Colon cancer's location may determine patient survival

A new report indicates that the area of the colon where cancer develops can affect a patient's rate of survival.  According to Dr. David Bernstein, chief of hepatology at Northwell Health, left-sided cancers (located near the anus, rectum, sigmoid colon and descending colon), "usually present with bleeding or partial obstruction [and] patients tend to seek medical care earlier."  On the other hand, right-sided colon cancers (near the intersection of the small intestine), "do not typically present with obstruction but tend to present with anemia [and] are more likely associated with metastatic disease, especially the liver."  As such, the survival rate is estimated to be 20% greater with left-sided vs. right-sided colon cancers.

To read more about this report, click here.

Immune checkpoint-related neurotoxicity may be more common during combination treatment

Neurotoxicity is not uncommon in patients with melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab, but it may be more common in patients treated with nivolumab plus a CTLA-4-blocking antibody such as ipilimumab, a study published in the journal Annals of Oncology has shown.

Read more here.

Study mentioned:

Spain L, Walls G, Julve M, et al. Neurotoxicity from immune-checkpoint inhibition in the treatment of melanoma: a single centre experience and review of the literature. Ann Oncol. 2016 Oct 25. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdw558.

Monitoring, not treatment may be better for certain prostate cancer cases

A new study conducted on 33,000 Swedish men with very low risk (stage I) prostate cancer indicates that close monitoring maybe a more viable option than immediate treatment.  According to lead researcher Dr. Stacy Loeb, assistant professor in the departments of urology and population health at NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York, "there is no rush to get treatment...low-risk prostate cancer can be safely monitored...some men will eventually need treatment, but others will be able to preserve their quality of life for many years."

To read more about this study, click here.

Preventive mastectomy rates have doubled over the past decade; fear is a factor

A new study, recently presented at the American College of Surgeons meeting in Washington D.C., indicates that rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) have doubled in the United States over the past 10 years.  According to the study authors, nearly "25% of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients undergo this procedure"; fear of cancer recurrence is believed to be the primary reason.

To read more about this study, click here  

Further evidence linking obesity to liver cancer

A recent study conducted by the American Cancer Society provides further evidence on the link between high body mass index (BMI) and risk of liver cancer.  According to study co-author Peter Campbell, an examination of 1.57 million adults across 14 U.S. studies found that 6.5% of participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  Of these,over 2.000 developed liver cancer.

To read more about this study, click here.

Smokeless tobacco associated with higher risk of prostate cancer death

A new study conducted at the Harvard T.H. Chain School of Public Health in Boston indicates that snus, a smokeless tobacco product, may increase risk of death in a patient with prostate cancer.  According to study co-author Kathryn Wilson, the study, conducted on thousands of Swedish men from 1971-1992, determined that "those who used snus but did not smoke has a 24% higher risk of death from prostate cancer during the study period."

To read more about this study, click here.

Cryoblation as possible alternative for treating early stage breast cancer

A new study conducted at the University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine purports that the cryoblation freezing technique may be a possible treatment mechanism, in lieu of lumpectomy, for small early-stage breast cancers.  According to Dr. Deanna Attai, assistant clinical professor of surgery, the study,conducted on 86 patients, found that overall, "freezing was successful for 92% of the cancer...it worked for all tumors measuring less than 1 centimeter."

To read more about this study, click here.

Diagnosis of cancer as a medical emergency leads to poorer prognosis for many patients

Too many patients - particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds - are being diagnosed with cancer as medical emergencies, say researchers. This means that their chances of successful treatment are greatly reduced.

In an article in the journal Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, a team of researchers jointly led by the University of Cambridge and University College London reviewed current evidence from 26 peer-reviewed studies and 6 online reports from 7 countries. The evidence indicates that emergency diagnosis of cancer is a universal problem, challenging previous assumptions regarding this issue being a particular problem only in the UK.

Read more here.

Study mentioned:
Zhou, Y et al. Diagnosis of cancer as an emergency: a critical review of current evidence. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology; 11 Oct 2016; 10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.155

Night shift work and breast cancer risk

Data from three new UK studies and from a review of currently available evidence, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, indicates that night shift work has little or no effect on breast cancer incidence.

Compared with women who had not reported doing night shift work, the combined relative risks taking all 10 studies together were 0.99 for any night shift work, 1.01 for 20 or more years of night shift work, and 1.00 for 30 or more years night shift work. In other words, the incidence of breast cancer was essentially the same whether someone did no night shift work at all or did night shift work for several decades.

Study mentioned:
Ruth C. Travis, Angela Balkwill, Georgina K. Fensom, Paul N. Appleby, Gillian K. Reeves, Xiao-Si Wang, Andrew W. Roddam, Toral Gathani, Richard Peto, Jane Green, Timothy J. Key, and Valerie Beral
Night Shift Work and Breast Cancer Incidence: Three Prospective Studies and Meta-analysis of Published Studies
JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2016) 108 (12): djw169 doi:10.1093/jnci/djw169

Five challenges of delivering immuno-oncology trials and how to overcome them

Recent advances have seen immuno-therapy become a shining light within oncology research, transforming both the way cancer treatments are viewed and the potential standards of care and outcomes.

These are exciting developments, but at the same time can add huge complexities to the drug development process, particularly around the trial stages and processes. Particular areas of focus include more sophisticated site selection and advanced monitoring/oversight processes to moderate cost and risk, especially in early phases.

Quintiles‘ Eric Groves, MD, PhD, Vice President, Scientific Advisor, Advisory Services proposes there are five key challenges which when addressed, mitigate the majority of risks that can accompany immuno-oncology trials and has produced a blog which looks at each of them.

To view the blog and understand what these challenges are and how to approach them – please click here.

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer less safe for men with prior heart attack

A new study conducted at Yale University's Department of Therapeutic Radiology indicates that hormone-depleting therapy, often prescribed to men with prostate cancer, may pose a risk for those patients who have survived a heart attack.  While the study noted that younger patients with less cardiac risk factors benefited more positively from the hormone therapy, Dr. Manish Vira, vice chair for urologic research at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology in New Hype Park,New York, stated tat "men who had prior documented history of heart disease as demonstrated by prior heart attack were potentially harmed by the addition of hormonal therapy."

To read more about this study, presented at the September 28th meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, click here.

Many cancer caregivers report feeling unprepared for caregiving challenges

Many family members who care for loved ones with cancer do not feel adequately prepared for the caregiving tasks they assume and need help to make informed decisions about end-of-life care, according to a new study.

Cancer caregivers experience high levels of emotional stress. Many of them need to perform medical or nursing tasks without feeling fully prepared or trained to carry them out. The study findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium in San Francisco.

The abstract is available here.

Study suggests superiority of functional Imaging in assessing sarcoma outcomes

A comparison of anatomic and functional imaging in the assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with Ewing sarcoma has shown that FDG-PET, assessed by PERCIST criteria, was superior in predicting clinical benefits and identifying responses, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

See more here.

Study mentioned:
Koshkin VS, Bolejack V, Schwartz LH, et al. Assessment of imaging modalities and response metrics in Ewing sarcoma: correlation with survival [published online August 29, 2016]. J Clin Oncol. doi:10.1200/JCO.2016.68.1858.

Tamoxifen does not increase risk of uterine cancer

A new study conducted at the Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Illinois indicates that breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen do not have an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.  According to study author Dr. Ronald Potkul, study results on nearly 300 postmenopausal women indicates that for those "who did not have endometrial abnormalities when they began taking tamoxifen, there was a very low rate of developing pre-malignant conditions."

o read more about this study, click here 

Pembrolizumab approval Is tip of the iceberg for immunotherapy in HNSCC

The recent approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) following progression on a platinum-based chemotherapy was a significant advancement for the disease.

Immunotherapy is a big change for head and neck cancer, but one question still remains - will there be a role for these agents in first-line therapy for patients with metastatic recurrent disease who have not previously failed a platinum-based approach.

Read the interview here.

More cancer patients benefiting from immunotherapy

According o the 2016 Cancer Progress Report, produced by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), "more types of cancer are being successfully treated with immunotherapy."  The report further explains that 4 of 13 new anticancer treatments approved over the past year involve immunotherapy drugs.

To read more about this report, click here.

TKIs competing for frontline therapy in ALK+ NSCLC

Deciding the sequencing order of therapies for patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a challenge, as new information on next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) comes to light.

Options and outcomes for various TKIs were discussed during the Physicians’ Education Resource (PER®) seminar “Oncogenic Tumor Board in NSCLC: Targeting Driver Mutations to Maximize Therapeutic Outcomes,” which took place during the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Please read more here.

Study reveals how ionising radiation damages DNA and causes cancer

From this study, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have been able to identify in human cancers two characteristic patterns of DNA damage caused by ionising radiation. These fingerprint patterns may now enable doctors to identify which tumours have been caused by radiation, and investigate if they should be treated differently.

Read more here.

Study mentioned:
S. Behjati and G. Gundem et al. (2016) Mutational signatures of ionizing radiation in second malignancies. Nature Communications DOI: ncomms12605

New study about Kinase Suppressor of Ras (KSR), an unexplored target to develop new cancer therapies

New research from The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai identifies a protein that may be an unexplored target to develop new cancer therapies. The protein, known as kinase suppressor of Ras, or KSR, is a pseudoenzyme that plays a critical role in the transmission of signals in the cell determining whether cells grow, divide, or die. The findings, published in the September issue of the journal Nature, show that targeting KSR could have important therapeutic implications, potentially improving outcomes in many aggressing cancers such as lung and pancreatic cancer.

The lead compound reported in the study, APS-2-79, was shown to modulate Ras signaling and increased the potency of several other cancer drugs within RAS-mutant cell lines.

Read the complete news here.

Study mentioned:
Neil S. Dhawan, Alex P. Scopton, Arvin C. Dar. Small molecule stabilization of the KSR inactive state antagonizes oncogenic Ras signalling. Nature, 2016; 537 (7618): 112 DOI: 10.1038/nature19327

New trial alert: Immune therapy for lymphoma

A new early trial indicates that genetically engineered cells maybe effective to compact non-Hodgkin lymphoma when combined with chemotherapy.  According to the experimental study, white blood cells (T-cells) "are removed from the patient's bloodstream [and] genetically modified so hey can detected and attack cancerous B-cells."  In 32 patients that underwent this treatment in this trial, 1/3 were in complete remission from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

To read more about this trial, click here.

Disparities found in perception of symptoms between patients and oncology team

A recent study has demonstrated that oncology physicians and nurses underestimate the prevalence and impact of fatigue and pain in their patients with cancer.

Key points from this study:
- The prevalence and importance of pain and fatigue inpatients with cancer continue to be underestimated by oncology physicians and nurses.
- Clinicians need to assess symptoms of fatigue and pain carefully at each encounter.
- An increased awareness of patient-reported outcome sand education for HCPs is needed to improve patients’ QOL.

Read more here.

Study mentioned:
Barton, M. K. (2016), Disparities found in perception of symptoms between patients and oncology team. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. doi:10.3322/caac.21311

Birth control pills believed to be linked to decline in ovarian cancer deaths

According to recent data from the World Health Organization, ovarian cancer death rates fell 16% in the United States and 8% in Canada between 2002-2012, with a similar reduction of 10% in the European Union during this same time period.  According to study lead Dr. Carlo La Vecchia, professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Milan, the decline in ovarian cancer death rates "in some parts of the world is likely the use of birth control pills and the long-term protection against ovarian cancer they provide."  While these findings do not necessarily prove cause-and-effect, they do show that countries with low rates of birth control use had a noticeable smaller decline in ovarian cancer deaths.

To read more about this study, click here.

Vitamin A compound may help in fighting colon cancer

A new animal study conducted at Stanford University School o Medicine in Palo Alto, California, indicates that retinoic acid, "a compound derived in the body from vitamin A", may help suppress colon cancer.  According to study author Dr. Edgar Englemen, colon cancer is associated with inflammation of the bowels, and "retinoic acid has been known for years to be involved in suppressing inflammation in the intestine."

