SABCS: Bevacizumab Flops in Breast Cancer Trial - in Meeting Coverage, SABCS from MedPage Today. SAN ANTONIO -- Bevacizumab (Avastin) adds little to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early or locally advanced breast cancer, according to clinical trial results that cast further doubt on the drug's future in treatment of the disease. The pathologic complete response rate by a strict definition of no residual tumor -- either invasive or non-invasive -- at the time of surgery reached 15.0% with chemotherapy alone and only rose to 17.5% with the addition of bevacizumab, Gunter von Minckwitz, MD, PhD, managing director of the German Breast Group in Neu-Isenburg, Germany, and colleagues found. This nonsignificant difference in the HER2-negative GeparQuinto study was reported here at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
It was the first randomized phase III trial to report results with bevacizumab with chemotherapy outside the metastatic setting, von Minckwitz noted at the session. Bevacizumab was approved in 2008 for metastatic breast cancer treatment, but may not remain so for long. false. Google's AROUND Operator for Proximity Search. Analysis of Kinase Gene Expression Patterns across 5681 Human Tissue Samples Reveals Functional Genomic Taxonomy of the Kinome.
Kinases play key roles in cell signaling and represent major targets for drug development, but the regulation of their activation and their associations with health and disease have not been systematically analyzed. Here, we carried out a bioinformatic analysis of the expression levels of 459 human kinase genes in 5681 samples consisting of 44 healthy and 55 malignant human tissues. Defining the tissues where the kinase genes were transcriptionally active led to a functional genomic taxonomy of the kinome and a classification of human tissues and disease types based on the similarity of their kinome gene expression. The co-expression network around each of the kinase genes was defined in order to determine the functional context, i.e. the biological processes that were active in the cells and tissues where the kinase gene was expressed.
Figures Editor: Jörg D. Hoheisel, The German Cancer Research Center, Germany Copyright: © 2010 Kilpinen et al. Introduction Results Figure 1. Table 1. Circulating tumor cells may have predictive, prognostic value | HemOncToday. 33rd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium SAN ANTONIO — The presence of circulating tumor cells may predict poorer outcomes among breast cancer patients, according to findings presented here. Minetta C. Liu, MD, director of Translational Breast Cancer Research at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, moderated a press conference in which researchers presented results from three studies of circulating tumor cells.
“Circulating tumor cells are becoming a hot topic in the breast cancer field, but much is unknown about them,” she said. “They may circulate, lay dormant for a while and metastasize later.” Possible etiologies are that they are disseminated cancer cells, cancer stem cells or bystander cells, according to Liu. “They are rare cells in a dormant nonproliferative state,” she said. Liu said that isolation of circulating tumor cells involves three steps: enrichment, detection and characterization.
SUCCESS study IC 2006-04 Study Results from MD Anderson. Lymphoma Resources. Dr George Sledge (current ASCO President) receives the Willia. RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms. Everything I Know About the Financial Cabal I Learned From Word Clouds. Circulating tumor cells&cancer stem cells related 2 poor prognosis in #breast cancer is our work. C 2day's press release. San Antonio — Metastatic breast cancer patients whose blood contains circulating tumor cells (CTCs) before or after treatment with high-dose chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplant have shorter survival periods, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
The findings were presented today in a poster session at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. In addition, patients with higher percentages of epithelial cells, or the presence of a specific cellular transition, had higher chances for relapse. "Building on the information from this study, we eventually may be able to use these molecular markers to identify breast cancer patients with a high likelihood of developing metastasis or relapsing.
This may allow physicians to design specific treatments to help patients achieve better outcomes," said James M. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized as an important part of metastasis. AVEO's Tivozanib in Combination with Paclitaxel Demonstrates Safety in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer; Data Presented at San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Data Underscore Potential for Tivozanib to be Safely Combined with Other Anti-Cancer Agents CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 10, 2010 - AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVEO), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced preliminary results from an ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating the company's lead product candidate, tivozanib, a highly potent and selective inhibitor of VEGF receptors 1, 2, and 3, in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol®), a standard chemotherapy regimen, in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
The combination was considered safe at the full recommended tivozanib dose (1.5 mg/day) and standard paclitaxel dose, and demonstrated encouraging clinical activity in patients with metastatic breast cancer. These data were presented in a poster session today at the 33rd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas by Erica L. About Tivozanib About AVEO. Thoughts on Zometa/zoledronic acid in early breast cancer. Yesterday’s news from the AZURE trial at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium generated a lot of buzz.
