All GLG News Analyses Filed Under: Oncology

Yet another study, although small, report 15 5 incidence of cardiac abnormalities in patients receiving Pfizer's Sutent. The abnormalities persist and are serious in patients with previous history of cardiac disease. Sutent is an efficacious drug, but it has alternative options ( Nexavar and Torisel...

Genome wide association studies compare the incidence of DNA sequence variants in large cohorts of patients and controls as a strategy to identify common genetic factors responsible for disease.  In three recent reports in Nature Genetics (Gudmundsson, Thomas and Eeles: 10 February 08) the Illumina...

Sutent is associated with cardiac dysfunction!?

As an oncologist we are aware of a drugs efficacy in conditions other than what it has been approved. Avastin in breast cancer; Nexavar and Erbitux in lung cancer, Taxotere in sarcomas. This list would be voluminous and would be a real benefit for patients BUT.......

A recent trial showed that Genentech's Avastin when added to Docotaxel , increased time to progression in patients with recurrent breast cancer. This trial confirms results of a previous study and is reported to have better safety profile. Although survival data are still pending, the efficacy results...

Targeting gynecologic tumors with a "hormone" attached to an effective chemotherapeutic agent.

In papers by Silva and Schlabach published in Science (1st Feb 08) RNA silencing was used to selectively remove genes, one at a time, from cancer cell lines in order to measure their influence on cell survival and proliferation. The beauty of the approach is that 1000s of genes can...

"Genentech said Tuesday that a new clinical trial had shown that its best-selling drug Avastin was effective in treating breast cancer, a finding that could increase the chances that the product will be approved for that use."

Analysis of RNA obtained from hair follicles can be used to guide drug development and therapy

The key to the current study is whether sequential gene expression profiling of hair follicles before and during the course of a patient's treatment can be 'linked to changes in tumours' and act therefore 'to determine drug exposure, toxicity and dose response'. The authors, and indeed previous...