REFERENCE: San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2006, Abstract: 52
DENNIS SLAMON, University of California, Los Angeles
Adjuvant therapy regimens containing trastuzumab have proved superior to those with cytotoxic chemotherapy agents alone, used without the new molecular therapy. Mature results from the massive BCIRG 006 phase III randomized trial looking at adjuvant doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, docetaxel with or without trastuzumab were presented in San Antonio by Dennis Slamon, who discussed the details with Peter Goodwin.

REFERENCE: San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2006, Abstract: 4
GEORGE PEOPLES, Brook Army Medical Center, Houston
A vaccine to prevent breast cancer has shown early success in a study reported in San Antonio. A group from Houston presented results from the first trial of vaccination against recurrent breast cancer using the E75 single peptide vaccine. George Peoples told Karen Regester how the vaccine improved progression free survival.

REFERENCE: San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2006, Abstract: 6
JAMES HOLLAND, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
A virus may be the cause of human breast cancer, according to James Holland, who gave the San Antonio conference his latest findings implicating human mammary tumor virus as a leading cause of breast cancer. He discussed the data with Peter Goodwin.

REFERENCE: San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2006, Abstract: 1
MASSIMO CHRISTOFANILLI, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Targeted therapy may be the best way to combat aggressive inflammatory breast cancer. Massimo Christofanilli and his colleagues selected patients with HER2neu and EGFR expression for therapy with the dual targeted inhibitor, lapatinib. Benefits were apparent within the first two weeks of treatment.

REFERENCE: American Society of Hematology 2006 Orlando: Abstract: 748
MARTIN MÜLLER, University of Heidelberg, Manheim
COMMENT: CHARLES LINKER, University of California, San Francisco
In chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-positive acute lymphocytic leukemia, the new multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib has proven effective in patients developing BCR-ABL mutations that have caused resistance to the first line agent imatinib. Martin Müller gave Peter Goodwin the latest data on dasatinib and his views about the possible clinical use of this new agent.

REFERENCE: American Society of Hematology 2006 Orlando: Abstract: 749
ANDREAS HOCHHAUS, University of Heidelberg, Manheim
COMMENT: CHARLES LINKER, University of California, San Francisco
The tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib has proven capable of controlling chronic myeloid leukemia in patients for whom imatinib has failed because of the emergence of BCR-ABL mutations. Andreas Hochhaus discussed the achievements and the limitations of this new therapy with Peter Goodwin during the ASH meeting in Orlando.

REFERENCE: American Society of Hematology 2006 Orlando: Abstract: 482
CHRISTIAN BUSKE, University Hospital, Munich
COMMENT: CHARLES LINKER, University of California, San Francisco
A phase III randomized trial from the German Low Grade Lymphoma group has shown rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) to be significantly better than CHOP alone in older patients with advanced stage follicular lymphoma. R-CHOP gave higher response rates, longer times to treatment failure, and longer overall survival with no additional side effects as compared to CHOP alone. Sarah Maxwell spoke to Christian Buske at the American Society of Hematology meeting in Orlando.

REFERENCE: American Society of Hematology 2006 Orlando: Abstract: 753
KATARINA LE BLANC, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm
COMMENT: STEPHEN EMERSON, University of Pennsylvania
A new way of treating graft-versus-host-disease could be therapy with mesenchymal stem cells from HLA matched or unmatched donors. Steroid refractory patients with hematologic malignancies experiencing severe graft-versus-host disease received allogeneic transplants in a study reported in Orlando. Many had complete responses to therapy. Sarah Maxwelll asked Katarina Le Blanc about these findings.

REFERENCE: American Society of Hematology 2006 Orlando: Abstract: 5
ALESSANDRO VANNUCCHI, University of Florence
COMMENT: KANTI RAI, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York
A new study of patients with polycythemia vera has discovered that prognosis and, consequently, therapy recommendations are predicted by the proportion of JAK2 genes which are mutated. Alessandro Vannucchi from Florence University told Peter Goodwin about his findings at the ASH conference in Florida, and suggested that therapy may be guided by reference to JAK2 mutation levels.

