Press Review (May 18, 2013) – Revue de presse (18 mai 2013)

Washington: Cancer Patients More Prone to Bankruptcy

A study of cancer patients in Washington State has found they were twice as likely to file for bankruptcy as people without cancer. The study, led by researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, linked bankruptcy court records and information from the regional cancer registry on about 200,000 cancer patients, and compared them with a similar group of people from the same area who did not have cancer. Young people with cancer experienced the highest bankruptcy rates, the study found, up to 10 times the rate of bankruptcy filings among older age groups.

By Sabrina Tavernise. In The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/us/washington-cancer-patients-more-prone-to-bankruptcy.html?_r=0

Seeking Calm on the Cancer Ward

When people choose to have their leukemia treated aggressively, it’s a big commitment, more so than for almost any other cancer.

With this therapy — three days of the drug daunorubicin, which comes in a reddish color so distinctive that one of my patients, a former chemist, used it in his professional life as a dye for plastics, and seven days of the drug cytarabine, which is infused continuously over 168 hours — we offer them the chance to be cured of a disease moving like wildfire with a stiff breeze behind it at the height of drought.

By Mikkael L. Sekkeres. In The New York Times (blog)      

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/seeking-calm-on-the-cancer-ward/

Melanoma Treatment Harnesses Immune System to Combat Cancer Cells

A study of cancer patients in Washington State has found they were twice as likely to file for bankruptcy as people without cancer. The study, led by researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, linked bankruptcy court records and information from the regional cancer registry on about 200,000 cancer patients, and compared them with a similar group of people from the same area who did not have cancer. Young people with cancer experienced the highest bankruptcy rates, the study found, up to 10 times the rate of bankruptcy filings among older age groups.

By Andrew Pollock. In The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/business/melanoma-treatment-harnesses-immune-system-to-combat-cancer-cells.html

Cancer patients condemn hospital care

Some go hungry, receive the wrong drugs or feel so uncared for they consider abandoning treatment.

By Denis Campbell. In The Guardian               

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/16/cancer-patients-condemn-hospital-care

Cancer genetics in music and film

“Decoding Annie Parker,” which premiered in New York last month, is coming to Seattle June 6 and 8 through SIFF. “In this amazing true story, the lives of cancer-stricken Annie Parker and UW geneticist Mary-Claire King intertwine, leading to the world-changing discovery of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene.” Helen Hunt plays King, and Samantha Morton plays Parker, who now speaks around the world about her experiences.

By Carol M. Ostrom. In The Seattle Times       

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020989654_doublemastectomyboxxml.html

Cancer du sein : le coup de pouce de Jolie au vendeur de tests génétiques

En annonçant sa mastectomie préventive, Angelina Jolie a, malgré elle, fait un cadeau à une société controversée outre-Atlantique : l’action de Myriad Genetics, le fabricant du test de dépistage, a grimpé de 4% sur une seule journée. Mais Myriad est poursuivie par des défenseurs des libertés civiles et des scientifiques pour avoir voulu breveter le vivant.

Par Sophie Caillat. Dans Rue89

http://www.rue89.com/2013/05/15/cancer-sein-coup-pouce-jolie-vendeur-tests-genetiques-242353

Cancer du poumon : une prise de sang pour repérer les anomalies génétiques

Une équipe de chercheurs français a mis au point une technique qui permettrait, à l’aide d’une simple prise de sang, d'identifier les patients susceptibles de bénéficier d'un traitement ciblé contre le cancer du poumon

Par Emmanuel Perrin. Dans MaxiSciences

http://www.maxisciences.com/cancer-du-poumon/cancer-du-poumon-une-prise-de-sang-pour-reperer-les-anomalies-genetiques_art29532.html

Press Review (May 11, 2013) – Revue de presse (11 mai 2013)

Prices Cut for Cervical Cancer Vaccines in Poor Countries

The two companies that make vaccines against cervical cancer announced Thursday that they would cut their prices to the world’s poorest countries below $5 per dose, eventually making it possible for millions of girls to be protected against a major cancer killer.

