Rio+20 outcome document lacks commitment to NCDs

Over 100 conference delegates came together at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to strategize smart solutions to global development and poverty reduction while promoting environmental concerns such as clean energy, sustainability, and equitable use of resources. Popularly known as “Rio+20” the three days of high-level meetings attended by heads of state and government and high level representatives resulted in “The Future We Want,” a 53-page document that outlines and renews global commitments to addressing, among other topics, chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer. Read the full comment article here.

Comparing health systems: new OECD data looks at health indicators in 34 countries

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released the OECD Health Data 2012 electronic database. It is the most comprehensive source of statistics and indicators for comparing health systems across 34 OECD member countries, including Canada, the United States, the European Community, Australia and Japan. It is an essential tool for health researchers and policy advisors in governments, the private sector and the academic community, to carry out comparative analyses and draw lessons from international comparisons of diverse health care systems. Access the OECD Health Data 2012 database here.

Identification of a poor-prognosis braf-mutant-like population of patients with colon cancer: a step forward to personalised therapy

Little is known about the biology of BRAF mutant (BRAFm) colorectal cancer captured by gene expression and the manuscript proposed by Popovici V et al. describes a BRAF gene signature that allows an accurate identification of BRAF mutant samples, and which, when applied to BRAF wild-type tumors, identified additional colon cancer samples that manifests a similar gene expression pattern. Read the European Society for Medical Oncology summary here.

Study mentioned: Popovici V, et al. Identification of a poor-prognosis BRAF-mutant-like population of patients with colon cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2012 Apr 20;30(12):1288-95. PMID 22393095

Interim analysis of a randomized phase III study of abiraterone acetate in chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer

In patients with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic chemotherapy-naive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, abiraterone acetate plus prednisone produced a statistically significant benefit in radiographic progression-free survival over placebo plus prednisone, according to a planned interim analysis of the randomized, phase III, multicenter, COUAA-302 study. The results were presented by Dr Charles Ryan of the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, USA at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago (1 - 5 June 2012). With 43% of total events reported in the COUAA-302 study, the independent data monitoring committee concluded that the co-primary endpoints of overall survival and radiographic progression-free survival and secondary endpoints all favored the abiraterone acetate arm and unanimously recommended unblinding the study and crossing patients over from placebo to abiraterone acetate treatment. Read more here.

Health Canada endorsed important safety information on Paclitaxel for injection, 300mg/50mL

Hospira Healthcare Corporation, in consultation with Health Canada, would like to inform you that complaints were received from customers outside of Canada of visible vial defects for multiple products. The vial defects may manifest as particles embedded in the glass vial, as rust-like marks on the vial or as particles in the solution. Three lots of Paclitaxel distributed in Canada were manufactured using the same affected empty glass vial, however, no defects or complaints have been reported to date for these lots. Paclitaxel for Injection is a clear colorless to slightly yellow viscous solution and is indicated in the treatment of carcinoma of the ovary, breast or lung. Read more here.

European Medicines Agency approves new indication for everolimus

Everolimus approved for the treatment of postmenopausal women with HR positive, HER2 negative advanced breast cancer without symptomatic visceral disease, in combination with exemestane, after recurrence or progression to a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor. The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a new indication as follows: "Afinitor is indicated for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, HER2/neu negative advanced breast cancer, in combination with exemestane, in postmenopausal women without symptomatic visceral disease after recurrence or progression following a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor". Read more here.

Studies show effectiveness of colon screenings with easier preparation

Two recent studies found colon screenings that require a less intensive preparation than a colonoscopy are useful in finding pre-cancerous polyps, or growths. Read the American Cancer Society news article here.

1. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and colleagues found that a flexible sigmoidoscopy significantly reduced colorectal cancer death rates and the rates of new cases.

Study mentioned: Schoen RE, et al. Colorectal-cancer incidence and mortality with screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jun 21;366(25):2345-57. PMID 22612596

2. In another study, funded by the American Cancer Society, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and University of California, San Francisco tested a kind of screening called computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also called “virtual colonoscopy” that doesn’t require a laxative preparation.

Study mentioned: Zalis ME. Diagnostic accuracy of laxative-free computed tomographic colonography for detection of adenomatous polyps in asymptomatic adults: a prospective evaluation. Ann Intern Med. 2012 May 15;156(10):692-702. PMID 22586008

A phase III double blind trial of duloxetine to treat painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled phase III study show that duloxetine is an efficacious and well-tolerated intervention for the treatment of taxane- or platinum-related painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. The results were presented by Ellen Lavoie Smith, PhD of the University of Michigan at 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting (1-5 June, Chicago, USA). Read more here.