I posted the data after the press briefing in the afternoon here but have received a lot of questions from people confused by the press coverage of the data. To be fair, the physician presenting the data, Dr Robert Coleman, didn’t help matters by stating: “Clearly our results are very different from those published by the ABCSG investigators” when referring to the previous study published in the NEJM in February last year, without elaborating clearly on the differences. Dr Coleman also stated that it was “a negative trial”. Interestingly, in the panel disclosures only Dr Giordano from MD Anderson revealed nothing to declare; Drs Coleman (Novartis and Amgen), Chlebowski (Novartis and Amgen) and Gnant (Novartis, Amgen and AstraZeneca) all received industry funding of some kind. Here’s a quick summary in the table below: Ah well, time will tell where this controversy will lead!
7 Site Analysis Tools to Make Your Blog Better : Performancing. Thestickandcarrot. Group blogs: BMJ Web Development Blog. 22 Jan, 14 | by Claire Bower, Digital Comms Manager, @clairebower Diabetics could soon avoid pinprick blood tests using a smart contact lens that measures glucose in tears. A prototype shown off by Google (with a little help from Microsoft) uses an embedded miniaturised glucose sensor and wireless chip to measure glucose levels as often as once every second. “We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds.” Unsurprisingly, Google is not the only company investing in the fast growing area of ‘digital healthcare’.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2014) earlier this month, saw a shift away from the event’s typical focus on everyday consumer electronics, to other growth markets such as medical technology, health products and applications. Wearable technology for fitness Advanced monitoring and diagnosis. A First-in-Human Study of Conatumumab in Adult Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors — Clinical Cancer Research. Roche Sends ‘Dear Doctor’ Letter, But Not In The US. Adding mTOR inhibitor 2 tamoxifen ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer improves survival & rogression-free survival! Cycling may have impact on sperm health: study. Novelos Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Presentation of Positive Phase 2 Results in NOV-002 Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Trial at San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium - News, Search Jobs, Events.
Patient's death leads to tougher European safety call. 10 December 2010Last updated at 00:21 By Julian Sturdy BBC East Dr Stuart Gray said he believes his family's battle has been worth it Patients in the UK needing out of hours care are to get more protection from incompetent doctors following a deal being brokered across Europe. Rules allowing doctors to work anywhere in Europe are to be toughened with better testing of language and competency. The General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK has so far secured the backing of regulators in 26 European Union countries for tighter controls on doctors working across borders. It follows nearly three years of campaigning by Dr Stuart Gray and his brother Rory whose father David was killed by an incompetent GP who had flown in from Germany to do a shift. That doctor, Daniel Ubani, is still treating patients in Germany, despite being struck off by the GMC and branded "incompetent" for killing their kidney patient father David with a lethal overdose of Diamorphine. 'Local doctors'
NSCLC treatment. Zoledronic acid did not improve disease free survival in early breast cancer. Wow, every now and then, something unexpected turns up and makes you stop, listen and most importantly, think. This was the headline from an American Association of Clinical Research (AACR) news release that I received from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Meeting (SABCS) this afternoon. The result is totally unexpected. Why? Well, we know the drug is effective in Stage IV metastatic disease and a previous trial from the Austrian group (study ABCSG XII) had positive results in stage I pre-menopausal women with breast cancer (see reference below). Early last year that trial was hailed as an important landmark study in The New York Times.
The current trial (AZURE) with zoledronic acid (Zometa) as adjuvant therapy in women stage II/III breast cancer was therefore expected to be positive, sitting neatly in the middle of the two previously published and positive settings. Let’s take a look at the trial design. The groups were also well balanced for prior treatment, including chemotherapy:
J&J Softchews recall grows as wood, metal found. Doctor Uses Information on Facebook to Save Patient's Life. Newmediajim. Zoledronic acid did not improve disease free survival in early breast cancer. Risk of lung cancer after treatment for breast cancer. There was an interesting paper published recently in The Lancet Oncology, which looked at the increased risk of developing lung cancer after women had experienced prior breast cancer (see ref below). Over the years, there has been much debate about the potential impact of different treatment regimens, whether chemotherapy or radiotherapy, on the development of secondary cancers, but what about other factors such as lifestyle and health issues? Yet in many ways, it’s almost a catch 22 situation, because improvements in treatment for breast cancer also means that women are living longer, and therefore at a greater risk of developing a second malignancy with the passage of time.
This study set out to see which variables might possibly be important. According to the authors: “We review data on the effect of treatment factors (ie, surgery type, radiotherapy technique, and adjuvant chemotherapy) and patient factors (ie, age and smoking) on the risk of developing a subsequent lung cancer.” Risk of lung cancer after treatment for breast cancer. Estrogen Alone is Effective for Reducing Breast Cancer Risk. December 9, 2010 • Exogenous estrogen (administered as HRT) reduces breast cancer rates.• HRT based on estrogen alone helps manage menopausal symptoms.• More data are needed to elaborate on estrogen’s role in chemoprevention.
