The Cancer Letter

Special Report - Aug. 14, 2019

Guest Editorial
Skyfall falls to earth
Why Americans and Russians should be worried
It’s difficult to discern reason, let alone strategy, in the Russian government’s response after the Skyfall missile (called the 9M730 Burevestnik by the Russian military and SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO) exploded during a test Aug. 8.
The accident occurred in the vicinity of the town of Severodvinsk. A radioactive cloud dispersed by tropospheric winds is easily and rapidly detected outside Russia—so there was no hiding the accident.

Issue 34 - Aug. 9, 2019

TCL45-34 (307 downloads)

Letter from the Editor
The Summer Issue of The Cancer Letter
You are looking at The Cancer Letter’s summer issue, a collection of stories we have compiled for you as we (and, we hope, you) go off on a brief summer recess.
Guest Editorial
Learning from suramin: A case study of NCI’s much-hyped cancer drug that crashed and burned—35 years ago
Almost 35 years ago, while the nation suffered in the vicious grip of the HIV epidemic, a young man from South Carolina with AIDS named Boyd Helton found his way to the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda. While there, he was recruited into a clinical research protocol designed to lower the expression of viral proteins in his blood, and, ideally, to increase the numbers of his circulating CD4+ T-cells.
Robert Peter Gale’s series of stories on the HBO drama Chernobyl
Gale was there, in Moscow’s Hospital Number 6, famously taking care of people injured in the nuclear plant disaster. He is also the author of two books that address Chernobyl, other nuclear accidents and radiation in general: “Final Warning” and “Radiation: What It Is, What You Need to Know.”
When Surgical Innovation Kills
Over the past six years, The Cancer Letter has been investigating the hidden hazards in minimally invasive surgery, finding that in some cases, machines and surgical techniques that inadvertently spread cancer cells go into routine use without anyone bothering to ask life and death questions.
Slamming the Door
On Nov. 5, Texas voters will decide on Proposition 6, which would authorize a second installment of $3 billion in General Obligation Bonds for Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. CPRIT is a unique state-funded initiative that is distributing $300 million a year to cancer research and other cancer causes in Texas.
To the Moon
For the past three years, The Cancer Letter has been covering the U.S. government’s Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Conversation with The Cancer Letter
Indiana University Simon Cancer Center becomes 51st NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center
The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center has achieved comprehensive status—becoming the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Indiana.
Trials and Tribulations
Measures to improve clinical trial enrollment: Marshfield Clinic Cancer Care and research approach
Part II of a two-part series
It is estimated that, each year, as few as 2–3% of cancer patients enter clinical trials. In part I of this series, we discussed four key barriers to participation: physician barriers, protocol barriers, research team barriers, and insurance barriers. In part II, we will look at solutions to these barriers and how to implement them in the clinical setting.

Issue 31 - Aug. 2, 2019

TCL45-31 (215 downloads)

Conversation with The Cancer Letter
Sylvester becomes 71^st NCI-designated cancer center
After six years of aggressively recruiting and spending more than $250 million to build up its programs, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center has become the 71st NCI-designated cancer center in the US and the only such institution in South Florida.
MD Anderson retains top spot on U.S. News rankings; Johns Hopkins moves up to No. 4
U.S. News & World Report rankings for 2019-20 significantly reshuffled the top 10 best cancer hospitals, with Johns Hopkins, UPMC, Massachusetts General, and Northwestern moving up the list.
In Brief
- AACR announces new journal, Blood Cancer Discovery
- Strata Oncology partners with five additional health systems
- ACS CAN report: Texas must improve cancer-related public policies
- TCR² Therapeutics partners with NCI for phase I/II trial of TC-210
Trials & Tribulations
Barriers to clinical trial enrollment
Part I of a two-part series
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), 1,735,350 people were newly diagnosed with cancer in 2018. Of those, 65% are expected to achieve remission from their cancer ¹. While most physicians agree that clinical trials advance medical knowledge and improve treatment, estimates as low as 2 – 3% of cancer patients enter clinical trials annually ^{2, 3}. Physician knowledge of available clinical trials at their site, training in communication skills and administering clinical trials, and time constraints during patient care time have all been identified as barriers to clinical trial enrollment ¹. In addition, strict eligibility criteria and inadequate insurance coverage for required tests may also hinder enrollment.
Drugs & Targets
- FDA approves darolutamide for non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
- FDA grants breakthrough designation for NKTR-214 in combination with nivolumab for melanoma
- EMA adopts positive opinion for Keytruda + Inlyta as first-line for RCC
NCI Trials
NCI Trials for August
The National Cancer Institute Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program approved the following clinical research studies last month.