Navigating employers’ cancer care

The good news in cancer care is that improved treatments are increasing survival rates. But as the model of care shifts from hospital-based acute care to outpatient chronic care, employers are facing new challenges, as outlined in the presentation by Stephanie Mazzei and Bernie Manente, principals with Strategic Answers Inc. - summarized in a 3-part series covering the Employers Cancer Care Summit. For more information, read Part 1: Supportive networks, Part 2: Raising awareness, Part 3: Cost pressures

Growing number of countries adopting flexible IP regulations after India issues country's first compulsory license

"A growing number of countries are adopting India's intellectual property regulations, which give enough flexibility to local companies to produce generic versions of popular drugs to safeguard public health," India's Economic Times reports, noting, "In March, India issued the country's first compulsory license, allowing [Natco Pharma] to legally manufacture and sell a low-cost version of German drugmaker Bayer AG's patented cancer drug, Nexavar, at 3 percent of the original medicine's price on the grounds that Bayer's drug was not meeting public health requirement." The news service writes, "Although multinational companies have criticized India for being lax in enforcing intellectual property (IP) laws, countries such as China, Argentina, and the Philippines are adopting similar provisions." Read the full article here.

Study of available cancer cell lines shows that many are mislabelled or contaminated

Researchers stress how easy and important it is to verify cell lines before use. Modern cancer therapies start in cells – researchers compare cancer samples to healthy cells to discover how cancer is genetically different, and use cell lines to test promising new drugs. However, a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology shows that due to a high rate of contamination, misidentification and redundancy in widely available cell lines, researchers may be drawing faulty scientific conclusions. Read the full news item here.

 

Study mentioned: Korch C., et al. DNA profiling analysis of endometrial and ovarian cell lines reveals misidentification, redundancy and contamination. Gynecol Oncol 2012 Jun 15. [Epub ahead of print] PMID 22710073

US cancer survivors to rise by a third by 2022, report says

The number of Americans living with cancer will increase by nearly a third to almost 18 million by 2022, according to a report released by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute. Researchers found that even though the incidence rates of cancer are decreasing, the number of cancer survivors is on the rise due to a growing - and aging - U.S. population. Read the full news article here and the MedlinePlus summary here.

Study mentioned: Siegel R, et al. Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2012.CA Cancer J Clin. 2012 Jun 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID 22700443

Patented computerized system promises to accelerate cancer trials

The system matches registered patients' own molecular profiles, warehoused in a database of patient-donated biological tissue or tumor samples, to the molecular design of drugs. A new patent has been issued to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, USA for a computerized system that efficiently selects the right patient for the right clinical trial. The system matches registered patients' own molecular profiles—warehoused in a database of thousands of patient-donated biological tissue or tumor samples—to the molecular design of drugs aimed at targeting their disease at the molecular level, and does it quickly. The system promises to accelerate clinical trials and help shorten the time that it takes to get critically needed new drugs into the market. See the full news here.

Regorafenib improves progression-free survival and disease-control rate in patients with advanced GIST after failure to prior therapy with at least imatinib and sunitinib

Oral multikinase inhibitor regorafenib demonstrated substantial activity in a previous phase II trial in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) after failure of both imatinib and sunitinib. The GRID phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in this population with unmet clinical need. The results show improvement in progression-free survival and disease-control rate with regorafenib, and were presented by Dr George Demetri of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, during the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 1-5 June, Chicago, USA. Read more here.

Researchers identified a specific breast cancer bone metastasis-supporting gene

In this week's Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week," Roger Gomis and colleagues at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, Spain investigated how breast cancer cells migrate to bone. In particular, they examined the role of NOG, a gene important to proper bone development. Previously, NOG was associated with bone metastasis in prostate cancer, but its specific role in breast cancer to bone metastasis remained unknown. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Tarragona M, et al. Identification of NOG as a specific breast cancer bone metastasis-supporting gene. J Biol Chem. 2012 Jun 15;287(25):21346-55. Epub 2012 Apr 30. PMID 22547073

No clinical benefit seen from adding perifosine to capecitabine in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer

Adding perifosine, an oral alkylphospholipid inhibitor, to oral capecitabine did not significantly change overall- or progression-free survival compared with capecitabine alone, according to data from the X-PECT study, presented by Dr Johanna Bendell of Sarah Cannon Research Institute, during the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 1-5 June, Chicago. X-PECT is a phase III study that randomly assigned 468 patients with refractory colorectal cancer to receive perifosine/capecitabine (234 patients) or capecitabine (234 patients). Read more here.

