in France undergoing brain surgery while conscious wore virtual reality glasses as doctors removed a cancerous tumour, the chief surgeon told AFP Tuesday.

"In creating a completely artificial world for the patient, we could map certain zones and connections of his brain related to functions that we could not, up to now, easily test on the operating table," Philippe Menei, a neurosurgeon at Angers hospital in western France, told AFP. The operation was performed on January 27, and the patient was recovering well, he said. Read more here.

Gastrointestinal cancer evidence-based series (EBS) and practice guidelines (PG)

February 22, 2016 - The Gastrointestinal Disease Site Group (GI DSG) produces evidence-based reports to assist practitioners and patients make decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances. The titles of the reports produced to date by the DSG are listed below, with links to the PDF versions of those reports. Read more here.

Differences in cancer survival in Canada by sex

On April 20, 2016 stats Canada released its report on the difference in cancer survival in Canada by sex. Based on data from the Canadian Cancer Registry, this report examines sex-specific differences in survival for all cancers combined and for 18 specific individual cancers or cancer groups. In addition to age-specific analyses, results are examined by time period of diagnosis.Read more here.

Pembrolizumab shows promise in patients with rare form of skin cancer

On April 19, 2016 in a small clinical trial, more than half of the patients with an aggressive form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma responded to the drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), which strengthens the immune response against cancer. Overall, the responses have been longer-lasting than those typically seen in patients with this very rare cancer who have received chemotherapy.

The 26 patients in this phase II trial had an advanced form of the disease, and none had received prior systemic treatment. Among the 25 patients who could be evaluated, 14 patients (56 percent) had a complete or partial response, Paul Nghiem, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reported on April 19 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in New Orleans. Read more here.

Watch this interactive video showing that Cancers can resist treatment by ‘stealing’ blood vessels from nearby tissues

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, published a new study on the 07 of April in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showing that liver cancer can resist treatment by ‘stealing’ blood vessels from nearby tissues. Read more here.

On advance care planning day, it's time for Canadians to stop making excuses and get talking

I’m too busy. It’s bad luck. I’m too young. These are just a few of the reasons why Canadians avoid conversations with loved ones about what might happen if they couldn’t make medical decisions for themselves. On April 16, it’s time to start talking.

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association is leading National Advance Care Planning Day, an initiative of its year-round Speak Up Campaign, which encourages Canadians to reflect on and communicate their end-of-life wishes.Read more here.

Vitamin D deficiency may promote spread of some breast cancers

On April 14, 2016, a new study suggests that a deficiency in vitamin D is associated with tumor progression and metastasis in breast cancer.

The study, primarily conducted using cell lines and mice, also identified an association between vitamin D levels and the expression of ID1, an oncogene that has been associated with tumor growth and metastasis in breast cancer and other cancer types. Read more here.

Nanoparticle generator slips chemotherapypast tumor cells’ protective barriers

On April 11, 2016 researchers have developed and tested a new injectable nanoparticle-generating technology that can deliver doxorubicin (Adriamycin®), a commonly used chemotherapy drug, straight to the nucleus of metastatic breast cancer cells with high effectiveness.

In the study, the treatment approach led to complete remissions in mice with a hard-to-treat form of breast cancer. The findings appeared in Nature Biotechnology on March 14. The research team that led the study hopes to start testing the treatment in human clinical trials by the end of 2017. Read more here.

More is not always better in cancer care: Partnership report

A new report from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer looking into whether Canadian patients receive appropriate cancer care shows Canadian cancer patients undergo an estimated 770,000 interventions each year that may be of low value or expose them to unnecessary harm. Read more here.

Sunitinib and sorafenib ineffective as adjuvant therapies for kidney cancer

On April 8, 2016 results from a recent clinical trial show that adjuvant therapy with sunitinib (Sutent®) or sorafenib (Nexavar®) does not improve progression-free survival for patients with renal cell (kidney) cancer and may cause serious side effects.

Both sunitinib and sorafenib target proteins on cancer cells that promote tumor angiogenesis—the formation of new blood vessels that are needed to fuel tumor growth beyond a certain size. Read more here.

Drug combination shrinks duodenal polyps in people with familial adenomatous polyposis

On April 7, 2016 a small clinical trial of people with an inherited condition that greatly increases the risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers, a two-drug combination has been shown to shrink duodenal polyps, precursor lesions for cancer, raising the possibility that the regimen could lower the risk of duodenal cancer.

In the randomized trial, patients with the condition, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), who took erlotinib (Tarceva®) and sulindac (Aflodac®) had far fewer precancerous polyps in the duodenum—the first section of the small intestine, just beyond the stomach—than patients who took placebo. Read more here.

NICE develops a medtech innovation briefing on selective internal radiation therapy

On March 2016 NICE announced that it has developed a medtech innovation briefing (MIB) on SIR Spheres for treating inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma. SIR Spheres are a form of selective internal radiation therapy consisting of resin microspheres containing radioactive yttrium 90.

They are designed to be used to treat patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma. SIR Spheres can also be used to downstage tumours for resection or liver transplantation, or as a bridge to transplantation. SIR Spheres deliver radiation directly to tumours through the hepatic artery, which limits damage to normal liver cells. Read more here.

Shorter, intensive radiation for prostate cancer

Researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina have unveiled a new study indicating that slightly higher radiation doses for early stage prostate cancer "may reduce treatment time without compromising effectiveness." The study consist of 1,100 men with early stage prostate cancer; half of the patients received a traditional radiotherapy regiment over 8 weeks, while half received slightly higher doses over 5.5 weeks.  According to lead investigator Dr. W. Robert Lee, "the shorter regimen has advantages such as greater patient convenience and lower costs", as indicated over a 5-year period. (an 86% vs. 85% cancer-free survival rate)

To read more about this study, click here.

Blocking calcium transfer may selectively kill cancer cells

On March 31, 2016, a new study shows that blocking the transfer of calcium ions (Ca2+) into mitochondria is toxic to cancer cells and impairs growth of tumors in mice, while sparing normal cells.

All cells use calcium ions as signaling agents to regulate metabolism and other cellular functions. Blocking the flow of calcium into mitochondria, which are the chief producers of energy-rich ATP molecules in cells, created an energy “crisis” from which normal cells could recover but cancer cells could not, the study showed. Read more here.