By Donald G. McNeil Jr.. In The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/health/prices-cut-for-hpv-cervical-cancer-vaccines-for-neediest.html?pagewanted=all

Living With Cancer: Good News Soup

People with incurable cancer do sometimes receive good news, as I have. Why is it harder for me to share good news than bad news? During treatment, good news produces elating highs, but also anxious lows.

By Susan Gubar. In The New York Times (blog)    

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/living-with-cancer-good-news-soup/

Fun and Friends Help Ease the Pain of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer patients who say they have people with whom they have a good time, or have "positive social interactions" with, are better able to deal with pain and other physical symptoms, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

In Science Daily (press release)                       

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130509091219.htm

Research Reveals Cancer-Suppressing Protein 'Multitasks'

The understanding of how a powerful protein called p53 protects against cancer development has been upended by a discovery by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers.

In Science Daily (press release)                       

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130509123532.htm

Your immune system: On surveillance in the war against cancer

Predicting outcomes for cancer patients based on tumor-immune system interactions is an emerging clinical approach, and new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is advancing the field when it comes to the most deadly types of breast cancer

In Medical XPress

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune-surveillance-war-cancer.html

Vivre une grossesse jeune réduit le risque de cancer du sein

Une grossesse vécue jeune protège les femmes contre le cancer du sein. Une étude montre que l’expression génétique des cellules mammaires est modifiée chez les jeunes mères souris. Ces résultats expliqueraient pourquoi elles sont mieux protégées et pourraient conduire au développement de traitements contre ce type de cancer.

Par Agnès Roux. Dans Futura Sciences

http://www.futura-sciences.com/fr/news/t/medecine/d/vivre-une-grossesse-jeune-reduit-le-risque-de-cancer-du-sein_46257/

Des cancers différents mais des similarités génétiques

On le savait déjà, mais une nouvelle étude le confirme : il faut protéger sa peau du soleil. Les travaux, étalés sur 20 ans, montrent que l’apparition d’un cancer de la peau favorise le développement ultérieur d’autres cancers.

Dans Le Monde

http://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2013/05/03/des-cancers-differents-mais-des-similarites-genetiques_3170273_1651302.html

Focus : The Genomic HyperBrowser: an analysis web server for genome-scale data

Abstract

The immense increase in availability of genomic scale datasets, such as those provided by the ENCODE and Roadmap Epigenomics projects, presents unprecedented opportunities for individual researchers to pose novel falsifiable biological questions. With this opportunity, however, researchers are faced with the challenge of how to best analyze and interpret their genome-scale datasets. A powerful way of representing genome-scale data is as feature-specific coordinates relative to reference genome assemblies, i.e. as genomic tracks. The Genomic HyperBrowser (http://hyperbrowser.uio.no) is an open-ended web server for the analysis of genomic track data. Through the provision of several highly customizable components for processing and statistical analysis of genomic tracks, the HyperBrowser opens for a range of genomic investigations, related to, e.g., gene regulation, disease association or epigenetic modifications of the genome.

Source: The Genomic HyperBrowser: an analysis web server for genome-scale data. Sandve GK, Gundersen S, Johansen M, Glad IK, Gunathasan K, Holden L, Holden M, Liestøl K, Nygård S, Nygaard V, Paulsen J, Rydbeck H, Trengereid K, Clancy T, Drabløs F, Ferkingstad E, Kalas M, Lien T, Rye MB, Frigessi A, Hovig E. Nucleic Acids Res. 2013 Apr 30.

Free paper available at:

http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/04/29/nar.gkt342.full.pdf+html

Focus: Genomic analysis of diffuse pediatric low-grade gliomas identifies recurrent oncogenic truncating rearrangements in the transcription factor MYBL1

