Bax expression decreases significantly from primary tumor to metastasis in colorectal cancer
JCO -- Abstracts: February 2002 - Bax is a proapoptotic member of the bcl-2 family. Previous studies about Bax have shown that the expression increases from normal to tumor tissue, but the clinical significance is contradictory. The association of Bax expression with tumor differentiation/histologic types and a decreased expression in the metastases, suggests that Bax expression may be involved in tumor differentiation/histologic types and metastatic progression.
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Different combinations of biallelic APC mutation confer different growth advantages in colorectal tumours
Abstract: American Association for Cancer Research, Jan 15
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Postoperative enteral nutrition reduces complications in gastrointestinal cancer
411Cancer.com - Jan. 14 - According to results published in the Lancet, postoperative enteral nutrition may significantly reduce complications and the length of hospital stays for patients with gastrointestinal cancer.
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Molecular biology and genetics
American Association for Cancer Research - Feb. 1 - MSH2 in Contrast to MLH1 and MSH6 Is Frequently Inactivated by Exonic and Promoter Rearrangements in Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer1.
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Cost-effectiveness of a single colonoscopy in screening for colorectal cancer
Archives of Internal Medicine - Jan. 28
Amnon Sonnenberg, MD, MSc; Fabiola Delc, MD, MPH
A single colonoscopy at the age of 65 years has been recommended as a potential option to screen for colorectal cancer. This study compares the cost-effectiveness of 2 screening programs based on a single or repeated colonoscopy. Conclusions  A repeated colonoscopy every 10 years offers better prevention against colorectal cancer and represents a medically more desirable screening option. If high costs or low patient compliance renders this option not feasible, a single colonoscopy at the age of 65 would represent a highly cost-effective alternative.
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Test may help halt colon cancer early
ATLANTA - Jan. 18 - (Cox News Service) - Scientists in Atlanta and Baltimore have developed a new chromosome-testing technique that may accurately predict whether cancer will return in colon cancer patients.
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Aminopeptidase N is involved in cell motility and angiogenesis: Its clinical significance in human colon cancer
Gastroenterology -- Abstracts: HASHIDA et al. 122 (2): 376, Feb. 6 - The aims of this study were to investigate the possible involvement of proteins at the cell surface in controlling cell motility and angiogenesis, and to identify the cell surface molecules involved in gastrointestinal tumors. Conclusions: Our data suggest that APN/CD13 is involved in cell motility and angiogenesis, and APN/CD13 expression may be a useful indicator of a poor prognosis for node-positive patients with colon cancer.
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Resection of hepatic and pulmonary metastases in patients with colorectal cancer.
Am J Clin Oncol 2001 Dec;24(6):607-9
Department of Surgical, North University Hospital, Nantes, France.
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Embarrassment a killer. Don't be nervous, author says -- see your doctor
National Post - Jan. 26 - Embarrassment is a serious health threat that can kill you, says the author of a new book on personal health -- Dr. Ann Robinson, medical columnist for the Guardian newspaper in London and a family doctor. The book is called "The Which? Guide to Personal Health." Robinson says if you've got blocked intestines, talk about it just as you would if you called the plumber. Apparently there is an ad campaign on Canadian TV that encourages people to go for colorectal cancer screening. As a narrator speaks, the camera shows an extreme close-up of what looks like cleavage. As the shot zooms out, the cleavage prooves to be a woman's bare behind.
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Doctors try technology to ease fears of colon tests
BOSTON Boston Globe - Feb. 12 -- ''We Cater to Cowards,'' proclaims the cheery little sign at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, where countless cowards (including this one) go for what may well be everyone's least favorite test - colon cancer screening.
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Groups urge broader colon cancer testing: More Medicare coverage is needed to boost the screening rate, experts say. Deaths in 2002 are expected to top 48,000, data show.
WASHINGTON - LA Times - Feb. 12 -- Not enough elderly Americans are being screened for colon cancer, even though Medicare often picks up most of the costs, according to critics asking Congress to expand coverage.
The American Cancer Society estimates that colon cancer will kill 48,000 people this year in the United States, more than any other cancer except lung cancer.
