Race survival disparity for women with breast cancer linked to health

Differences in the health and tumour characteristics of white and black women with breast cancer at the time of their diagnoses may be largely to blame for the disparity in survival between the two groups, a new study suggests. Disparities in treatment quality are not the main problem, the researchers conclude, after finding that if differences in the women’s overall health and the degree to which the cancer had advanced at the time of diagnosis were eliminated, the survival gap would shrink dramatically. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Silber JH, et al. Characteristics Associated With Differences in Survival Among Black and White Women With Breast Cancer. JAMA. 2013;310(4):389-397.

Paradoxical oncogenic transformation

Authors of a recent article in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology describe the clinical and mechanistic manifestations of secondary cancers that have thus far been observed to arise as a consequence of BRAF inhibition. They discuss the concept of pre-existing populations of partly transformed cells with malignant potential that might be present in various organ systems, and the rationale for novel therapeutic strategies for the management of BRAF-inhibitor-induced neoplasia. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Gibney GT, et al. Paradoxical oncogenesis-the long-term effects of BRAF inhibition in melanoma. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2013 Jul;10(7):390-9. PMID: 23712190

WINTHER trial aims to offer improved cancer care

The WINTHER trial was heralded at the WIN (Worldwide Networking in personalised medicine) Symposium as a new generation personalized medicine study that aims to provide biology-oriented therapy to patients with advanced solid tumors. The Symposium was held in Paris from the 10th to 12th of July, 2013 and was sponsored by the WIN Consortium, which also planned this hallmark trial around the ambitious goal of extending personalised approaches to the 60 to 70% of patients with advanced malignancies whose tumours do not express drugable targets. Read more here.

Thwarting protein production slows cancer cells' malignant march

Protein production or translation is tightly coupled to a highly conserved stress response that cancer cells rely on for survival and proliferation, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. In mouse models of cancer, targeted therapeutic inhibition of translation disrupts this survival response, dramatically slowing tumor growth and potentially rendering drug-resistant tumors vulnerable to other therapies. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Santagata S, et al. Tight coordination of protein translation and HSF1 activation supports the anabolic malignant state. Science. 2013 Jul 19;341(6143):1238303. PMID: 23869022

Aussie smokers think twice with graphic cigarette labels

Australian laws requiring cigarettes to be sold in drab olive-green packets with graphic health warnings are making smokers think more about quitting, a study has shown, but cigarette makers say they have seen little impact on sales. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Wakefield MA, et al. Introduction effects of the Australian plain packaging policy on adult smokers: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2013;3:e003175.

Menthol cigarettes pose greater public health risk: FDA

An FDA evaluation concluded that there is little evidence to suggest that menthol cigarettes are more or less toxic or contribute to more disease risk to smokers than regular cigarettes. However, there is adequate data to suggest that menthol use is likely associated with increased smoking initiation by younger people and that menthol smokers have a harder time quitting, the review said. Read more here.

Read the FDA review, Preliminary scientific evaluation of the possible public health effects of menthol versus nonmenthol cigarettes, here.

Menopausal hot flashes might be more intense for cancer survivors

Cancer survivors have more frequent and severe menopausal hot flashes than other women, a new study reveals. But the researchers also found that cancer survivors coped better with menopausal symptoms and reported a better quality of life than other women, and had similar levels of sexual activity and function. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Marino JL, et al. Nature and severity of menopausal symptoms and their impact on quality of life and sexual function in cancer survivors compared with women without a cancer history. Menopause. Online first 15 July 2013.

Radium-223 in metastatic prostate cancer

The results of Alpharadin in Symptomatic Prostate Cancer Patients (ALSYMPCA), a phase III, randomised, double-blind, multinational study comparing the efficacy and safety of radium-223 versus placebo in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases have been reported by Dr Chris Parker and colleagues in The New England Journal of Medicine. The authors concluded that in this study, which was terminated for efficacy at the pre-specified interim analysis, radium-223 improved overall survival. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Parker C, et al. Alpha emitter radium-223 and survival in metastatic prostate cancer. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jul 18;369(3):213-23. PMID: 23863050

IARC postdoctoral opportunity - Genetic Epidemiology Group

The Genetic Epidemiology Group investigates genetic factors involved in cancer in diverse populations and their interaction with environmental factors, with the aim of contributing to primary prevention of cancer. Two postdoctoral opportunities are immediately available within the Group to work on large multi-centre case control and cohort studies concerning the molecular and genetic epidemiology of lung, oral and kidney cancers. Read more here.

Summary Basis of Decision (SBD) for Perjeta

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance to Hoffmann-La Roche Limited for the drug product, Perjeta. Perjeta (pertuzumab) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody based upon the human IgG1(κ) framework sequence and is a first-in-class human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 dimerization inhibitor. Based on Health Canada's review, the benefit/risk profile of Perjeta in combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel is favourable for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Read more here.