Child CT scans could raise cancer risk slightly

Children who get several CT scans have a slightly higher chance of brain cancer and leukemia in later life, though the risk is still small and probably outweighed by the need to get the test, researchers reported. The study was paid for by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the U.K. Department of Health. It was published online Thursday in the journal Lancet. Read the full news article here.

Study mentioned: Pearce, M.S., et al. Radiation exposure from CT scans in childhood and subsequent risk of leukaemia and brain tumours: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 2012 June 6 [Epub ahead of print] PMID 22681860

IARC scientific papers - search facility

The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Communications Group is pleased to announce the addition to the IARC website of a Scientific Papers - Search facility. The database contains articles published in peer-reviewed journals authored by IARC staff, visiting scientists, fellows and students. The database goes back to 2003 and will be updated on a monthly basis to incorporate new publications which have complete bibliographic citations. View the database search form here.

Wait times are getting worse: report card

The physician organization that tracks the amount of time patients wait for medical care delivered some bad news June 19, warning that there has been a "decline in performance" in solving wait-time issues. "After making progress in recent years, at least against government benchmarks, it now appears that some provinces are being left behind in the battle to reduce the time patients wait for health care," said Dr. Chris Simpson, chair of the Wait Time Alliance (WTA). Read the full news report here and the WTA 2012 report card, Shedding Light on Canadians' Total Wait for Care, here.

Probing the mechanism of ADAM28-mediated cancer metastasis

ADAM28, a metalloproteinase belonging to the ADAM gene family, cleaves the von Willebrand factor (VWF) and inhibits VWF-mediated cancer cell apoptosis, thereby enhancing lung metastases, so inhibiting its expression gives a substantial reduction in lung metastases, according to a study published June 8 in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute. Read the news story here.

Study mentioned: Mochizuki S, et al. Effect of ADAM28 on carcinoma cell metastasis by cleavage of von Willebrand Factor. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Jun 1 [Epub ahead of print] PMID 22636800

Phase III study of BKM120/placebo with fulvestrant in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor positive HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer refractory to aromatase inhibitor

Clinical trial summary: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the addition of daily BKM120 to fulvestrant is effective and safe in treating patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer refractory to aromatase inhibitor. Read more here.

Implementing a tool to identify risk for venous thromboembolism in cancer patients

Clinical trial summary: Cancer increases the risk of deep vein blood clots and clots traveling to the lungs (emboli) which cause morbidity (leg swelling, pain, and shortness of breath), sudden death, delays cancer treatment, and decreases cancer survival by 66% compared to similar cancer patients without blood clots. Blood thinners may prevent clots but major bleeding is also a problem, so preventive therapies are not used routinely. Identifying patients at highest risk for clots is critical. A tool exists but it has not been used outside of research. Study is proposed to determine how to apply this tool in clinical practice and test if it works. Read more here.

The effect of perioperative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Naproxen on pleural effusion formation after lung resection

Clinical trial summary: Following a lung resection procedure, patients have their pleural space drained of fluid that accumulates due to the severing of proximal vessels like lymph nodes. The volume of fluid pumped depends on the severity of the inflammation. The study is being conducted to attempt to use painkillers with intrinsic anti-inflammatory action to try and reduce the degree of inflammation in patients' pleural cavity, thus ensuring patients are discharged faster, with a greater comfort level, and a hopefully lower rate of admission. Read more here.

An open-label, phase I/Ib dose escalation study to assess the safety and tolerability of GSK1120212 in combination with Docetaxel, Erlotinib, Pemetrexed, Pemetrexed + Carboplatin, Pemetrexed + Cisplatin, or Nab-Paclitaxel in subjects with advanced solid tumours

The purpose of this study is to determine what dose of GSK1120212 can be given safely in combination with at least one other drug that is already approved to treat cancer. This study will test the safety of up to 6 different GSK1120212 study treatment combinations (GSK1120212 plus either docetaxel, erlotinib, pemetrexed, pemetrexed + carboplatin, pemetrexed + cisplatin, or nab-paclitaxel). The doses identified in this study may be used in future trials to test whether the combination treatment is a safe and effective therapy for subjects with metastatic lung and/or pancreatic cancers. The trial was conducted at Princess Margaret Hospital. Please see more information here.