REFERENCE: American Society of Hematology 2006 Orlando: Abstract: 4
RICHARD SCHLENK, University of Ulm, Germany
COMMENT: KANTI RAI, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia may do better or worse depending on whether they have specific molecular markers. New findings on this were discussed at the ASH meeting in Orlando in a presentation from Ulm. After his talk Richard Schlenk told Sarah Maxwell about their findings and the clinical hopes they raised for improving therapy.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
CLIFFORD HUDIS, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
COMMENT: EDWARD AMBINDER, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
Clifford Hudis of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York presented data to support the idea that HER2 is still a useful target after progression on trastuzumab. One of the drugs he focused on was 17AAG, an Hsp90 inhibitor.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
MARK EINSTEIN, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York

Could vaccination have a therapeutic role in the treatment of cervical cancer? Mark Einstein, from the Montefiore Medical Center in New York, presented data on a vaccination for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
Tony GRECO, Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, Nashville
Tony Greco of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville explained some new drugs for treating lung cancer. One is a new alkylating agent, while the other is albumin-bound paclitaxel.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
JAMES BERENSON, Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research, California
COMMENT: EDWARD AMBINDER, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
A study presented by James Berenson, of the Institute of Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research in California, suggests that arsenic trioxide is another useful option in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

GORDON MCVIE, European Institute of Oncology, Milan
In Istanbul, Gordon McVie gave his opinion about the achievements of the 2006 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress. He added his comments regarding the news emerging from the Congress.

REFERENCE: 31st European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, Istanbul, 29 September – 3 October 2006 Special Session
MARTINE PICCART, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels
COMMENT: Gordon McVie
The latest evidence on how best to use trastuzumab in the treatment of early breast cancer was discussed at the ESMO conference by Martine Piccart from Brussels, who presented mature data from the HERA study of 5,000 patients conducted by the Breast International Group (BIG). The conference also heard about the group’s new “Microarray In Node-negative Disease may Avoid ChemoTherapy” (MINDACT) study, just beginning, in which 6,000 women are to be assessed by gene arrays to distinguish whether or not they require chemotherapy for their node negative disease.

REFERENCE: 31st European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, Istanbul, 29 September – 3 October 2006, Abstract LBA2
BELLA KAUFMAN, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
COMMENT: Gordon McVie
A combination of trastuzumab administered concurrently with anastrozole has extended progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancers expressing both the HER2 and estrogen receptors. Bella Kaufman from the Chaim Sheba Center in Israel discussed her findings with Peter Goodwin during the ESMO congress in Istanbul.

REFERENCE: ESMO, Istanbul, 29 September – 3 October, 2006 Abstract: 710 o
JEAN-YVES DOUILLARD, Centre René Gauducheau, Nantes
COMMENT: Gordon McVie
A pooled analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy for lung cancer, the Lung Adjuvant Cisplatin Evaluation (LACE), has revealed that a combination of vinorelbine with cisplatin yields the best results, with the greatest improvements in survival, among patients diagnosed with stage III disease. During the Istanbul conference, Jean-Yves Douillard told Peter Goodwin about his conclusions.

REFERENCES: J Clin Oncol 34:3904, 3927, 3939
GEORGE CANELLOS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
In adult acute myeloid leukemia the detection of KIT mutations was associated with higher relapse risk, according to a study from Columbus, Ohio, reviewed by George Canellos. Dr Canellos also discussed findings from Paris that complete dissection of liver metastasis is not curative for colorectal cancer, and results from Boston that patients with large breast cancers removed by mastectomy may expect low locoregional recurrence rates if they are lymph-node negative, and therefore do not need postmastectomy radiotherapy.