Abstract

Pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) are among the most common solid tumors in children but, apart from BRAF kinase mutations or duplications in specific subclasses, few genetic driver events are known. Diffuse PLGGs comprise a set of uncommon subtypes that exhibit invasive growth and are therefore especially challenging clinically. We performed high-resolution copy-number analysis on 44 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded diffuse PLGGs to identify recurrent alterations. Diffuse PLGGs exhibited fewer such alterations than adult low-grade gliomas, but we identified several significantly recurrent events. The most significant event, 8q13.1 gain, was observed in 28% of diffuse astrocytoma grade IIs and resulted in partial duplication of the transcription factor MYBL1 with truncation of its C-terminal negative-regulatory domain. A similar recurrent deletion-truncation breakpoint was identified in two angiocentric gliomas in the related gene v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) on 6q23.3. Whole-genome sequencing of a MYBL1-rearranged diffuse astrocytoma grade II demonstrated MYBL1 tandem duplication and few other events. Truncated MYBL1 transcripts identified in this tumor induced anchorage-independent growth in 3T3 cells and tumor formation in nude mice. Truncated transcripts were also expressed in two additional tumors with MYBL1 partial duplication. Our results define clinically relevant molecular subclasses of diffuse PLGGs and highlight a potential role for the MYB family in the biology of low-grade gliomas.

Source: Genomic analysis of diffuse pediatric low-grade gliomas identifies recurrent oncogenic truncating rearrangements in the transcription factor MYBL1. Ramkissoon LA, Horowitz PM, Craig JM, Ramkissoon SH, Rich BE, Schumacher SE, McKenna A, Lawrence MS, Bergthold G, Brastianos PK, Tabak B, Ducar MD, Van Hummelen P, Macconaill LE, Pouissant-Young T, Cho YJ, Taha H, Mahmoud M, Bowers DC, Margraf L, Tabori U, Hawkins C, Packer RJ, Hill DA, Pomeroy SL, Eberhart CG, Dunn IF, Goumnerova L, Getz G, Chan JA, Santagata S, Hahn WC, Stiles CD, Ligon AH, Kieran MW, Beroukhim R, Ligon KL. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 30.

Free paper available at:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/04/30/1300252110.long

Focus: Increased expression of pregnancy up-regulated non-ubiquitous calmodulin kinase is associated with poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

PURPOSE:

The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical significance and potential prognostic value of pregnancy up-regulated non-ubiquitous calmodulin kinase (PNCK) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The expression of PNCK mRNA was determined in 24 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues using real-time RT-PCR. The expression of PNCK was determined in 248 samples of ccRCCs and 92 paired samples of adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemical analysis. Statistical analysis was performed to define the relationship between PNCK expression and the clinical features of ccRCC.

RESULTS:

The mRNA level of PNCK was significantly higher in tumorous tissues than in the adjacent non-tumorous tissues (p<0.001). An immunohistochemical analysis of 92 paired tissue specimens showed that PNCK expression was higher in tumorous tissues than in the adjacent non-tumorous tissues (p<0.001). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between the PNCK expression and various clinicopathological parameters such as Fuhrman grade (p = 0.011), tumor size (p<0.001), T stage (p<0.001) and N stage (p = 0.015). Patients with higher PNCK expression had shorter overall survival time than those with lower PNCK expression (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that PNCK expression was an independent predictor for poor survival of ccRCC patients.

CONCLUSIONS:

To our knowledge, this is the first study that determines the relationship between PNCK and prognosis in ccRCC. We found that increased PNCK expression is associated with poor prognosis in ccRCC. PNCK may represent a novel prognostic marker for ccRCC.

Source: Increased expression of pregnancy up-regulated non-ubiquitous calmodulin kinase is associated with poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Wu S, Lv Z, Wang Y, Sun L, Jiang Z, Xu C, Zhao J, Sun X, Li X, Hu L, Tang A, Gui Y, Zhou F, Cai Z, Wang R (rfwang888@hotmail.com). PLoS One. 2013 Apr 25;8(4):e59936.

Free paper available at:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0059936

Focus : A Genetic Screen Using the PiggyBac Transposon in Haploid Cells Identifies Parp1 as a Mediator of Olaparib Toxicity

Genetic perturbation screens have the potential to dissect a wide range of cellular phenotypes. Such screens have historically been difficult in diploid mammalian cells. The recent derivation of haploid embryonic stem cells provides an opportunity to cause loss of function mutants with a random mutagen in a mammalian cell with a normal genetic background. We describe an approach to genetic screens that exploits the highly active piggyBac transposon in haploid mammalian cells. As an example of haploid transposon (HTP) screening, we apply this approach to identifying determinants of cancer drug toxicity and resistance. In a screen for 6-thioguanine resistance we recovered components of the DNA mismatch repair pathway, a known requirement for toxicity. In a further screen for resistance to the clinical poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib we recovered multiple Parp1 mutants. Our results show that olaparib toxicity to normal cells is mediated predominantly via Parp1, and suggest that the clinical side effects of olaparib may be on target. The transposon mutant libraries are stable and can be readily reused to screen other drugs. The screening protocol described has several advantages over other methods such as RNA interference: it is rapid and low cost, and mutations can be easily reverted to establish causality.