One in 12 patients readmitted to Canadian hospitals within 30 days

Study examines who is returning and why Download the report: All-Cause Readmission to Acute Care and Return to the Emergency Department June 14, 2012—Soon after their discharge from hospital, more than 180,000 Canadians were readmitted to acute care in 2010, reveals a study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). In those jurisdictions where detailed emergency department (ED) data was available—Alberta, Ontario and Yukon—nearly 1 in 10 acute care patients returned to the ED within seven days of hospital discharge. The study, All-Cause Readmission to Acute Care and Return to the Emergency Department, included more than 2.1 million hospitalizations across the country. It looked at surgical, medical, pediatric and obstetric patients to better understand who returned to acute care after discharge and for what clinical reason. The report and the following figures and table are available from CIHI’s website, at www.cihi.ca. Figure 1: Distribution of Triage Levels for Patients Returning to the ED Within Seven Days, Compared With All ED Patients (Figure 8 in the report) Figure 2: Rate of Inpatient Readmissions by Urban/Rural Residence, Overall and by Patient Group (Figure 3 in the report) Table 1: Rate of Inpatient Readmissions, by Income Quintile and by Patient Group (Percentage) (Table 6 in the report)

Federal government drug shortage report falls short in protecting patients

Recommendations in a House of Commons report on drug shortages will not protect patients’ health, and cannot replace decisive government leadership on the issue, says the Canadian Cancer Society. “We are disappointed that the report’s recommendations do not provide strong, concrete action to achieve the goals MPs unanimously called for,” says Paul Lapierre, Vice President, Public Affairs and Cancer Control, Canadian Cancer Society.  “Drug shortages are a national problem, and they will not be resolved without a Canada-wide approach. If the federal government is concerned about the welfare of patients in this country, they must lead the way in developing a nationwide strategy to alleviate drug shortages.” Read the full media release here.

Natural product found in sea sponges shows promise in preventing cancer-induced muscle wasting

Researchers in Montreal have discovered that a chemical found in sea sponges can effectively prevent muscle wasting in mice. The study, funded in part by the Canadian Cancer Society, is published in the journal Nature Communications. Led by Dr Imed Gallouzi at McGill University, the study shows that a chemical known as pateamine A (PatA) extracted from sea sponges can be used at low doses to prevent cachexia in mice. Previous research has demonstrated PatA’s effectiveness in preventing some tumours and inflammation, but Dr Gallouzi’s team is the first to show PatA’s role as an anti-muscle wasting agent. Read the full news story here.

Study mentioned: Di Marco S, et al. The translation inhibitor pateamine A prevents cachexia-induced muscle wasting in mice. Nat Commun. 2012 Jun 12;3:896. PMID: 22692539

Development of a quality appraisal tool for case series studies using a modified Delphi technique

This Methodology Paper summarizes the process, a modified Delphi approach, used to develop a specific checklist for the quality appraisal of case series studies. This work was supplemented with a review of other published checklists and an initial pilot test of the newly developed quality appraisal checklist. Researchers at the Institute of Health Economics with researchers from two other Health Technology Assessment agencies in Australia and Spain were actively engaged throughout the Delphi process. Read the full document here.

Guide for patients with esophageal cancer

A new patient guide, based on ESMO clinical guidelines, has been prepared in collaboration with Reliable Cancer Therapies (RCT) as a service to patients, to help patients and their relatives better understand the nature of esophageal cancer and appreciate the best treatment choices available according to the subtype of esophageal cancer. Read the guide here.

New skin patch using P-32 shows promise in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma

A customized patch treatment for basal cell carcinoma completely destroys facial tumors without surgery or major radiation therapy in 80% of patients studied, researchers reported at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 2012 Annual Meeting (June 9, 2012, Miami Beach, USA). Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer that affects the surface layer of the skin. Researchers have developed a treatment called a phosphorus-32 (P-32) skin patch, a radiation spot-treatment in the form of a patch that can safely and easily kill cancerous cells in the skin with a few easy outpatient appointments. This therapy is ideal for patients with skin cancers that are very difficult to operate on, especially if skin grafting after surgery would be a challenge. Read more.