European Medicines Agency recommends granting a marketing authorisation for afatinib

The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorisation for the medicinal product afatinib (Giotrif) 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg and 50 mg film-coated tablets intended for the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-naïve adult patients with locally-advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating EGFR mutation(s). Read more here.

European Medicines Agency recommends changes to the use of metoclopramide

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended changes to the use of metoclopramide-containing medicines in the European Union (EU), including restricting the dose and duration of use of the medicine to minimise the known risks of potentially serious neurological side effects. Metoclopramide-containing medicines have been authorised separately in individual Member States of the EU, with differing licensed indications such as nausea and vomiting of various causes (for example after treatment with anticancer chemotherapy or radiotherapy, after surgery, or associated with migraine) and gastrointestinal motility disorders. Read more here.

European Medicines Agency recommends granting a marketing authorisation for filgrastim (Grastofil)

The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorisation for the medicinal product filgrastim (Grastofil), 30 MU/0.5 ml and 48 MU/0.5 ml, solution for injection or infusion intended for the treatment of neutropenia. Read more here.

US task force makes recommendations for lung cancer screening

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued a draft statement recommending that certain people at high risk for lung cancer get a low-dose CT scan every year. The task force is an independent panel of experts authorized by Congress to make recommendations about specific preventive services for patients with no signs or symptoms of disease. The draft recommendation is for people who are current smokers (or have quit within the last 15 years) aged 55 to 79 years old who have a smoking history of 30 pack-years or greater. Read more here.

Connect to the USPSTF draft statement here.

FDA investigates menthol in cigarettes

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is gathering evidence to decide whether it should regulate menthol in cigarettes. It has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which requests information from the public regarding the effects of menthol in cigarettes. The public comment lasts for 60 days before the FDA makes its decision. Read more here.

IARC fellowships for cancer research

The next call for applications for IARC Fellowships will be open as from 1st October 2013, with a deadline of 30 November 2013 Since 1966, IARC has awarded more than 500 fellowships to junior scientists for research training in cancer. Approximately 85% of Fellows return to their home country on completion of their training, and around 82% remain active in cancer research. As a result, IARC Fellowships have made a substantial contribution to the development of cancer research in many countries. Read more here.

Women's cancer risk increases with height

A woman’s cancer risk appears to increase with her height, a new study shows. An analysis of 20,928 postmenopausal women showed that the taller a woman is, the greater her risk for a number of cancers, including breast, colon and skin cancer, among others. The finding, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, is not expected to change screening recommendations and shouldn’t alarm those with a tall stature. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Kabat GC, Anderson ML, Heo M, et. al. Adult Stature and Risk of Cancer at Different Anatomic Sites in a Cohort of Postmenopausal Women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. Published OnlineFirst July 25, 2013. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0305

New trial launches to identify ways to prevent recurrence of colorectal cancer

To address concerns of colorectal cancer recurring after initial treatment, the National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with SWOG, one of the five cooperative groups that together will comprise NCI's National Clinical Trials Network, and Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently announced a phase III trial. The Preventing Adenomas of the Colon with Eflornithine & Sulinidac (PACES) trial looks at whether someone who has been treated for colon cancer in the past can lower his or her risk of having a second primary colorectal cancer or an adenoma (a type of polyp on the colon wall that may be precancerous) by regularly taking one or both of the study drugs, eflornithine and sulindac. Read more here.

First major study to examine cancer incidence among Asian Americans

Based on a comprehensive study that included more than half the Asian American population, scientists from the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) have produced the first ever analysis of national trends in cancer incidence among the eight largest Asian American groups. The researchers, led by CPIC Research Scientist Scarlett Lin Gomez, Ph.D., examined cancer incidence data from 1990 through 2008 in 10 regions of the country, representing 54 percent of all Asian Americans. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Gomez SL, et al. Cancer Incidence Trends Among Asian American Populations in the United States, 1990 to 2008. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Jul 22. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 23878350

Novel gene target shows promise for bladder cancer detection and treatment

Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine have provided evidence from preclinical experiments that a gene known as melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syntenin (mda-9/syntenin) could be used as a therapeutic target to kill bladder cancer cells, help prevent metastasis and even be used to non-invasively diagnose the disease and monitor its progression. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Dasgupta S, et al. Novel Role of MDA-9/Syntenin in Regulating Urothelial Cell Proliferation by Modulating EGFR Signaling. Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Jul 19. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 23873690

Healing garden at Daffodil Place, St. John's, NL

Guests at Daffodil Place have a comfortable new place to relax and unwind thanks to a donation from Husky Energy. “The healing garden is much more than simply an aesthetically pleasing environment,” said Matthew Piercey, Executive Director, Canadian Cancer Society, Newfoundland and Labrador Division. “This garden will have a profound impact on the physical and mental wellness of everyone who enters. Our goal is to provide an environment that energizes the body and promotes emotional, social, and physiological health.” Read more here.

Celgene will discontinue phase III ORIGIN® trial in previously untreated elderly patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Celgene Corporation has announced that after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Celgene will discontinue treatment with REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) in the open-label, phase III ORIGIN® trial, which enrolled 450 patients in over 100 sites in 26 countries. An imbalance was observed in the number of deaths in patients treated with lenalidomide versus patients treated with chlorambucil. Read more here.

Soy may not reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence

In a recent study, researchers randomly assigned 177 men at high risk of prostate cancer recurrence to receive a beverage powder containing 20 grams of soy protein isolate or placebo daily. Each participant started treatment within four months of initial prostatectomy and continued for a maximum of two years. Prostate-specific antigen measurements were taken every two months within the first year of treatment, and then every three months for the second year. The study was halted before completion due to lacking treatment effects. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Bosland MC, et al. Effect of soy protein isolate supplementation on biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2013 Jul 10; 310(2):170-8. PMID: 23839751

Integrative therapies for sun protection and skin health

In this short news item, Natural Standard highlights several integrative therapies that have been studied for their potential to protect the skin from the sun and to treat damage including lycopene, Polypodium leucotomos, vitamin A, pomegranate, and selenium. Read more here.

Digital PCR technology detects brain-tumor-associated mutation in cerebrospinal fluid

Massachusetts General Hospital researchers and their colleagues have used digital versions of a standard molecular biology tool to detect a common tumor-associated mutation in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with brain tumors. The investigators describe using advanced forms of the gene-amplification technology polymerase chain reaction to analyze bits of RNA carried in membrane-covered sacs called extracellular vesicles for the presence of a tumor-associated mutation in a gene called IDH1. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Chen WW, et al. (2013) BEAMing and Droplet Digital PCR Analysis of Mutant IDH1 mRNA in Glioma Patient Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Extracellular Vesicles. Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids. 2: e109.

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.