Penn Medicine researcher unveils findings on 2 new weapons against thyroid cancer

For many years, patients with advanced thyroid cancer faced bleak prospects and no viable treatment options. But now, building on recent discoveries about the genetics and cell signaling pathways of thyroid tumors, researchers are developing exciting new weapons against the disease, using kinase inhibitors that target tumor cell division and blood vessels. Two recent clinical trials led by a researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania showcase the great promise of these new approaches. Read more here.

Everolimus slows disease progression in advanced papillary kidney cancer patients

The first Phase II study to investigate the use of the anti-cancer drug, everolimus, for the initial treatment of advanced papillary kidney cancer has shown that it is successful in slowing or preventing the spread of the disease, according to research presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress. Read more here.

Diabetes increases the risk of developing and dying from breast and colon cancer

Diabetes is linked to an increased risk of developing cancer, and now researchers have performed a unique meta-analysis that excludes all other causes of death and found that diabetic patients not only have an increased risk of developing breast and colon cancer but an even higher risk of dying from them. Dr Kirstin De Bruijn told the 2013 European Cancer Congress that previous studies have examined the association between diabetes and dying from cancer but death from specific types of cancer has not been well-studied. Read more here.

Survival after cancer diagnosis in Europe is strongly associated with how much governments spend on health care

The more a European Union national government spends on health, the fewer the deaths after a cancer diagnosis in that country, according to new research presented to the 2013 European Cancer Congress. Researchers say that higher wealth and higher health expenditure are strongly associated both with increased cancer incidence and decreased cancer mortality. In the case of breast cancer, increased health expenditure appears to be even more strongly associated with better outcomes. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Ades F, et al. Discrepancies in cancer incidence and mortality and its relationship to health expenditure in the 27 European Union member states. Ann Oncol. 2013 Sep 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24078620

Promising results for new antibody drug in non-small cell lung cancer patients: smokers respond well

New results from a trial of an antibody that helps the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells have shown particularly encouraging responses in patients who are smokers or former smokers. Presenting the most up-to-date data from 85 patients with non-small cell lung cancer in a large, phase I clinical trial of an experimental drug called MPDL3280A, Professor Jean-Charles Soria told the 2013 European Cancer Congress: “This is the first study to suggest a potential relationship between smoking history and response to inhibiting the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway – a pathway that is instrumental in enabling cancer cells to escape detection by the immune system. In this study, 26% of smokers responded to treatment, whereas only 10% of never-smokers responded. The fact that smokers seemed to respond better is great news for lung cancer patients, because the majority of them are former or current smokers.” Read more here.

Similar phase III results reported for dovitinib vs. sorafenib treatment in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Superior efficacy was not demonstrated by dovitinib in a head to head comparison with sorefinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who had progressed following therapies targeting the VEGF and mTOR pathways. However, this large, phase III trial did establish a role of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in that setting. Dovitinib showed similar activity to sorafenib and generally a well tolerated safety profile. It may offer an additional treatment alternative in this group of with limited treatment options. Findings were presented during the Genitourinary Malignancies Proffered Papers Session (Abstract E17-7035) at the European Cancer Congress. Read more here.

Younger age in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer associates with poorer outcome

New data from an analysis of data in the large ARCAD databank identify patients with metastatic colorectal cancer under the age of 40 years as a high-risk population for treatment failure and poorer overall- and progression-free survival. The findings were presented during the Gastrointestinal Malignancies/Colorectal Cancer II Proffered Papers Session (Abstract E17-1484) at the European Cancer Congress. Read more here.

A phase III study of tivantinib plus erlotinib did not meet a primary endpoint in patients with locally-advanced or metastatic, non-squamous NSCLC

Although a large, phase III trial of tivantinib plus erlotinib for the treatment of patients with locally-advanced or metastatic, non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) did not meet its primary endpoint of prolonging overall survival, promising progression-free survival and overall response rate results were seen in these patients. Following trial cessation by an independent review board, an analysis of data by molecular subgroup is underway. From the molecular analysis, it is expected to answer whether clinical benefit in patients with tumours that overexpress MET is observed. Read more here.

New approaches to testing cancer drugs needed - ESMO commentary

Research institutes, regulators and the pharmaceutical industry are urged to cooperate to develop new approaches to testing cancer drugs, in order to bring the revolution in personalised medicine to patients across Europe, says the European Society for Medical Oncology. It has become clear in recent years that each patient’s cancer has individual characteristics that are potentially amenable to “personalised” treatments that target those characteristics. But there is still a great deal of work to be done to ensure patients benefit from these developments as quickly as possible. Read more here.

The landscape of medical oncology in Europe by 2020 - ESMO commentary

Many large European countries may be facing a future shortage of medical oncologists without realising it - a situation that could have dire consequences for cancer patients, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has warned. At the European Cancer Conference, researchers reported new data that looks at the projected number of medical oncologists in Europe and tries to predict if European countries will face a shortage of medical oncologists by 2020. Read more here.