SAN ANTONIO — While endogenous estrogen (i.e., estrogen produced by ovaries and by other tissues) does have a well-known carcinogenic impact, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) utilizing estrogen alone (the exogenous estrogen) provides a protective effect in reducing breast cancer risk, according to study results presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 8-12. “Our analysis suggests that, contrary to previous thinking, there is substantial value in bringing HRT with estrogen alone to the guidelines. “These findings should intensify new research into its role as a protective agent against breast cancer,” he added. Scientists hail finding about the eye. Finding a gene that triggers the spread of eye melanoma was a discovery whose time had come, said researcher Dr. J. William Harbour, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine. The discovery demonstrates how science piggy-backs itself and leads to discoveries that wouldn't happen without other discoveries — some of which are difficult to understand at the time they're discovered.
In this case, Washington University researchers discovered how a gene malfunctioned, causing eye melanoma to spread and become fatal. Melanoma is a cancer normally associated with the skin, but it can occur anywhere in the body where pigment cells (melanocytes) are found, including the eye. Eye melanoma is the second most common form of melanoma. Eye melanoma strikes about 2,000 adults in the United States each year. Harbour and his colleague, Washington University geneticist Ann Bowcock, discovered a gene that can cause these eye cancers to spread. Women bloggers - Women in the media - Our projects - About us - The UKRC.
Growing numbers of women in science, engineering and technology are building a profile online through blogging about their work - their area of expertise, their passion for their subject, the ups and downs of a career in STEM - and sometimes the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field. In October 2010, Guardian blogger Martin Robbins (inspired by Jennifer Rohn) asked for the names of women in SET bloggers. He started with a list of 130, and names were then submitted by readers. We contacted Martin, and sorted the list out alphabetically. See below. We welcome additions to the list. Blogging at the UKRC and WISE: we run a blog called GetSET Women, which features a wide variety of women in science, engineering and technology. Our Ingenious Women blog ran in 2010 and 2011, with entries from 19 women engineers and a number of media mentors. How To Use Google Reader As A Bookmarking Service.
I was highly tempted to try using Twitter Lists as my new RSS reader, but I’m not so fond of being able to only see the title and having to click on the links for the actual post that will load with distracting ads. If you’re looking for a service that just works and is minimalist without sacrificing features, Google Reader may just be the answer. Using The ‘Note In Reader’ Bookmarklet When you’ve logged into Google Reader, head to the Notes section on the left sidebar.
Just drag the bookmarklet to your bookmark bar. If you use Google Chrome, you can also copy the link to the bookmarklet, right-click on the address bar, select Edit Search Engines and add it as a new search engine to give this bookmarklet a keyword for faster access. Now anytime you find some interesting article you want to save, highlight the interesting parts and use the bookmarklet to add notes and tag your findings. Why Use Google Reader? Ability to email and share items on Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, etc. Watson confirms deal with Natco for generic version of Celgenes cancer drug Revlimid. The Big Red Biotech Blog: November 28, 2010 - December 4, 2010. Chemical & Engineering News just published its take on the FDA's progress towards establishment of a biosimilars approval process. The publication writes, "Fights over testing requirements, data exclusivity, and even how to name these so-called biosimilars, or follow-on biologics, are delaying the agency from putting an approval process in place.
" FDA now has to decide how much testing is necessary to show that a biosimilar is as safe and effective as the original product. But there is much disagreement over exactly how much clinical testing FDA should require. Because of the complexity of protein-based drugs, FDA is finding it difficult to strike the right balance between the desire for low-cost biologics and the need for careful evaluation of safety and efficacy. On the other side of the debate are the generic drug manufacturers that claim that clinical testing for biosimilars is redundant and unethical because it has already been performed on the original products.
Aretha Franklin Has Pancreatic Cancer. Susan G. Komen Foundation Elbows Out Charities Over Use Of The Word 'Cure' 550 + Registrants forc12/9 Webinar; Measuring & Maximizing Twitter ROI w/@kyleplacy, @jimsterne & @WendyTroupe. Low-dose aspirin can improve accuracy of colorectal cancer test - latimes.com. Scientists Find Drug Scrambles Signals of CLL and Its Food Source. Finally seen the sunrise in Orlando - usually got to conventi. Best Buy Mobile® Partners With Google to Exclusively Launch Nexus S Smart Phone – BBY.com. Ironwood 'patient navigator' develops cancer support programs. Seattle Genetics to submit lymphoma drug to FDA. CBT welcome message 12-5-10. New Standards of Care and Novel Treatment Options for Several Forms of Lymphoma Unveiled. New Standards of Care and Novel Treatment Options for Several Forms of Lymphoma Unveiled.