Issue 38 – The Cancer Letter

St. Jude and the World Health Organization collaborate in first-ever global alliance to boost cancer cure rates in children
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the World Health Organization have formed a collaboration, working with partners across the world, and aiming to cure at least 60 percent of children with cancer worldwide by 2030.
Conversation with The Cancer Letter
St. Jude’s Downing: WHO effort can raise cure rates up to 60% for children with cancer
The $15 million collaboration between St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the World Health Organization is the first step to improving access in low and middle-income countries to affordable treatments for six common types of childhood cancer, said James Downing, St. Jude president and CEO.
Conversation with The Cancer Letter
WHO’s Ilbawi: St. Jude partnership can resolve inequality, capacity issues in childhood cancer
How do you begin a quest to cure 60 percent of children with six common types of childhood cancer worldwide by 2030?
You start by building the political will needed to secure government investment in health care, said André Ilbawi, a World Health Organization technical officer for cancer control in the Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention.
Letter to the Editor
Ronald DePinho’s guest editorial in the Oct. 5, 2018, issue of The Cancer Letter congratulating Jim Allison for winning a share of the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology contained the following one sentence paragraph: “It was the first Nobel ever awarded for the treatment of cancer.”
In Brief
- Cancer biologist Steven Artandi to lead Stanford Cancer Institute, replacing outgoing director Beverly Mitchell
- Allan Tsung named surgical oncology division director at Ohio State
- Marc Hurlbert named chief science officer at Melanoma Research Alliance
- Katzenellenbogen named Chuck and Tina Pagano Scholar at IU
Trials & Tribulations
Biomarker linked to increased survival rates among certain brain tumor patients
Study shows DNA biomarker can be used to predict outcomes for high risk low grade gliomas
Brain tumors can be tricky to treat because there is such a wide range of outcomes. Some patients succumb to the disease within months, others live years beyond their diagnosis.
Clinical Roundup
- New ASTRO/ASCO/AUA guideline for early-stage prostate cancer supports use of shortened courses of radiation therapy
- High-precision proton therapy more effective in some cancers when combined with thermal therapy
- Cancer death disparities linked to poverty, lifestyle factors nationwide
- Report: tobacco control must be highest priority in cancer control
Drugs & Targets
- ODAC recommends approval of rituximab biosimilar
- Myriad, Pfizer announce commercialization plan for talazoparib companion diagnostic
- Foundation Medicine introduces liquid biopsy for solid tumors in patients with advanced cancer
- Celyad announces agreement for Horizon Discovery’s shRNA platform to develop next- gen allogeneic CAR-T therapies
- Novitas Solutions approves coverage of UPMC-developed test for diagnosis of thyroid nodules
NCI Trials
NCI Trials for October
The National Cancer Institute Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program approved the following clinical research studies last month.