REFERENCE: Abstract: 163
FRANCIS GILES, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
COMMENT: KEN KAUSHANSKY, University of California, San Diego
The T315-I mutation of BCR-ABL containing cells (which prevents patients with Philadelphia positive malignancy from responding to imatinib, dasatinib or nilotinib) can yield to treatment with the aurora kinase inhibitor: MK-0457. During the hematology conference in Orlando Frank Giles and Ken Kaushansky talked about new study data with Peter Goodwin and discussed the clinical implications.

REFERENCE: Abstract: 249
HEATHER LEITCH, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver
COMMENT: NANCY BERLINER, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven
Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome who receive iron chelation therapy to treat iron overload caused by continued blood transfusions do better than those who don’t and they survive longer. Sarah Maxwell heard from Heather Leitch and Nancy Berliner.

REFERENCE: Abstract: 207
CORRADO TARELLA, University of Turin
COMMENT: KEN KAUSHANSKY, University of California, San Diego
Rituximab added to high-dose therapy with auto-graft gave longer overall and disease free survival among patients with high-risk B-cell lymphoma as compared with those who had standard treatment alone. Sarah Maxwell questioned Corrado Tarella about his findings.

REFERENCE: Abstract: 795
VINCENT RAJKUMAR, Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN
COMMENT: ROBERT KYLE, Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN
The combination of thalidomide with dexamethasone was endorsed during the Orlando conference as front-line therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma by Vincent Rajkumar, who presented results from a study randomizing patients to dexamethasone with or without thalidomide. Peter Goodwin asked him about the study data, which he discussed with Robert Kyle who commented also on the emerging role of lenalidomide.

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.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
DANIEL PETRYLAK, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York
COMMENT: EDWARD AMBINDER, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
In hormone refractory prostate cancer, chemotherapy and immunotherapy can work together - and the next task is to work out how best to combine them. Daniel Petrylak of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York had the details.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
OLIVER SARTOR, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
COMMENT: EDWARD AMBINDER, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
According to Oliver Sartor of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, the platinum agent satraplatin is a possible new treatment for androgen-independent prostate cancer.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
MARK SOCINSKI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Paclitaxel linked to a polyglutamate backbone could work better in women – but some new evidence has raised concerns for investigators. Mark Socinski of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill shared the data in New York.

REFERENCE: Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXIV 8-11 November 2006
KANTI RAI, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York
COMMENT: EDWARD AMBINDER, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
Kanti Rai of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York has had encouraging results from adding the antisense molecule Genasense to chemotherapy, in patients with relapsed or refractory CLL.

REFERENCE: ESMO 2006, Abstract: 141O
David Cameron, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
COMMENT: Martine Piccart, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels
A near doubling of time to progression has been achieved among patients already treated with chemotherapy and trastuzumab who had HER2+ refractory advanced or metastatic breast cancer. This was achieved with the addition of lapatinib which targets both the epidermal growth factory receptor (EGFR) and the HER2 receptor. David Cameron presented results of a phase III trial which was stopped early because of a significant benefit in the lapatinib arm. At the Istantanbul conference he discussed his findings with Sarah Maxwell, who heard comments on the results from Martine Piccart.

REFERENCE: ESMO 2006. Abstract: LBA 4
Eric Van Cutsem, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who do not get a skin rash when treated with the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab (which normally indicates a good response to the drug) may still benefit from increased doses of this molecular agent. Eric Van Cutsem presented his findings at the ESMO conference in Istanbul and talked with Sarah Maxwell.

REFERENCE: ESMO 2006. Abstract: LBA3
Jim Cassidy, University of Glasgow
The oral pro-drug capecitabine is just as effective as standard 5-flurouracyl-leucovorin as first line therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. That’s the finding of a study announced at the ESMO conference by Jim Cassidy who also presented data on the benefit of adding the molecular agent bevacizumab (Avastin) to this easy-to-take regimen. During the Istanbul conference he spoke to Sarah Maxwell.

REFERENCE: ESMO 2006. Abstract: 327O
Volker Heinemann, Klinikum der Universität Münchenn

The anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agent cetuximab improves response to standard chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Volker Heinemann presented data at the ESMO conference in Istanbul from studies in which this molecular agent was added to both irinotecan and oxaliplatin containing regimens. He discussed his findings with Sarah Maxwell.

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.

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.

REFERENCE: American Association for Cancer Research 97th Annual Meeting 1st-5th April 2006, Washington, DC. Abstract 415
Christophe Nemos, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha
A new blood test for pancreatic cancer was under discussion at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting held in Washington, DC.  In some patients the results of the test proved to signal pancreatic cancer six months before the disease became detectable by other means.  Christophe Némos of the University of Nebraska in Omaha told Peter Goodwin about his group’s use of MUC4 mRNA molecule normally present in tumor tissue, which has now been measured in the blood.  The hope is that very early detection of the disease could improve further the rates of survival made possible by early resection combined with chemotherapy.