U.S. researchers about to put chemotherapy cold caps to the test

Near-freezing temperatures are supposed to reduce blood flow in the scalp, making it harder for cancer-fighting drugs to reach and harm hair follicles. Later this summer, researchers in the U.S. will begin enrolling 110 early stage breast cancer patients in a study of the DigniCap brand of scalp cooling. The tight-fitting, insulated cap is attached to a cooling machine to stay around a shivery 41 degrees as patients undergo chemo. Participants' hair will be photographed for experts to assess, and they'll be compared with a small group of similarly ill patients who get chemo alone. Read more here.

Event: Computer-aided detection of breast masses in mammograms

Event Date: Jul 25 2013 - 10:00am - 11:00am

Location: ICT 516, 856 Campus Place, University of Calgary.

Description: Breast masses exhibit a great variability in margins, shapes, and dimensions, and their detection represents a difficult task to be solved for computer-aided detection (CAD) of breast cancer with mammography. Masses detection is usually a two-step procedure: mass identification and false-positive reduction. We propose a method to automatically detect masses in mammographic images. The algorithm is tuned according to the breast tissue density in order to improve the overall performance in breast mass detection. The method uses modified phase portrait analysis, based on the condition number (CN), a new eigenvalue intensity map (EIM), a novel iterative and tissue-density-adaptive segmentation procedure, and extraction of geometric features. Read more here.

The stigma of lung cancer

Because many people perceive lung cancer as self-induced -- the result of cigarette smoking -- there is a stigma associated with lung cancer that does not afflict patients with other cancers. At the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Medscape spoke with lung cancer expert Joan H. Schiller, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, about her poster presentation on attitudes toward lung cancer vs breast cancer and the stigma associated with a lung cancer diagnosis. Read the interview here.

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Aflibercept in colorectal cancer: indication of minor added benefit

The drug aflibercept (trade name: Zaltrap) has been approved in Germany since February 2013 in combination with a certain chemotherapy for adults with metastatic colorectal cancer in whom chemotherapy with oxaliplatin could not stop the disease from progressing. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care examined whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the current standard therapy. Read more here.

HPV vaccine shown to also protect against oral HPV infection

Women who received a vaccine targeting two types of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers had the added benefit of protection against oral HPV infection, which can lead to cancer of the tonsils and throat (oropharyngeal cancer). Researchers at NCI, in collaboration with researchers from Costa Rica, showed that the vaccine reduced oral infections by more than 90 percent. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Herrero R, et al. (2013) Reduced Prevalence of Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 4 Years after Bivalent HPV Vaccination in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Costa Rica. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68329.

UCLA researchers find link between intestinal bacteria and white blood cell cancer

Researchers led by Robert Schiestl, member of the Jonsson Cancer Center and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, environmental health sciences, and radiation oncology, wanted to determine whether differences in peoples' microbiomes affect their risk for lymphoma, and whether changing the bacteria can reduce this risk. They studied mice with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a genetic disease that in humans and mice is associated with a high rate of B-cell lymphoma. They discovered that, of mice with A-T, those with certain microbial species lived much longer than those with other bacteria before developing lymphoma, and had less of the gene damage (genotoxicity) that causes lymphoma.. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Yamamoto ML, et al. Intestinal Bacteria Modify Lymphoma Incidence and Latency by Affecting Systemic Inflammatory State, Oxidative Stress, and Leukocyte Genotoxicity. Cancer Res. 2013 Jul 15;73(14):4222-4232. PMID: 23860718

New study finds strong pregnancy outcomes for survivors of childhood cancer

Although women who survived childhood cancer face an increased risk of infertility, nearly two-thirds of those who tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for at least a year eventually conceived, according to clinical researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital. This is comparable to the rate of eventual pregnancy among all clinically infertile women. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Barton SE, et al. Infertility, infertility treatment, and achievement of pregnancy in female survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort. Lancet Oncol. 2013 Jul 12. pii: S1470-2045(13)70251-1. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 23856401

Summary Basis of Decision for Adcetris

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance under the Notice of Compliance with Conditions Guidance to Seattle Genetics, Inc. for the drug product Adcetris. Based on Health Canada's review, the benefit/risk profile of Adcetris is favourable for: 1. The treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma after failure of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or after failure of at least two multi-agent chemotherapy regimens in patients who are not ASCT candidates; 2. The treatment of patients with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma after failure of at least one multi-agent chemotherapy regimen. Read more here.

New surgical knife can help identify cancer

An experimental surgical knife can help surgeons make sure they've removed all the cancerous tissue, doctors reported Wednesday. Surgeons typically use knives that heat tissue as they cut, producing a sharp-smelling smoke. The new knife analyzes the smoke and can instantly signal whether the tissue is cancerous or healthy. Dr. Zoltan Takats of Imperial College London suspected the smoke produced during cancer surgery might contain some important cancer clues. So he designed a "smart" knife hooked up to a refrigerator-sized mass spectrometry device on wheels that analyzes the smoke from cauterizing tissue. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Balog J, et al. Intraoperative Tissue Identification Using Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Sci Transl Med. 2013; 5(194):194ra93.