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Prolonging antigen presentation on dendritic cells enhances antitumor immunity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb. 6 - Coupling tumor antigens to cell-penetrating peptides results in longer presentation by dendritic cells and greater antitumor activity, Baylor researcher report in the February issue of Nature Biotechnology.
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Octreotide can be beneficial in progressive metastatic gastrinoma
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analogue, is an effective antitumor treatment for some patients with progressive malignant gastrinoma, according to a report in the Jan. 15 issue of Cancer.
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FDA Approves Gleevec For Gastrointestinal Stromal Cancer
WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Switzerland's Novartis AG said on Friday that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its cancer therapy Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal cancer (GIST).
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APC stool test may allow early detection of colorectal cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 30 - Analyzing fecal DNA for mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene can identify early cases of colorectal cancer, according to a report published in the Jan. 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Some fecal occult blood tests insensitive for upper GI bleeding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 29 - There are substantial performance differences between three commonly used fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) for the detection of occult upper GI bleeding, study results indicate.
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Bacterial levels of bowel mucosa increase with inflammatory disease severity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 23 - The mucosal surface of the bowel in healthy subjects is nearly sterile, German investigators report in the January issue of Gastroenterology. However, in patients with persistent colitis, the bacterial burden of the mucosa increases with the severity of disease.
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Benefits of continued colorectal cancer screening persist beyond 10 years
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan. 8 - The relative risk of death from colorectal cancer was reduced to less than 0.70 among subjects who completed seven biennial rounds of fecal occult blood screening compared with individuals who underwent no screening, according to the findings of a large ongoing Danish study.
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Expert column -- Cancer vaccines: Is there reason for optimism?
from Medscape Hematology-Oncology eJournal
Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD
In spite of 20 years of development and great commotion in the lay press about the next cancer vaccine, whose regulatory approval is right around the corner, no cancer vaccine has yet been shown to provide clear patient benefit in a randomized trial and consequently no vaccine for cancer has yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Amphotericin B versus fluconazole for controlling fungal infections in neutropenic cancer patients
Updated: 01/01/2002
from Cochrane Review Abstracts, Medscape
Objectives: To compare the effect of fluconazole and amphotericin B on morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer complicated by neutropenia.
Reviewers' conclusions: Amphotericin B had been disfavoured in most of the trials through their design or analysis. Since intravenous amphotericin B is the only antifungal agent with a documented effect on mortality and is considerably cheaper than fluconazole, it should be preferred.
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Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy offers little quality-of-life benefit
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan. 15 - For patients with colon cancer, laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (LAC) provides minimal improvements in short-term quality of life (QOL) compared with open colectomy, according to a report published in the January 16 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Reduction of 17HSD enzyme may explain influence of estrogen in colon cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 11 - Down regulation of the estrogen-metabolizing enzyme 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17HSD) type 2 in adenocarcinomatous colon cells appears to be responsible for the increased influence of estrogen observed in colon cancer, Finnish researchers suggest.
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Artificial antigen-presenting cell promotes ex vivo expansion of CD8 T cells
NEW YORK - Feb. 1 (Reuters Health) - An artificial antigen-presenting cell (APC) line engineered by researchers from Pennsylvania activates and rapidly expands polyclonal or antigen-specific CD8 T cells ex vivo. The technique may prove useful in adoptive immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer and infection.
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FDA approves pegylated filgrastim
WASHINGTON - Feb. 2 (Reuters Health) - California-based Amgen reported late Thursday that it has won US approval for Neulasta (pegfilgrastim), a longer-acting version of the febrile neutropenia drug Neupogen (filgrastim).
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Suicide gene injection cuts colon cancer metastasis
UniSci - Feb. 12 - Suicide gene therapy consists of the transfer into tumor cells of a - suicide - gene that can convert a non-toxic compound into a lethal drug. Injectable suicide gene therapy may be a highly effective way of preventing colon cancer from metastasizing, finds research in the current issue of Gut.
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Coverage sought for cancer screening
WASHINGTON - Feb. 11 (AP) - Not enough elderly Americans are being screened for colon cancer even though Medicare often pickes u most of the costs, according to critics asking Congress to expand coverage.
