IBTA April 2010 E-News
Click here to return
to the main webpage for the IBTA.
Dear Friend of the International Brain Tumour Community
Avastin Canada:
“Roche Canada
announced today that Health Canada has approved AVASTIN(R) (bevacizumab),
as a single agent, for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma multiforme
(GBM), the most aggressive primary malignant brain tumour, after relapse or
disease progression, following prior therapy. AVASTIN has been issued a notice
of compliance with conditions (NOC/c), pending the results of confirmatory
studies to verify its clinical benefit. Products authorized under Health Canada's NOC/c
policy are intended for the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of a serious,
life-threatening or severely debilitating illness. They have demonstrated
promising benefit, are of high quality and possess an acceptable safety profile
based on a benefit/risk assessment. Health Canada has provided access to this
product on the condition that the sponsor submit the results of additional
clinical trials to verify the benefit within an agreed upon time frame.” Source
CNW 24 March 2010.
Avastin - Australia: Roche in Australia has developed a country-specific cost-sharing program,
which commenced on 15 March, for Avastin for GBM
patients after relapse or disease progression after standard therapy, including
chemotherapy. This announcement follows approval of Avastin
for that indication.
Brain Tumour Patients’ Charter of Rights: Sunday 18
April is the 4th European
Patients’ Rights Day and the IBTA will use the occasion to launch a Brain
Tumour Patients’ Charter of Rights which will have a universal application as
an aspirational document. The Charter will appear in
the IBTA’s forthcoming magazine (see later). We would
like to thank those who responded to our major survey directed to all our
contacts and the recent mini-survey about the Charter directed to our patient,
caregiver, support group and advocacy contacts. The Charter has undergone 13 iterations
as we strive to achieve the appropriate words applicable for most cultures.
Childhood cancer drugs for brain tumours: Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) member companies
currently have 234 new medicines in development for the special health care
needs of children, the industry group said
yesterday. IBTA E-News looked at the PhRMA list, which is available for download from its
website and those listed that appear to be directly relevant to brain tumours
are: irinotecan, cintredekin
bseudotox, and nimotuzumab.
Those being looked at generally for solid tumours are: cetuximab,
perifosine, taxotere, panitumumab and robatumumab. Not
a large number unfortunately.
IBTA magazine: The IBTA has been working on a magazine planned for
worldwide distribution in the brain tumour community. It will be printed on
26 April in the UK
and comprise at least 80 pages, written in an easy to read style with plenty of
photographs. There are short interviews with more than 20 brain tumour support
group leaders and more than 15 clinicians and surgeons from various
countries.
It contains some fascinating information from people who are everyday names in
the brain tumour community. For example, who is the neuro
oncologist who tries to run at least two marathons each year? The one who
competes in ironman events? The neurosurgeon
who likes to ride fast on a motorbike? The Board member of a brain tumour charity
who repairs antique clock movements as a hobby? There are also
inspiring articles from patients who are getting on with their lives and other
articles of interest to practitioners, researchers, company managers, and
patients alike.
The IBTA intends to post a copy of the magazine to everyone on our
database for whom we have addresses and to send multiple copies to
the larger institutions, treatment centres and patient groups. You will soon
receive an email invitation to respond to a Zoomerang
survey from the IBTA seeking your postal (land) address and recommendations for
centres to which multiple copies could be sent. Please respond to ensure you
receive a copy of the magazine and that it reaches the audience for whom
it is intended.
Epidemiology meeting: IBTA Co-Director Kathy Oliver recently attended a
meeting of the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium (BTEC) held at Cambridge, UK.
She reports that nearly 50 specialists including epidemiologists,
neurosurgeons, pathologists, researchers and others from around the world
attended this 12th annual meeting, the theme for which was "Low Grade
Gliomas" (LGGs). It is an indication of
the greater focus of attention being put on this type of brain tumour that The
Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Project -which had previously prioritised
glioblastoma multiforme, ovarian and lung as the first cancers to study - is
now including LGGs and other types of gliomas in
addition to GBM in its work. See http://cancergenome.nih.gov/wwd/cancers_studied_by_tcga.asp
Additionally, epidemiologist Dr Margaret Wrench (USA),
Co-President of BTEC said at the conference at Cambridge: "This meeting has shown tremendous development
in our knowledge of possible risk factors for glioma, for example through
inherited susceptibility as investigated in the Gliogene
[brain tumour familial risk] project and the Genome-Wide Association Studies
(GWAS). We are at a point where we may be able to figure out this disease
and that is really very hopeful."
