AACR 2012 Annual Meeting, Chicago

At a press conference at AACR 2012, Prof Vieth presents the effects of Vitamin D, or calcitriol, on men with prostate cancer.

Talking at AACR 2012 with ecancertv about cancer in the developing world, Dr Tim Rebbeck highlights the need for understanding risk prevention, disparities in cases between race and the epidemiology of infection related cancers.

Dr Stambolic talks about the effects and mechanisms of the drug, metformin, at the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting in Chicago. It has been discovered that direct effects of metformin use the mTOR pathway, similar to a number of other drugs; however a number of indirect pathways are now being explored through a phase I clinical trial.

Dr Evans presents results from a study on the use of a novel, noninvasive imaging tool that allows researchers to measure free prostate-specific antigen in prostate cancer models and to visualise bone metastasis in a tumour-specific manner. The results were presented at the AACR 2012 Annual meeting in Chicago.

Dr Mellinghof presents on epidermal growth factor receptor mutations that occur in glioblastoma and how they differ from those that occur in lung cancers. This finding, which was presented at the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting, may explain the lack of response to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors seen in glioblastoma.

Dr Necchi presented the results from a study involving the antiangiogenic drug pazopanib at AACR 2012 in Chicago. The results revealed that increases in interleukin-8 levels early after treatment with pazopanib may predict a lack of tumour response to the therapy.

Dr Max Wicha talks about the session he chaired at the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting on clinical implications of cancer stem cells and large number of trials underway examining these cells. He also highlights two examples; the effects of anti-angiogenic agents on cancer stem cells and role of HER 2 in driving cancer stem cells in human breast cancer.

Dr David Ulmert - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA; Dr Michael Evans - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA Dr Ulmert and Dr Evans talk with ecancertv at the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting about prostate specific antigens (PSA) and radiotracers for patients with prostate cancer, specifically castration resistant prostate cancer. Dr Evans explains the how partnership between him and Dr Ulmert will hopefully result in developing non-invasive biomarkers, uncovering onco-genic signaling pathways, and using radiotracers to stage treatment response.

According to a study presented at an AACR Annual Meeting 2012 press conference, hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen, in prostate cancer tumours was associated with early biochemical relapse and local recurrence after radiotherapy in men with intermediate-risk disease.

Preliminary results from clinical trials in a subtype of lymphoma show that for a number of patients whose disease was not cured by other treatments, the drug ibrutinib can provide significant anti-cancer responses with modest side effects. Early results from the trial were presented at AACR 2012 in Chicago.

Selumetinib, a small-molecule MEK inhibitor, demonstrated the ability to control low-grade serous ovarian or peritoneal cancer, according to phase II study results presented at a press conference at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is an advanced form of prostate cancer that occurs when the disease progresses after treatment with androgen deprivation therapy. Galeterone works against CRPC by blocking the androgen receptor, reducing levels of the ligand that binds to the receptor and degrading the androgen receptor protein. Patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer had limited side effects and in many cases a drop in prostate-specific antigen expression with galeterone (TOK-001), a small-molecule oral drug, according to phase I data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012.

Dr Naing presents data at a press conference on a combination of targeted therapies that may be effective against relapsed or recurrent Ewing’s sarcoma or desmoplastic small-round-cell tumours. The results come from a phase I trial presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012.

The use of metformin in men with prostate cancer before prostatectomy helped to reduce certain metabolic parameters and slow the growth rate of the cancer, according to the results of a phase II study. Dr Joshua, from the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network in Toronto, presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012

Dr Bill Sellers talks about his session at the AACR 2012 Annual Meeting on the five key issues on the genetic basis of cancer drug development. Dr Sellers mentions previously successful drugs, such as gleevec, and how there needs to be a greater understanding of the cancer genome, which will lead to more therapies for diseases once thought to be unaffected by this type of treatment.

Prof Li talks about the new findings with the drug metformin in diabetic patients with pancreatic cancer. Preliminary data has shown that 117 patients who use metformin showed a 4-month increase in overall survival and 18 percent increase in first year survival.

Prof Susan Mayne talks about her presentation at the AACR 2012 Annual meeting on the scientific evidence on supplements and nutrition for the growing population of cancer survivors.