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Amid Bristol-ImClone feud, German firm eyes launch
NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Reuters) - As Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and partner ImClone Systems feud following a dramatic U.S. regulatory setback for their cancer drug Erbitux, German drugmaker Merck KGaA remains boldly confident of winning European approval for the same drug next year.
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Combined PET/CT scanner improves treatment
NEW YORK, Jan. 15 - Clinicians at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) are now able to view cancer in a more precise way, with the installation of two cutting-edge combined PET/CT scanners.
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Pharmacia cancer drug halted
NEW YORK - Forbes.com - Feb. 8 - Pharmacia will halt late-stage clinical testing of a colon cancer drug because it did not appear to help patients. The drug, the leading candidate of Pharmacia's Sugen biotech unit, was one of the first to try to kill tumors by cutting off their supply of blood.
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Pharmacia cancer drug fails late-stage trial
Reuters - Feb. 9 - Pharmacia Corp. said a key experimental cancer drug obtained in its $650-million purchase of biotech firm Sugen had proved ineffective, a setback for medicines meant to starve tumors by shutting off their blood supply.
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Pharmacia ending trials of cancer drug
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) Feb. 8 - Pharmacia Corp. is ending clinical trials of a pioneer colorectal cancer drug under development by its subsidiary Sugen Inc., the company announced Friday.
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The cutting edge of cancer treatment
TIME.com - Feb. 11 - Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are still the first line of defense against breast cancer. But exciting new techniques are entering clinical trials and, if they work, may eventually replace the old standards with kinder, gentler treatments.
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ImClone Likely to Lose to Bristol-Myers
NEW YORK Feb. 10 (Reuters) - ImClone Systems Inc. will likely fight Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s demand that its scandal-tainted top managers, Samuel and Harlan Waksal, resign. Chances are, though, that they will be forced out eventually, analysts say.
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Patient advocates urge FDA disclosure, Pharmaceuticals: Groups want details about decisions, including the rejection of cancer drug Erbitux
By DENISE GELLENE, Times Staff Writer
Feb. 8 -- Stung by the sudden rejection of ImClone System's highly touted cancer drug Erbitux, patient advocacy groups have begun a push to force the government to disclose more details about its decisions regarding drug approvals.
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Staging system prompts new therapeutic choices for rectal cancer
Several important papers on the treatment of rectal cancer were presented at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) 43rd Annual Meeting in November 2001. Among the topics covered were new risk stratification methods, sequencing of therapy in unresectable and resectable disease, overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor and associated response to chemoradiation, and re-irradiation of recurrent rectal cancer.
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Novel vaccine combats cancer: Gene-engineered approach targets only tumor cells
MSNBC - Feb. 5 - A genetically engineered vaccine that activates the patient's own immune system to attack and destroy tumors is showing promise for the treatment of prostate cancer. More importantly, the novel strategy holds the potential to stop the spread of all types of cancer, researchers say.
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Pharmacia says colorectal cancer drug not effective
PEAPACK, N.J., Feb 8 (Reuters) - Drugmaker Pharmacia Corp. on Friday said it was halting late-stage clinical trials of an experimental colorectal cancer drug because the treatment was unlikely to reach its goals. The Peapack, New Jersey-based firm said the drug, known as SU5416, would not achieve the Phase III trial endpoints due to lack of clinical benefit to patients. The decision was based on an interim analysis of the tests.
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ImClone saga shows biotech risk -- Investments: Analysts question why Bristol-Myers didn't see problems in firm before acquiring 19.9% stake. Congressional probe may offer answers.
LOS ANGELES TIMES- Feb. 1 - Among the mysteries surrounding the implosion of ImClone Systems Inc. is the terrible timing of a $1.2-billion investment in the company by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
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New screening test for colon cancer spots cancer genes
BOSTON (AP) Jan. 30 - A new screening test can find colon cancer in its early, curable stage by detecting extremely small traces of cancer genes in patients' stool.
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ImClone likely to fight Bristol-Myers but lose
NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - ImClone Systems Inc. will likely fight Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s demand that its scandal-tainted top managers, Samuel and Harlan Waksal, resign. Chances are, though, that they will be forced out eventually, analysts said Wednesday.

Bristol-Myers, which in September agreed to pay up to $2 billion for a 20 percent stake in ImClone, wants a bigger profit share from experimental cancer drug Erbitux than the 40 percent it originally agreed to.
