Monday, April 02, 2012
(financial news) Bionomics Limited : OPEN BRIEFING (Q&A)- CEO ON BNC105 OVARIAN CANCER TRIAL
Bionomics Limited : OPEN BRIEFING - CEO ON BNC105 OVARIAN CANCER TRIAL
Q. Why have you focused on ovarian cancer?
CEO & MD Deborah Rathjen
"There is a clear unmet medical need for more effective systemic therapy. Despite modest
improvements in patient outcomes as a result of surgery or platinum-based chemotherapy, the majority of ovarian cancer patients relapse and die of their disease.
The impetus to focus on ovarian cancer as a clinical trial setting for BNC105 came from the preclinical data. The data showed firstly, a strong synergy of BNC105 with a class of cancer chemotherapy drugs called platins which are based on platinum and secondly, that BNC105 was effective and in fact very potent, in killing platin resistant as well as platin sensitive ovarian cancer cells in culture. Platinum-based drugs are used as part of the standard-of-care in the treatment of ovarian cancer, however, resistance to platinum-based therapy can develop quickly and both sets of data point to the potential of BNC105 in this setting.
Ovarian cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death among Australian women. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage after the cancer has spread beyond the ovary. In 2008 in Australia 1,272 ovarian cancer cases were diagnosed. The number of ovarian cancer cases in Australia increased by 47 percent between 1982 and 2006. It is anticipated that the number of new cases will continue to increase, with an estimated 1,488 women expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015. In 2010 there were an estimated 21,880 new cases and 13,850 deaths from ovarian cancer in the US. It is estimated that approximately US$2.2 billion is spent in the US each year on treating ovarian cancer..........
Q. How relevant will the trials be for BNC105's potential application to other types of cancer?
CEO & MD Deborah Rathjen
"Looking beyond ovarian cancer to the broader potential of BNC105, the platins include cisplatin and carboplatin. They are used in the treatment of a broad range of solid tumour types including lung, prostate, breast, melanoma and mesothelioma, hence the importance of combining BNC105 with these drugs as we are doing in the ovarian cancer trial. ......."
Gene Maps Are No Cure-All - WSJ.com (references ovarian cancer as an example)
Gene Maps Are No Cure-All - WSJ.com
"The new study, published Monday in the journal Science Translational Medicine and presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago, was based on data from thousands of twins in five countries. It found that for 23 of 24 diseases analyzed, most patients would get negative test results, suggesting that their risk of being stricken with these diseases is low.
In reality, the study says, their risk would be only slightly lower than that of the general population. Patients who have been gene-sequenced, particularly without a doctor's counsel, could be lulled into a false sense of security.....
"For example, one of the diseases studied was ovarian cancer. Dr. Vogelstein noted that of the 156 million or so women in the U.S., about 2.2 million are expected to get ovarian cancer at some point. But even if every woman got a whole-genome scan, the tests would be able to identify only 100,000 of them, Dr. Vogelstein said. "That tells you that 2.1 million women cannot be alerted to the fact that they will get the cancer," he said......
Long-term Use of Estrogen Hormone Therapy Linked to Higher Risk for Breast Cancer « AACR News
Long-term Use of Estrogen Hormone Therapy Linked to Higher Risk for Breast Cancer « AACR News
- Risk increased as the duration of hormone therapy use increased.
- Death rate from breast cancer did not increase with hormone therapy use.
open access: Impaired Cognitive Function and Hippocampal Neurogenesis following Cancer Chemotherapy (Chemobrain)
Blogger's Note: also refer to previous post regarding chemobrain research in mice, differences in the 2 studies include chemotherapy agents, but, same bottom line results (confirmation of side effects/adverse effects of chemotherapy treatments)
Impaired Cognitive Function and Hippocampal Neurogenesis following Cancer Chemotherapy
Conclusions (abstract):
Our results show that chronic treatment with either of two commonly used chemotherapeutic agents impairs cognitive ability and suggest that strategies to prevent or repair disrupted hippocampal neurogenesis may be effective in ameliorating this serious side effect in cancer survivors.