Source: A Genetic Screen Using the PiggyBac Transposon in Haploid Cells Identifies Parp1 as a Mediator of Olaparib Toxicity. Pettitt SJ, Rehman FL, Bajrami I, Brough R, Wallberg F, Kozarewa I, Fenwick K, Assiotis I, Chen L, Campbell J, Lord CJ, Ashworth A (Alan.Ashworth@icr.ac.uk). PLoS One. 2013 Apr 25;8(4):e61520.

Free paper available at: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061520

Press Review (May 4, 2013) – Revue de presse (4 mai 2013)

Cancers Share Gene Patterns, Studies Affirm

Scientists have discovered that the most dangerous cancer of the uterine lining closely resembles the worst ovarian and breast cancers, providing the most telling evidence yet that cancer will increasingly be seen as a disease defined primarily by its genetic fingerprint rather than just by the organ where it originated.

By Gina Kolata. In The New York Times (blog)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/health/dna-research-points-to-new-insight-into-cancers.html?pagewanted=all

Exorbitant Prices for Leukemia Drugs

Last year we were heartened when doctors at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York refused to use an outrageously overpriced drug for treating advanced colorectal cancer because it was no better than a cheaper (but still costly) alternative. Neither did much to extend a patient’s life. Now the revolt against unjustifiably high cancer drug prices has been joined by more than 100 leukemia experts from more than 15 countries.

By the Editorial Board. In The New York Times (blog)        

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/opinion/exorbitant-prices-for-cancer-drugs.html

Teenage Cancer One-Year Survival Rates 'Vary Significantly'

Healthcare workers must have better awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in teenagers and young adults, experts have said. Mike Stevens, professor of paediatric oncology at the University of Bristol, made his comments after figures show that one-year survival rates "vary significantly" among youngsters who get the disease.

In Huffington Post UK

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/01/health-teenage-cancer-survival-rates_n_3197779.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Scientists Decode "Molecular Chatter" That Makes Cancer Cells Spread

For the first time, scientists in the US have decoded the "molecular chatter" that makes cancer cells more aggressive and more likely to travel and set up tumors in other parts of the body (metastasize). The discovery came about as a result of bringing together specialists in cancer development with specialists in wound healing.

In Medical News Today                                     

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259930.php

Experimental Drug Inhibits Growth in All Stages of Common Kidney Cancer

Researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida have discovered a protein that is overly active in every human sample of kidney cancer they examined. They also found that an experimental drug designed to block the protein’s activity significantly reduced tumor growth in animals when used alone. Combining it with another drug already used to treat the cancer improved the effectiveness of both.

In Science Daily (press release)                       

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130430092428.htm

Les implants mammaires pourraient retarder la détection du cancer du sein

La présence d'implants mammaires entraînerait un dépistage plus tardif du cancer du sein et pourrait avoir un impact sur la survie des femmes atteintes de ce cancer, selon une étude publiée mercredi par le British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Dans Le Monde

http://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2013/05/01/les-implants-mammaires-pourraient-retarder-la-detection-du-cancer-du-sein_3169116_1651302.html

Le cancer de la peau lié à l'apparition d'autres cancers

On le savait déjà, mais une nouvelle étude le confirme : il faut protéger sa peau du soleil. Les travaux, étalés sur 20 ans, montrent que l’apparition d’un cancer de la peau favorise le développement ultérieur d’autres cancers.

Par Agnès Roux. Dans Futura Sciences

http://www.futura-sciences.com/fr/news/t/medecine/d/le-cancer-de-la-peau-lie-a-lapparition-dautres-cancers_46162/