To read more about this study, click here.

Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients

According to a recently published Cochrane systematic review indicates that music medicine interventions are a comforting therapy and can help with both psychological and physical symptoms experienced by cancer patients.  Upon a review of 52 identified trials encompassing 3731 participants, music interventions were seen to reduce a cancer patient's anxiety and depression levels.  Further, it is believed that music "may have a small effect on heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure."

To read more about this systematic review, click here

Study mentioned:
Bradt J, Dileo C, Magil L, Teague A. Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Published online August 15, 2016. 

Adding additional drugs to chemotherapy treatment does not benefit patients withosteosarcoma

A new study conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California  indicates that the addition of drugs to standard chemotherapy treatments has not proven successful for patients afflicted with osteosarcoma.  According to lead author Dr. Neyssa Marina, the study, conducted on more than 600 osteosarcoma patients in 17 countries shows that "adding two drugs to standard chemotherapy not only failed to improve patients' outcomes, it also increased toxic side effects."  This finding has led Dr. Marina and colleagues to search for new treatment methods, namely targeting cancer-causing gene mutations.

To read more about this study, click here.

Excess weight linked to high risk for many cancers

A new study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, indicates that reducing excess body weight may lower the risk of developing at least 8 types of cancer.  These cancers include stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, ovary, thyroid, as well as meningioma and multiple myeloma.  The study further remarked that "those who avoid gaining weight can curtail their risk for developing five other types of cancer [namely] cancer of the colon, esophagus, kidney, breast, and uterus."

To read more about this study, click here. 

Scientists discover drug combination slows lung cancer cell growth

A study shows that a drug combination slows cancer cell growth in a type of non small cell lung cancer when tested in the lab, offering potential for developing new treatments in the future, according to a Cancer Research UK funded study published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

The drug combination delivers a double whammy to the way the KRAS gene makes cancer cells grow. KRAS is estimated to be mutated in 15 to 25 per cent of people with non-small cell lung adenocarcinomas.

Read more at Cancer Research UK.

Study mentioned:
Sophie Broutin, Adam Stewart, Parames Thavasu, Angelo Paci, Jean-Michel Bidart and Udai Banerji. Insights into significance of combined inhibition of MEK and m-TOR signalling output in KRAS mutant non-small-cell lung cancer. Br J Cancer 115: 549-552; doi:10.1038/bjc.2016.220 (link is external)

CA-125 testing, CT scans still used for ovarian cancer surveillance despite lack of proven benefit

Despite evidence of no benefit from a 2009 randomized clinical trial, a new study shows that doctors appear to still routinely use the CA-125 blood test to monitor women for recurrent ovarian cancer. The findings, published July 21 in JAMA Oncology, also suggest that computed tomography (CT) scans continue to be routinely used to check for recurrences even though clinical practice guidelines discourage this practice.

Read the full update here.

Study mentioned:
Esselen KM, Cronin AM, Bixel K, et al. Use of CA-125 Tests and Computed Tomographic Scans for Surveillance in Ovarian Cancer. JAMA Oncol. Published online July 21, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.1842.

Changes needed to boost end-of-life care in Canada: doctors

Canada needs to broaden its approach to palliative care to provide support to patients with serious chronic illnesses, not just those with cancer, suggests a group of doctors who deal with end-of-life care.

The Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians has fewer than 500 members across the country, far below the number of practitioners in such specialities as cardiology or oncology, although some primary-care doctors also provide end-of-life care for their patients.

Read this from CBC Health.

Number and seriousness of side-effects in breast cancer patients influenced by expectations

A new study published in Annals of Oncology indicates that women afflicted with breast cancer experience worse side-effects following adjuvant hormone therapy due higher expectations of suffering.  According to the research team, led by professor Yvonne Nestoriuc of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Centre in Hamburg, Germany, women with breast cancer may cease adjuvant hormone treatment due to side-effects or a lower health-related quality of life. Nestoriuc and her team belief that "if expectations can predict the risk of experiencing side effects, then interventions such as counselling could lower the risk and, therefore, improve adherence to medication."

To read more about this study, click here