open access: The Effects of Chemotherapy on Cognitive Function in a Mouse Model: A Prospective Study (Chemobrain)
Blogger's Note: note article for observations regarding duration of chemobrain/MRI imaging
The Effects of Chemotherapy on Cognitive Function in a Mouse Model: A Prospective Study
FYI: Ovarian Cancer and Us blog - most viewed by country (march 2012)
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Sunday, April 01, 2012
abstract: Recent advances in drug delivery strategies for treatment of ovarian cancer, Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, Informa Healthcare
Recent advances in drug delivery strategies for treatment of ovarian cancer, Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery
Introduction:
Ovarian cancer is associated with the highest mortality rate of all
gynecological malignancies, due in part to inadequate treatment
strategies and the asymptomatic nature of the disease. Current standard
of care includes surgery and systemic chemotherapy. However, this
approach can result in toxicities and eventual disease relapse, due to
the emergence of multidrug resistance. Drug delivery systems (DDS) have
shown promise in overcoming many of the limitations facing conventional
treatment regimens.
Expert opinion:
Nano-sized DDS enable passive targeting to tumors due to their size,
and further improvements in tumor localization can be made using
targeting moieties. Microspheres, implants and injectable depots have
been investigated for peritoneal localized and sustained therapy.
Overall, the benefits of using DDS for ovarian cancer therapy include
higher drug levels at the diseased site, circumvention of drug
resistance mechanisms, minimization of non-specific toxicities,
improvements in solubility of poorly soluble drugs and elimination of
toxicities associated with conventionally used pharmaceutical
excipients.
open access: Treatment To Prevent Fractures in Men and Women With Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis: Update of a 2007 Report
Blogger's Note: extensive review = 438 pages; study includes ovarian/cancer patients, adverse effects of differing drugs/populations (supporting research documentation eg. % risk)
CER53_LowBoneDensity_FinalReport_20120329.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Abstract -
Results:
Alendronate, risedronate, zoledronic acid, denosumab, and teriparatide reduce the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.
Ibandronate and raloxifene reduce the risk of vertebral but not nonvertebral fractures.
Alendronate, risedronate, zoledronic acid, and denosumab prevent hip fractures among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Risedronate decreases the risk of vertebral and
nonvertebral fracture among men with osteoporosis.
Among those treated with glucocorticoids, fracture risk reduction was demonstrated for risedronate and alendronate compared to placebo; and for teriparatide compared to alendronate.
Few studies have compared osteoporosis therapies head-to-head.
Adherence to pharmacotherapy is poor in patients with osteoporosis, as with other chronic conditions. Many factors affect adherence to medications, including dosing frequency, side effects of medications, knowledge about osteoporosis, and cost. Age, prior history of fracture,
and concomitant medication use do not appear to have an independent association with adherence. Dosing frequency appears to affect adherence: Adherence is improved with weekly compared to daily regimens, but evidence is lacking to show that monthly regimens improve adherence over that of weekly regimens. Decreased adherence to bisphosphonates is associated with less than optimal reduction in the risk of fracture. Insufficient evidence is available to make conclusions about how adherence to and persistence with newer osteoporosis therapies compare to that with bisphosphonates.
Assessment of adverse effects finds that raloxifene is associated with an increased risk for pulmonary embolism and vasomotor flushing; and limited data support a possible association between bisphosphonate use and atypical subtrochanteric fractures of the femur. Evidence is
limited on the utility of monitoring and long-term treatment.
Conclusions.
There is a high level of evidence that shows that fracture risk reduction is greatest in women with a diagnosis of osteoporosis and/or prevalent fractures. The level of evidence is low to moderate for fracture risk reduction in postmenopausal women with osteopenia and
without prevalent fractures. The evidence is low for benefits of treatment for other populations, including men; for the benefits and risks of long-term treatment; and for the need (if any) for
monitoring bone density; and mixed with regard to factors that influence adherence.
without prevalent fractures. The evidence is low for benefits of treatment for other populations, including men; for the benefits and risks of long-term treatment; and for the need (if any) for
monitoring bone density; and mixed with regard to factors that influence adherence.
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