TWiPO #19 ~ More on Hedgehog signaling, brain tumor risk from cell phone use, and FDA approval of cancer drugs

October 30, 2011

Several just-published papers in the literature relate to recent podcast episodes, and host Dr. Tim Cripe and co-host Dr.  Lionel Chow review these interesting developments.

0:55 Hedgehog Signaling: Recent papers discussing this pathway in neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma are discussed, with implications for treatment in these tumor types with itraconozole.

6:40 Cell phone and brain tumor risk: The controversy concerning criticism by the Environmental Health Trust of a study showing that cell phone use does not increase risk of brain tumors in children is explored.

Accelerated approval of cancer drugs by the FDA and implications for pediatric cancers.

15:30 Brentuximab for two types of lymphoma

21:20 Vemurafenib for melanoma

28:30 Crizotinib for non-small cell lung cancer (and potential use in neuroblastoma)

42:30 Response to email regarding personalized medicine TWiPO episode #17 and lab blog for Dr Charles Keller at OHSU

References:

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2011 Dec 1;57(6):930-8. doi: 10.1002/pbc.23174. Hedgehog pathway activity in pediatric embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Int J Oncol. 2011 Oct;39(4):899-906. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2011.1076. Pharmacological inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway preventshuman rhabdomyosarcoma cell growth.

Cancer Lett. 2011 Nov 28;310(2):222-31. Inhibition of the sonic hedgehog pathway by cyplopaminereduces the CD133+/CD15+ cell compartment and the in vitrotumorigenic capability of neuroblastoma cells.

Cell Phone Study Was Flawed, Say Some Experts by Roxanne Nelson Medscape Oncology News.

The JNCI Study by Aydin et al on Risk of Childhood Brain Cancer from Cellphone Use Reveals Serious Health Problems, Environmental Health Trust.

N Engl J Med. 2010 Nov 4;363(19):1812-21. Brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35) for relapsed CD30-positive lymphomas.

FDA Approves Brentuximab for Two Lymphomas By: ELIZABETH MECHCATIE, Oncology Report Digital Network.

Clin Cancer Res. 2011 Oct 15;17(20):6428-36. Brentuximab Vedotin (SGN-35).

FDA Approves Vemurafenib for Advanced Melanoma. By: JANE SALODOF MACNEIL, Oncology Report Digital Network.

N Engl J Med. 2011 Jun 30;364(26):2507-16. Improved survival with vemurafenib in melanoma with BRAFV600E mutation.

N Engl J Med. 2011 Jun 30;364(26):2547-8. Been there, not done that--melanoma in the age of molecular therapy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21639809

Biochem J. 2011 Aug 15. Activating ALK mutations found in neuroblastoma are inhibited by Crizotinib and NVP-TAE684.

N Engl J Med. 2010 Oct 28;363(18):1693-703. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibition in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Nature. 2007 Aug 2;448(7153):561-6. Epub 2007 Jul 11. Identification of the transforming EML4-ALK fusion gene in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Science. 1994 Mar 4;263(5151):1281-4. Fusion of a kinase gene, ALK, to a nucleolar protein gene, NPM, in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.