Sorafenib does not extend overall survival as third or fourth line therapy in lung cancer

Phase III MISSION trial - EGFR status may help select patients who will benefit most

2012-09-29

(Press-News.org) Vienna, Austria, 29 September 2012 – Treatment with the drug sorafenib as a third or fourth line therapy does not result in improved overall survival among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings released at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. However, a post-hoc biomarker analysis of the trial data that was also presented suggests that patients with EGFR-mutant tumors may benefit.

Sorafenib is an oral inhibitor of several tyrosine protein kinases, which can be active in cancers. At the meeting, Dr Luis Paz-Ares from from Virgen del Rocio University Hospital in Seville, Spain, reported the findings of the phase III MISSION trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of monotherapy administration of sorafenib in 703 patients who were randomly assigned to either oral sorafenib 400mg twice daily or placebo.

Median overall survival, the study's primary end-point, was similar in the two groups (248 vs 253 days; HR 0.99, p=0.4687) the researchers found, while median progression-free survival (HR 0.61; p END

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Studies show drug combinations effective for melanoma

2012-09-29

Vienna, Austria, 29 September 2012 –- Promising new data on drug combinations to treat metastatic melanoma are presented at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. The phase I and II trials focus on combining drugs to slow the development of resistance to drugs that inhibit BRAF, a gene that is mutated in about half of melanomas. Earlier trials with drugs that target BRAF generated excitement for their ability to quickly shrink melanoma tumors in suitable patients. But for many patients the benefits proved short-lived, as the cancer ...

Studies show advances in gastrointestinal cancer treatments

2012-09-29

VIENNA, Austria, 29 September 2012 –- New trial data showing improvements in the treatment of esophageal and gastrointestinal cancers were released today at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of gefitinib versus placebo in esophageal cancer progressing after chemotherapy The first phase III trial to address the need for second-line treatments in esophageal cancer shows that gefitinib improves important quality-of-life measures and extends progression-free survival, ...

Governments failing to address 'global pandemic of untreated cancer pain'

2012-09-29

Vienna, Austria, 29 September 2012 –- Governments around the world are leaving hundreds of millions of cancer patients to suffer needlessly because of their failure to ensure adequate access to pain-relieving drugs, an unprecedented new international survey reveals. The new data, released to the public during the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna, paints a shocking picture of unnecessary pain on a global scale, said Prof Nathan Cherny, lead author of the report from Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel, Chair of the ESMO ...

Combination of targeted treatment drugs delays resistance in melanoma patients

2012-09-29

Combined treatment with two drugs targeting different points in the same growth-factor pathway delayed the development of treatment resistance in patients with BRAF-positive metastatic malignant melanoma. The results of a phase I/II study of treatment with the kinase inhibitors dabrafenib and trametinib will be published in the New England Journal of Medicine and are being released online to coincide with a presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Vienna. "We investigated this combination because of research we and others have conducted ...

URI scientists: Marine plants can flee to avoid predators

2012-09-29

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. – September 28, 2012 – Scientists at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography have made the first observation of a predator avoidance behavior by a species of phytoplankton, a microscopic marine plant. Susanne Menden-Deuer, associate professor of oceanography, and doctoral student Elizabeth Harvey made the unexpected observation while studying the interactions between phytoplankton and zooplankton. Their discovery will be published in the September 28 issue of the journal PLOS ONE. "It has been well observed that phytoplankton ...

An old insect pest reemerges in organic orchards

2012-09-29

The apple flea weevil, a sporadic insect pest in the early 1900s, has reemerged as a severe pest in organic apple orchards in Michigan, where outbreak population levels have been observed since 2008, and damage has resulted in up to 90% losses for apple growers. According to the authors of "The Reemergence of an Old Pest, Orchestes pallicornis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)," an open-access article appearing in the lastest issue of the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, the weevil can be managed by broad-spectrum insecticides used in conventional agriculture, but there ...

Researchers find multiple similarities between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells

2012-09-29

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis investigators have found new evidence that a promising type of stem cell now being considered for a variety of disease therapies is very similar to the type of cells that give rise to cancer. The findings suggest that although the cells -- known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) -- show substantial promise as a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat injuries, disease and chronic conditions, scientists and physicians must move cautiously with any clinical use because iPSCs could also cause malignant cancer. The article, ...

New method monitors semiconductor etching as it happens -- with light

2012-09-29

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois researchers have a new low-cost method to carve delicate features onto semiconductor wafers using light – and watch as it happens. "You can use light to image the topography and you can use light to sculpture the topography," said electrical and computer engineering professor Gabriel Popescu. "It could change the future of semiconductor etching." Chip makers and semiconductor researchers need to very precisely control the dimensions of their devices. The dimensions of the components affect performance, speed, error rate and time ...

Tadpole shrimp a new pest of rice in the midsouthern United States

2012-09-29

Tadpole shrimp are pests of rice production systems in California and have recently been found impacting Missouri and Arkansas rice fields. The shrimp feed on rice seedlings and uproot them during foraging, and their foraging behavior causes water to become muddy, which reduces light penetration to submerged seedlings and delays the development of the rice plant. In "Review of a New Pest of Rice, Tadpole Shrimp (Notostraca: Triopsidae), in the Midsouthern United States and a Winter Scouting Method of Rice Fields for Preplanting Detection," a new open-access article appearing ...

Bored? Researchers shed light on why

2012-09-29

This gives new meaning to the complaint "I'm bored" — literally. Canadian researchers — including a professor from the University of Guelph — have come up with a new, precise definition of boredom based on the mental processes that underlie the condition. Although many people may see boredom as trivial and temporary, it actually is linked to a range of psychological, social and health problems, says Guelph psychology professor Mark Fenske. He's among authors of a new study in Perspectives on Psychological Science, published by the Association for Psychological Science. Boredom ...

Sorafenib does not extend overall survival as third or fourth line therapy in lung cancer

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