REFERENCE: J Clin Oncol 24:3880
SANDRA STRAUSS, Royal Free Hospital, London
COMMENT: George Canellos
A new combination of immunotherapy agents – the anti-CD22 antibody epratuzumab and the anti CD20 rituximab - has shown promise for the treatment of patients whose non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is recurrent or has become refractory to standard therapy. Sandra Strauss of London’s Royal Free Hospital told Peter Goodwin about the findings from her study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

REFERENCE: J Clin Oncol 24:3570
NANCY BAXTER, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
COMMENT: George Canellos
In Stage III colon cancer having fewer negative lymph nodes leads to shorter survival, according to the findings of a study from St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Having more negative nodes is associated with longer survival. Nancy Baxter discussed the investigation with Derek Thorne.

REFERENCE: Abstract 5002, 2006 ASCO Annual Meeting; N Engl J Med 2006, 354:34-43
ROBERT OZOLS, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin has become the standard treatment for ovarian cancer, but it is not entirely satisfactory. Is it possible to find an improvement, either by using another chemotherapeutic agent, or by employing intraperitoneal therapy? Robert Ozols of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia tells Derek Thorne about the recent evidence and looks ahead to the future.

REFERENCE: J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 132, Supplement 13:7
WILLIAM SEE, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
COMMENT: Robert Ozols
A new option has emerged for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer that may avoid the need for castration. According to a study just published in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology the nonsteroidal antiandrogen bicalutamide may provide a similar benefit to that of castration, but with more acceptable side effects. William See of the Medical College of Wisconsin discussed his team’s findings with Derek Thorne.

REFERENCE: J Clin Oncol, 24:3735-3746
RUTH LUPU, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute
COMMENT: Robert Ozols
Despite promising results for the breast cancer agent trastuzumab, only a minority of breast tumors have the appropriate genetic profile for treatment – which includes overexpressed Her-2. However, a new paper in the Journal of Clinical Oncology might lead to an increase in the number of eligible patients. Ruth Lupu described her team’s study, which looked at tumorigenic cells that overexpress heregulin, an activator of Her-2.

REFERENCE: Abstract 7001
Mark A. Socinski, Univerisity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The use of anti-angiogenic therapy for treating patients with non-small cell lung cancer received a boost at the 2006 ASCO Annual Meeting in Atlanta by results from a study looking at the use of sunitinib, a multi-targeted oral drug that achieved partial responses and stable disease among pretreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Mark Socinski from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said the results suggest that sunitinib may be even more useful when used in earlier stages of treatment.

REFERENCE: Abstract 6507
Neil Shah, University of California, San Francisco
One of the options for treating patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia resistant to imatinib might be the new targeted therapy dasatinib. ASCO delegates heard more from Neil Shah, of the University of California in San Francisco.

REFERENCE: Abstract 6509
Doug Smith, Johns Hopkins Cancer Center, Baltimore
A vaccine for chronic myeloid leukemia has produced molecular remissions in a small number of patients. Results were presented at the 2006 ASCO meeting by Doug Smith of Johns Hopkins Cancer Center in Baltimore, who described to Derek Thorne how the vaccine has been performing, and why chronic myeloid leukemia might be a good disease in which to use this approach.

REFERENCE: American Association for Cancer Research 97th Annual Meeting April 1-5, 2006, Washington DC. Education Session
Fran Balkwill, Barts Hospital, London
Chemo-attractant molecules called chemokines that direct the migration of immune cells around the body could become important new weapons in the cancer doctor’s therapeutic armory, according to Fran Balkwill who chaired an education session at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. In difficult-to-treat diseases like ovarian cancer, chemokine modulation offers the possibility of contributing alternative targeted components to anticancer regimens.

REFERENCE: American Association for Cancer Research 97th Annual Meeting April 1-5, 2006, Washington DC. Abstract 406
Carl Christophe Schimanski, University of Mainz
The chemokine in the human body known as CXCR4 might be an omnipresent inductor of the metastatic process, according to Carl Schimanski who presented data on CXCR4 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma biopsies and related it to metastatic tumor properties in patients. He told the AACR conference that the recent availability of chemokine antagonists holds out the promise of modulating metastasis and extending patient survival.