Colin G. Evans, PhD

Bone metastases in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) can invade a range of sites in the skeleton where they precipitate a spectrum of pathological processes that increase morbidity, negatively affect quality of life, and decrease survival.

A recent paper concluded that docetaxel added to standard of care should be considered the new standard of care for men with hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer.

The latest results from an open-label, phase Ib study of the STAT3 inhibitor BBI-608 (napabucasin) with a standard chemotherapy (FOLFIRI with or without bevacizumab) in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, have been presented at the ASCO 2016 Gastrointestinal Symposium. Evidence of antitumor activity and a favorable safety profile were seen in phase I studies.

A team in Australia have revealed the clinicopathological phenotypes and clinical activities of rarer BRAF mutations, namely BRAFK601E (K601E) and BRAFL597 (L597).

Building on previous work showing increased NF-kB activity in lung cancers, one research team has recently published a study showing this activity is also enhanced in glioblastoma, one of the most lethal forms of human cancers.

A study analysis tackles the ethical debate surrounding the impact of the increasing requirement for research biopsies on the participation of patients with advanced non-small lung cancer in clinical trials.

The success of the immunotherapies pembrolizumab and nivolumab for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the promising results in NSCLC for the investigational agent atezolizumab, have generated an interest in new combinations with other agents

A new 26-gene-screening panel, dubbed myBRCA HiRisk, hitting the market in the first quarter of 2016 aims to advance the prevention of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

A new study has analyzed intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) in 12 cancer types and found a "tolerable" level of genomic instability, independent of cancer type, beyond which a cancer may become less aggressive.

Details of a new technology for studying tumor metabolism have been published in Nature Materials, whereby a cellulose strip containing tumor cells was wrapped around a metal core and incubated, mimicking conditions consistent with in vivo tumors.

A new method to elucidate the clonal relationship between tumors used tissues and clinical details from patients with contralateral breast cancer, and for the first time, next-generation sequencing.

A recent meta-analysis published in The Oncologist found that metformin use in patients with simultaneous diabetes and breast cancer improved overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival.

A paper presenting the results of a retrospective study of patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC hypothesized that prognosis for patients with NSCLC and brain metastases could be further identified through molecular subtyping.

The storied history of Trabectedin, a treatment for metastatic liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma, all starts in the shallow, warm waters of the ocean.

A paper recently published online by a group at the University of Michigan details a mechanism by which epigenetic modulation can increase the number of tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells and could potentially lead to increased immunotherapy response.

A new paper spotlights a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for bladder cancer. The authors say that although BC is recognized as a common and deadly malignancy, a lack of understanding of the molecular pathways involved has hindered development of effective treatments compared with progress made with other malignancies.

Researchers note that chronic Hedgehog (Hh) pathway stimulation has been shown in prostate, lung, and ovarian cancers, and that zinc levels decrease early in prostate cancer continuing to castration-resistant disease. Researchers are exploring whether or not zinc may suppress the autocatalysis in the Hh precursor and inhibit production of biologically active Hh ligand.

The USPSTF recently posted a draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review on screening for colorectal cancer prompting responses from organizations and industry.

Clinical Trial Profile: The Juniper trial is studying abemaciclib as a possible new treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring the KRAS mutation.

A preclinical study using mouse and human melanoma cell lines published in a September, 2015, issue of Cell, outlines mechanisms by which melanoma can evade the immune system.

Bone metastases in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) can invade a range of sites in the skeleton where they precipitate a spectrum of pathological processes that increase morbidity, negatively affect quality of life, and decrease survival.

A novel trap and detection system in preclinical trials may leverage advances in the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to find and stop metastatic cancer cells from spreading.

A paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, authored by Tosoian et al, reports on the long-term outcomes of prospective active surveillance (AS) of patients with favorable-risk prostate cancer.

Results of the CHORUS trial confirm the noninferiority of primary chemotherapy followed by surgery versus primary surgery and then chemotherapy, and show that performing chemotherapy first is associated with less morbidity and mortality in patients with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer.

The phase I results of RRx-001, which has multiple epigenetic targets, have been published in Lancet Oncology. The drug is of interest because epigenetic alterations are associated with resistance to chemotherapy.

A novel basket trial has reported results on the treatment of vemurafenib in variety of nonmelanoma cancers with BRAF V600 mutation.

The therapeutic palette for Hodgkin Lymphoma is growing, along with improvements in survival and cure rates.

A recent study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology has helped to confirm the correlation between transplantation and increased risk of melanoma.1-3

A Mayo Clinic Laboratory, which discovered that upregulation of ras homolog gene family member B (RhoB), in combination with paclitaxel results in enhanced antitumor activity, has uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying combination therapy for anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC).

Catherine Alix-Panabières, PhD, and her colleagues, demonstrate the expression of PD-L1 on CTCs in patients with HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer.