Tuesday, April 03, 2012
press release: Mayo Clinic study identifies optimal gene targets for new colon cancer test
Blogger's Note: see other posting today on non-invasive testing for those at average risk/including link to the clinical trial
Mayo Clinic study identifies optimal gene targets for new colon cancer test
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A study presented today by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago identified two genes that are optimal targets to be analyzed in a new noninvasive test for colorectal cancer developed by Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Exact Sciences Corporation. The test uses a small sample of a patient's stool to check for specific DNA changes, known as gene methylation, that occur as cancer develops. The test can quickly detect both early stage cancer and precancerous polyps.
Medscape: Bleeding Rates and Medical Costs of New Oral Anticoagulants (warfarin, dabigatran...)
Bleeding Rates and Medical Costs of New Oral Anticoagulants
April 2, 2012 (Chicago, Illinois) — Firsthand experience with the new oral anticoagulants, coupled with excitement over those yet to be widely in use, has inspired a range of studies examining real-world risk/benefits, as well as the potential costs of replacing warfarin with the new agents.
In a poster session at last week's American College of Cardiology 2012 Scientific Sessions, investigators presented two separate experiences with dabigatran from different US centers--showing very different results--while others presented new cost analyses comparing different oral agents with warfarin.
One US report of patients switched to dabigatran showed a much higher rate of major bleeding than in the RE-LY trial, but a lower rate of dyspepsia, while a second report showed a lower rate of both major and minor bleeding compared with RE-LY trial.
media: (U.S.) Higher-Spending Hospitals Have Fewer Deaths for Emergency Patients
Blogger's Note: a similar report from Canada was posted recently (eg. higher spending hospitals)
Higher-Spending Hospitals Have Fewer Deaths for Emergency Patients
bloggers: Gregory D. Pawelski on Genomics And Targets For The Treatment Of Cancer: Is Our New World Turning Into "Pharmageddon" Or Are We On The Threshold Of Great Discoveries?
Gregory D. Pawelski on Genomics And Targets For The Treatment Of Cancer: Is Our New World Turning Into "Pharmageddon" Or Are We On The Threshold Of Great Discoveries?
"I was telling your old colleague, Dr. Herman Kattlove, who posted about this on his blog, I thought his "genetic heterogeneity" terminology was more befitting than what was used in the title of the British study (Intratumor Heterogeneity). "Taking one biopsy sample of a tumor may not be enough to reveal its full genetic identity," was described by Medical News Today's Catharine Paddock, PhD. The study is significant because it suggests relying on one sample could overlook (other) important biomarkers that help make tailored treatments effective, explaining perhaps why personalized cancer therapy has been less successful than expected. Dr. Robert Nagourney, Medical and Laboratory Director at Rational Therapeutics, Inc., Long Beach, California, pointed out the disturbing news regarding the predictive validity and clinical applicability of human tumor genomic analysis for the selection of (targeted) chemotherapeutic agents. He also pointed out the accompanying editorial by Dr. Dan Longo, which made several points worth noting. First, he states that "DNA is not the whole story." This should be familiar to those who follow cell function analysis. Dr. Longo references Albert Einstein, who said, "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Dr. Nagourney appreciates and applauds Dr. Long's comments for they echo his sentiments completely. The article of the study is only the most recent example of a growing litany of observations that call into question molecular biologist's preternatural fixation on genomic analyses. Human biology is not simple and malignantly transformed cells more are more complex still. Investigators who insist upon using genomic platforms to force disorderly cells into artificially ordered sub-categories, have once again been forced to admit that these oversimplifications fail to provide the needed insights for the advancement of cancer therapeutics. Those laboratories and corporations that offer "high price" genomic analyses for the selection of "high price" chemotherapy drugs take notice of this and related articles carefully as these reports portend a troubling future for their current business model ("personalized" cancer treatment)."
deadline April 18th: We’re Hiring: Web Development and Design Coordinator
We’re Hiring: Web Development and Design Coordinator
The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is looking for a self-motivated individual with experience in web development, graphic design and web content management. The Web Development and Design Coordinator is responsible for designing and presenting content for the Alliance both online and in print. S/he manages online strategy development, maintains site standards, develops site promotions and works on online community and outreach campaigns.
This position reports to the Marketing and Communications Manager and supports the work of other departments, including Public Policy, Development and Events.
Appropriate Chemotherapy Dosing for Obese Adult Patients With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline [ASCO Special Articles]
Appropriate Chemotherapy Dosing for Obese Adult Patients With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline [ASCO Special Articles]:
pdf (open access)
Purpose
To provide recommendations for appropriate cytotoxic chemotherapy dosing for obese adult patients with cancer.
Methods
The American Society of Clinical Oncology convened a Panel of experts in medical and gynecologic oncology, clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics, and biostatistics and a patient representative. MEDLINE searches identified studies published in English between 1996 and 2010, and a systematic review of the literature was conducted. A majority of studies involved breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancers. This guideline does not address dosing for novel targeted agents.