Continuous dose-intensive TMZ: Dr James Perry (Canada) and colleagues give an
update in the 22 March
issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology on the RESCUE study, involving
continuous dose-intensive temozolomide in recurrent
malignant glioma. They report: Rechallenge with continuous
dose-intense TMZ 50 mg/m2/d is a valuable therapeutic option
for patients with recurrent GBM. Patients who experience progression
during the first six cycles of conventional adjuvant TMZ therapy or
after a treatment-free interval get the most benefit from therapy.
In an editorial
comment Dr Patrick Wen (Boston)
expresses caution, while acknowledging that the RESCUE regimen shows promise.
Other relevant trials in progress include the RTOG 0525 study (due in 2010) and
the German DIRECTOR study.
Response Criteria for
High Grade Gliomas: In the April 10, 2010
issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology members of the Response Assessment in
Neuro-Oncology (RANO) Working Group present their proposal for updated response
criteria in high-grade glioma but advise that it is a “work in progress”. The
Macdonald Criteria was previously used in clinical trials. Patient groups
should study these proposed criteria to evaluate how they might impact on
existing practices. One example includes eligibility for entry onto trials for
recurrent glioma. Currently patients are accepted if there is any worsening of their imaging studies,
the RANO group proposes “that patients should be required to have a 25%
increase in the sum of the products of perpendicular diameters of the
contrast-enhancing lesions, while on stable or increasing doses of corticosteroids ...”.
US brain tumor statistics: The Central Brain Tumor
Registry of the United States has published its latest report on primary
brain and CNS tumors diagnosed in the USA in
2004-2006. The report is downloadable from here.
Generic Temozolomide: On 31 March Teva
UK
announced the availability of
a generic form of Temodal (Temozolomide)
in 5mg, 20mg, 100mg, 140mg, 180mg and 250mg strength capsules. In other
developments The European Commission granted a marketing authorisation valid
throughout the EU for Temozolomide Hexal (another generic) to Hexal AG on 15 March 2010; to Hospira UK for Temozolomide Hospira (another generic) on 15 March 2010; and to Sandoz Pharmaceutical GmbH for Temozolomide
Sandoz (another generic) on the same day.
Vietnam: A
dissident Vietnamese Catholic priest, 63 year old Nguyen Van Ly, has been released
from prison in Vietnam
to undergo treatment for his brain tumour but it is unclear if he must return
if he gets better. His sister says he had three strokes last year. He had been
held in solitary confinement for three years. Last year Democrat Senator Barbara
Boxer spearheaded two letters in the (US)
Senate to Vietnamese President Triet and the
Vietnamese Ambassador to the United
States, Le Cong Phung urging
the immediate release of Father Ly.
Thank you for your continuing support.
Denis Strangman (Chair and
Co-Director)
International Brain Tumour Alliance IBTA
www.theibta.org
Kathy Oliver (Co-Director)
PO Box 244,
Tadworth, Surrey
KT20 5WQ, United
Kingdom
Tel:+ (44) + (0) + 1737 813872
Fax: + (44) + (0) +1737 812712
Mob: + (44) + (0) + 777 571 2569
The International Brain Tumour Alliance is a not-for-profit,
limited liability company registered in England and Wales, registered number
6031485. Registered office: Roxburghe
House, 273-287 Regent Street, London
W1B 2AD, United
Kingdom. All
correspondence should be sent to the Co-Director’s address above, not to the
registered office.
Note: This e-mail has been sent to hidden e-mail addresses to protect personal
information. If you do not know why you have been sent it, or would prefer not
to receive such e-mails in the future, please contact: chair@theibta.org