New trial combining anti-cancer drug and radiotherapy may result in a new treatment for the most aggressive brain tumour

Results from a clinical trial of a new treatment for glioblastoma suggest that researchers may have found a new approach to treating this most aggressive of brain tumours, as well as a potential new biological marker than can predict the tumour’s response to treatment. Presenting the research to the 2013 European Cancer Congress, Professor Wolfgang Wick will say that combining radiotherapy with an anti-cancer drug called APG101 – a fusion protein similar to an antibody – blocks a cell-signalling pathway called CD95 that plays a crucial role in the development of the cancer. Read more here.

Organised screening for prostate cancer using the prostate-specific antigen test, does more harm than good

Prostate cancer screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is widely used in France despite a lack of evidence showing that it reduces cancer deaths. Now, researchers have shown that men experience more harm than good from routine PSA screening, according to research presented by Professor Mathieu Boniol, at the 2013 European Cancer Congress. Read more here.

IARC Scientific Publication No. 161: Air pollution and cancer

IARC introduces e-books as a new medium for the wider dissemination of the Agency's research. IARC's first e-book is Air Pollution and Cancer. The IARC Monographs Programme convened a multidisciplinary Advisory Group that included epidemiologists, toxicologists, atmospheric scientists, cancer biologists, and regulators to make recommendations for the development of a series of Monographs on air pollution. Air Pollution and Cancer provides the updated state-of-the-art overviews from this Advisory Group on various topics related to the carcinogenicity of mixtures of ambient air pollution. Read more and download the e-book here.

FDA approves Perjeta for pre-operative breast cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the targeted drug Perjeta (pertuzumab) for certain women with early stage breast cancer before surgery. The approval is specifically for women with HER2-positive, locally advanced, inflammatory or early stage breast cancer who are at high risk of having their breast cancer return or spread, or are at high risk of dying from the disease. The drug is meant to be used in combination with another targeted drug and with chemotherapy. Read more here.

Request for information on proposed NCI policy ensuring public availability of results from NCI-supported clinical trials

With this Notice, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announces and seeks public input on NCI’s plan to promote and ensure public availability of results from all commenced, NCI-supported clinical trials.

Background

NCI, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is dedicated to improving the health of Americans by conducting and funding biomedical research through an extensive portfolio of clinical trials and clinical trials-related research. A fundamental premise of all NIH-funded research is that the results of such work must be shared in order to contribute to the general body of science and ultimately, to the public health. Grantee institutions are expected to make the results and accomplishments of their activities available to the research community and to the public at large.

NIH funding recipients ensure the timely disclosure of their scientists’ research findings through publications, presentations at scientific meetings as well as by sharing research tools, depositing information into databases and materials into repositories and through other means. NIH has many policies in place to educate funding recipients about their responsibility to share the results of NIH-funded work, and to facilitate such sharing. For example, the NIH Data Sharing Policy (http://www.grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/data_sharing_guidance.htm), the NIH Public Access Policy (http://publicaccess.nih.gov/), the NIH Research Tools Policy (http://www.ott.nih.gov/policy/research_tool.html), and the NIH Genome Wide Association Policy (http://gwas.nih.gov/03policy2.html) are all important examples of critical information and materials sharing policies that ensure that NIH research funding is used productively and to the best advantage of science and the public health. Such sharing is fundamental to biomedical research program performance. Read more here.

Qi gong may benefit women receiving breast cancer treatment

In a recent study, researchers set out to determine if qi gong may affect quality of life in women who are receiving radiation treatment for breast cancer. The scientists concluded that qi gong may benefit women with breast cancer who are receiving radiation therapy, particularly those who experience depressive symptoms before undergoing therapy. More research is needed to better understand and confirm these findings. Read more here.

Study mentioned:Chen Z, et al. Qigong improves quality of life in women undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer: results of a randomized controlled trial. Cancer. 2013 May 1;119(9):1690-8. PMID: 23355182

Canada's hereditary-cancer clinics feel the ‘Angelina effect’

Five months after actress Angelina Jolie announced that she had had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer, hereditary-cancer clinics are reporting a sharp increase in doctor referrals and phone calls from women asking for genetic testing. Read more here.

Walking may lower breast-cancer risk in older women, study finds

Older women who take regular walks are less likely to get breast cancer than their less-active peers, according to a new study. American Cancer Society researchers found postmenopausal women who walked for at least one hour each day had a 14 per cent lower chance of getting breast cancer than infrequent walkers. More vigorous exercise was tied to an even lower risk. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Hildebrand JS, et al. Recreational Physical Activity and Leisure-Time Sitting in Relation to Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. October 2013. 22; 1906.

Adcetris - Notice of compliance with conditions

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance with Conditions under the Notice of Compliance with Conditions Policy for ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin), 50 mg/vial of lyophilized powder for reconstitution for: 1. The treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma after failure of autologous stem cell transplant 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.

Report: Breast cancer death rates down 34% since 1990

A new report from the American Cancer Society finds that death rates from breast cancer in the United States have dropped 34% since 1990. But the rate at which new breast cancers are diagnosed increased slightly among African American women from 2006 to 2010, bringing those rates closer to those of white women, who still have the highest diagnosis rates among women ages 40 and older.

The findings are published in Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2013-2014 and in Breast Cancer Statistics, 2013 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The reports, published every 2 years, provide detailed analyses of breast cancer trends and present information on known risk factors for the disease, factors that influence survival, the latest data on prevention, early detection, treatment, and ongoing research. Read more here.

Melanoma patients fall back into old sun habits, study finds

People with the most dangerous type of skin cancer tend to stay out of the sun and wear extra sunscreen the year after being diagnosed. But a new small study suggests those precautions don’t last. Two to three years after being diagnosed with melanoma, people spent as many days in the sun and were exposed to at least as much UV radiation as their peers without the disease, researchers found. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Idorn LW, et al. A 3-Year Follow-up of Sun Behavior in Patients With Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma. JAMA Dermatol. 2013 Oct 2. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 24080851

Regular doctor visits linked to lower risk of colon, rectal cancer

Older Americans who visit their doctors regularly are less likely to develop or die from colon and rectal cancers, according to a new study. Researchers credit screening that catches precancerous growths and early cancers for the differences seen in rates of both cancers and deaths among people on U.S. Medicare. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Ferrante JM, et al. Primary Care Utilization and Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population-Based, Case-Control Study. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Oct 1;159(7):437-446. PMID: 24081284

Where the cancer fight strikes closest to home

A new landmark report, Population Health in Canada’s Largest Cities, released September 30, 2013, assesses differences in the cancer risks of populations in Canada’s largest cities. Led by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the report finds that western municipalities overall have healthier lifestyles than their eastern counterparts, and better cancer risk profiles as a result.

Population Health in Canada’s Largest Cities presents indicators for selected cancer risk factors including tobacco use and exposure, physical activity, obesity, alcohol and fruit and vegetable consumption. The report also includes information on the percentage of Canadians in each of the featured cities reporting up-to-date cancer screening for colorectal, breast and cervical cancers. Read more here.

First estimate of amount of radiotherapy dose wasted in compensating for tumour growth between treatments

For the first time, researchers have estimated the daily dose of radiotherapy that could be wasted in compensating for cancer cell growth that occurs overnight and during weekends in patients with early breast cancer. In research presented to the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013), Professor John Yarnold will say that, until now, there has been contradictory evidence as to whether gaps between radiotherapy treatments, for instance overnight or at weekends, makes any difference to the overall effectiveness of radiotherapy on breast cancer, and, if it does make a difference, why that could be. Read more here.

Only one in five female oncologists have a leadership position

Relationship with patients (79%), intellectual stimulation (70%) and pride in being able to fight a challenging disease (60%) are the key points that make the job rewarding for female oncologists. These and other interesting data were highlighted in the ESMO Exploratory Survey on the Challenges of Female Oncologists, a project launched by ESMO President, Martine Piccart, presented in a dedicated forum at the ECC2013 Congress in Amsterdam. Read more here.

New research shows how aspirin may act on blood platelets to improve survival in colon cancer patients

Researchers believe they have discovered how aspirin improves survival in patients diagnosed with colon cancer, the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) will hear. The new research has shown that aspirin improves outcome in patients whose tumour cells express a specific protein on their surface; the protein is known as Human Leukocyte Antigen class I, a cell-surface protein produced by a collection of genes involved in the functioning of the immune system. Read more here.

Biological therapy with cediranib improves survival in women with recurrent ovarian cancer

Women with ovarian cancer that has recurred after chemotherapy have survived for longer after treatment with a biological therapy called cediranib, according to new results presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013). Read more here.

Variations in death rates after surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancers prompt European initiative to improve patient outcomes

A pilot study has shown large variations between European countries in patient survival after surgery for oesophageal and gastric cancers. The 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) will hear that the reasons for these differences are not clear and cannot be explained simply in terms of the volume of patients treated at each hospital. Read more here.

More research urged to compare and validate genomic tests in oncology

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has welcomed preliminary clinical trial results that suggest genomic testing could allow many patients with early breast cancer to safely avoid chemotherapy. The new trial results, reported at the European Cancer Congress 2013 this week, illustrate that more research is urgently needed to compare and validate the growing number of genomic tests becoming available in oncology, ESMO says. Read more here.

Why are so few South Asian-Canadian women being screened for cervical cancer?

One of the frustrating paradoxes of cancer-screening programs is that those who could benefit most are often the least likely to be tested. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, cervical cancer is one of the biggest killers of women. But among immigrants from these South Asian countries, barely 20 per cent of women undergo Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer. Read more here.