Results
Practice pattern studies demonstrate that up to 40% of obese patients receive limited chemotherapy doses that are not based on actual body weight. Concerns about toxicity or overdosing in obese patients with cancer, based on the use of actual body weight, are unfounded.
Recommendations
The Panel recommends that full weight–based cytotoxic chemotherapy doses be used to treat obese patients with cancer, particularly when the goal of treatment is cure. There is no evidence that short- or long-term toxicity is increased among obese patients receiving full weight–based doses. Most data indicate that myelosuppression is the same or less pronounced among the obese than the non-obese who are administered full weight–based doses. Clinicians should respond to all treatment-related toxicities in obese patients in the same ways they do for non-obese patients. The use of fixed-dose chemotherapy is rarely justified, but the Panel does recommend fixed dosing for a few select agents. The Panel recommends further research into the role of pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics to guide appropriate dosing of obese patients with cancer.
Exact Sciences website: (re: dna stool testing) Clinical Trial for average at risk patients
Blogger's Note: there are no dates on some of the website's pages
Clinical Trial
DeeP-C (Multi-Target Colorectal Cancer Screening Test for the Detection of Colorectal Advanced Adenomatous Polyps and Cancer)
Exact Sciences is conducting a pivotal trial for the company’s multi-marker molecular diagnostic screening test for the early detection of colorectal cancer. The multi-center DeeP-C study will generate data to support Exact Sciences’ planned PMA submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Exact Sciences is planning to have approximately 60 sites in the U.S. and Canada participate in the study. Those sites are expected to enroll more than 10,000 patients between the ages of 50 and 84 who are at average risk for colorectal cancer. For more information on the study please go to:
www.clinicaltrials.gov
Multi-Target Colorectal Cancer Screening Test for the Detection of Colorectal Advanced Adenomatous Polyps and Cancer (DeeP-C)
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified August 2011 by Exact Sciences Corporation
First Received on July 18, 2011.
Last Updated on March 30, 2012
History of Changes
(excluded from trial (high risk):
- Subject has a family history of:
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (also referred to as "FAP").
- Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome (also referred to as "HNPCC" or "Lynch Syndrome").
The Exact CRC screening test is an investigational device and is not available for sale in the United States.
Clinical Oncology News - Stool DNA Test Promising for Colorectal Screening
Clinical Oncology News - Stool DNA Test Promising for Colorectal Screening
"Stool DNA testing is moving the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening field a step closer to eradicating the disease, according to David Ahlquist, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., who helped develop this approach and presented recent findings at the 2012 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.
Stool DNA testing detects tumor-specific DNA alterations in cells that are continually being shed into the stool from precancerous and cancerous lesions. The test is now being developed by Exact Sciences, a molecular diagnostics company in Madison, Wis.
The broad application of stool DNA testing in longitudinal screening programs is to prevent CRC through high precancer detection. In an invited lecture, Dr. Ahlquist said this claim is “not too bold and not hyperbole.” New-generation stool DNA testing, he said, offers “extraordinarily” high detection rates for curable cancers and precancers that are likely to progress. The test detects lesions on both sides of the colon with equal accuracy and reveals flat or serrated polyps likely to be missed by both fecal occult blood test and colonoscopy.
The noninvasive DNA test involves no diet or medication restrictions, no bowel preparation and is done at home using a stool sample. “It is user-friendly, affordable and offers individuals unlimited access by mail,” he added............
new WIKI website: Cowbird · FAQ
Cowbird · FAQ
Why do you call it Cowbird?
We chose the name Cowbird to express the combined qualities of a cow and a bird.Cows are slow, steady, and grounded, while birds are fast, free, and full of joy.
Most of the Internet — including websites like Facebook and Twitter — are all bird and no cow, while more traditional formats like novels and operas are all cow and no bird.
Cowbird combines these two extremes to form a new kind of storytelling medium — mixing the slow, deeply rooted, contemplative idea of a cow with the fast, efficient, playful idea of a bird.
abstract: Role of the Msh2 gene (Lynch Syndrome) in genome maintenance and development in mouse fetuses.
Role of the Msh2 gene in genome maintenance and development in mouse fetuses
These results indicate that elevated mutation levels have little effect on the development of the fetus, even if a mutator phenotype appears at the organogenesis stage.
Abstract
In an attempt to evaluate the roles of the mismatch repair gene Msh2 in genome maintenance and in development during the fetal stage, spontaneous mutations and several developmental indices were studied in Msh2-deficient lacZ-transgenic mouse fetuses.
news: Increased risk of cardiovascular disease for relatives of cancer patients
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease for relatives of cancer patients
03 April 2012
Lund University
A current study shows that the risk for coronary heart
disease and stroke increases by almost thirty per cent in a person whose
partner has cancer. The cause is probably the negative stress to which
the cancer patient’s relative is exposed......
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)
#1 United States
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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.
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