Study raises red flag over commonly used prostate cancer therapy

A new study raises a red flag about a therapy commonly used in advanced prostate cancer. The work suggests that what's known as androgen deprivation therapy may increase a patient's risk of developing acute kidney injury. The team behind the study says the risk they've identified doesn't outweigh the benefits of the treatment in men who have metastatic prostate cancer. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Lapi F, et al. Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Prostate Cancer. JAMA. 2013; 310(3):289-296.

Researchers turn to yoga exercises to help men recovering from prostate cancer

A new prostate cancer exercise program developed at the University of Calgary Faculty of Kinesiology is helping men regain their strength and flexibility using some methods that many older men have never tried before – like yoga. The program, called Strength and Stretch, is partly based on a recent paper published in Integrative Cancer Therapies. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Ross Zahavich AN, et al. Examining a therapeutic yoga program for prostate cancer survivors. Integr Cancer Ther. 2013 Mar;12(2):113-25. PMID: 22740082

Comprehensive list of gene variants developed for cancer cells from nine tissue types

NCI scientists have developed a comprehensive list of genetic variants for each of the types of cells that comprise what is known as the NCI-60 cell line collection. This new list adds depth to the most frequently studied human tumor cell lines in cancer research, molecular pharmacology, and drug discovery. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Abaan OD, et al. The Exomes of the NCI-60 Panel: A Genomic Resource for Cancer Biology and Systems Pharmacology. Cancer Research. Published Online First July 15, 2013.

Low-dose Aspirin may prevent colon cancer in women

Healthy women who take low-dose Aspirin on alternate days may reduce their risk for colorectal cancer but increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, a large study suggests. Researchers in the U.S. randomly assigned 38,876 women aged 45 years or older to take either 100 milligrams of Aspirin or a placebo every other day. "After a median follow-up of 18 years, a difference in colorectal cancer by Aspirin group emerged," Julie Buring of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and her co-authors concluded. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Cook NR, et al. Alternate-Day, Low-Dose Aspirin and Cancer Risk: Long-Term Observational Follow-up of a Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159(2):77-85.

DNA flaw boosts cancer risk from diabetes: study

A DNA flaw may explain why people with Type 2 diabetes are more prone to blood cancers than the rest of the population, according to a recent study. Doctors have long known that Type 2 diabetes is associated with leukaemia and lymphoma, but the reasons for this have been unclear. Researchers in France and Britain, looking at blood samples from nearly 7,500 people, including 2,200 patients with Type 2 diabetes, suggest the answer lies in cellular mutations called clonal mosaic events (CMEs). Read more here.

Study mentioned: Bonnefond A, et al. Association between large detectable clonal mosaicism and type 2 diabetes with vascular complications. Nat Genet. 2013 Jul 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 23852171

Researchers pinpoint sources of fibrosis-promoting cells that ravage organs

Scientists have tracked down and quantified the diverse origins of cells that drive fibrosis, the incurable, runaway wound-healing that scars and ultimately destroys organs such as the lungs, liver and kidneys. “Answering a fundamental question about the origin of these cells by identifying four separate pathways involved in their formation allows us to look at ways to block those pathways to treat fibrosis,” said senior author Raghu Kalluri, Ph.D., M.D., MD Anderson chair and professor. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Lebleu VS, et al. Origin and function of myofibroblasts in kidney fibrosis. Nat Med. 2013 Jun 30. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 23817022

Gene that controls aggressiveness in breast cancer cells identified

In a discovery that sheds new light on the aggressiveness of certain breast cancers, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a transcription factor, known as ZEB1, that is capable of converting non-aggressive basal-type cancer cells into highly malignant, tumor-forming cancer stem cells. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Chaffer CL, et al. Poised Chromatin at the ZEB1 Promoter Enables Breast Cancer Cell Plasticity and Enhances Tumorigenicity. Cell. 2013 Jul 3;154(1):61-74. PMID: 23827675

Moms often talk to children about the results of cancer genetic testing

Mothers commonly talk to their children about genetic test results even if they test positive for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, which sharply increases a woman's risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. That is among the findings of a new study from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, which also suggests mothers who don't discuss their test results are unsatisfied with that decision. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Tercyak KP, et al. Decisional Outcomes of Maternal Disclosure of BRCA1/2 Genetic Test Results to Children. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 Jul;22(7):1260-6. PMID: 23825307

FDA approves afatinib for the first line treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved afatinib (Gilotrif tablets, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), for the first line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test. Read more here.

European Medicines Agency recommends a variation to the terms of the marketing authorisation for panitumumab

The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion recommending a variation to the terms of the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product panitumumab (Vectibix). Vectibix is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer. Read more here.

Treatment without chemotherapy effective for leukemia patients in study

A group of Italian and German researchers has found that people with a certain type of leukemia can be successfully treated without using chemotherapy. The study included 156 people with acute promyelocytic leukemia, a type of acute myeloid leukemia. In the study, researchers compared 2 drug combinations in patients with low- to intermediate-risk levels of the disease. They wanted to test whether patients taking ATRA plus arsenic trioxide would do as well as patients taking ATRA plus chemotherapy, thereby avoiding the side effects from chemotherapy. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Lo-Coco F, et al. Retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide for acute promyelocytic leukemia. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jul 11;369(2):111-21. PMID: 23841729