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Bristol Tries To Stop ImClone's Implosion
Forbes.com - Feb. 6 - Bristol-Myers has had enough. After plunking down $1.2 billion and promising up to $800 million more for ImClone 's cancer drug Erbitux, it was caught off guard when regulators rejected its drug application because it lacked important data. Worries about the drug have since caused ImClone shares to lose two-thirds of their value.

Bristol has now made it clear that it wants to take control of all future discussions with the Food and Drug Administration. More surprisingly, Bristol also wants to boot some of ImClone's top brass until Erbitux, an antibody meant to treat colon cancer, passes the FDA's muster. Likely candidates for ouster include Samuel Waksal, ImClone's chief executive, and Harlan Waksal, its chief operating officer.
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Biomira announces initiation of Phase II pilot study of Theratope(R) vaccine for metastatic colorectal cancer
EDMONTON, Feb. 6 /CNW/Press Release - Biomira Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOM - news; TSE: BRA - news) announced today the initiation of a pilot Phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety of THERATOPE(R) vaccine in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, as well as evaluating the ability of the vaccine to induce an antibody response in these patients when given in combination with first line chemotherapy.
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Many patients 'not getting specific cancer treatment'
Irish Times - Feb. 2 - A report on the level of cancer in the Republic, shows many patients are not receiving specific treatment for their condition. There is also significant regional variation in cancer treatment services, and rates for bowel cancer and melanoma skin cancer do not compare favourably with other EU countries.
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ImClone Systems Inc. issues statement
NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 5, 2002--ImClone Systems Incorporated issued the following statement:

"We have received the proposal from Bristol-Myers Squibb outlining the terms of a proposed restructuring of their relationship with ImClone Systems. We will review their proposal and respond appropriately in due course."

[snip]

"The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise."
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Imclone says reviewing new Bristol-Myers proposal
NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Biotech company ImClone Systems Inc. said on Tuesday it received and was reviewing a proposal from drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. aimed at restructuring a $2-billion cancer drug development deal. The news follows reports earlier in the day that Bristol-Myers could walk away from the agreement, which has been thrown into doubt since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected at the end of December an application for ImClone's experimental cancer drug Erbitux.
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Bristol-Myers seeks restructuring of ImClone deal
LOS ANGELES, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said on Tuesday it wanted to restructure its cancer drug development deal with ImClone Systems Inc., to include the ouster of ImClone's senior management. At the center of Bristol-Myers' demands is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rejection at the end of December of an application for ImClone's experimental cancer drug Erbitux.
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Colon cancer trials from Veritas Medicine
The Veritas Medicine database currently includes 47 clinical trials for patients with Colon Cancer.
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1/30/02 Influence of a complementary treatment with oral enzymes on patients with colorectal cancers--an epidemiological retrolective cohort study.
NCBI Pub Med, 1/30/02 -- PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of postoperative treatment with an oral enzyme (OE) preparation given complementary to an antineoplastic therapy in patients with all stages of colorectal cancer RESULTS: A significant reduction in disease-associated signs and symptoms was observed in patients treated with OE alone, but not in those receiving OE in addition to other complementary treatments. Adverse reactions to chemo- and radiotherapy were diminished in all patients receiving OE. Analysis of survival did not demonstrate a reduced number of deaths in the OE group. However, a trend to prolongation of survival was demonstrated, particularly in the patients with disease stage Dukes' D, in the subgroup receiving OE in addition to other complementary treatments CONCLUSION: Complementary treatment of colorectal cancer patients with OE improves their quality of life by reducing both the signs and symptoms of the disease and the adverse reactions associated with adjuvant antineoplastic therapies. This epidemiological retrolective cohort analysis provides evidence that patients may also benefit by a prolongation of survival time. OE were generally well tolerated.
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How angiogenesis is inhibited in the body: A first
UniSci Jan. 4 -- A new discovery led by a team of researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers one of the first explanations for how angiogenesis -- the growth of small blood vessels -- is inhibited in the body.
The study, which appears in January's issue of Science, focuses on a protein called tumstatin, and could prove key to understanding how to stop the overgrowth of blood vessels that occur in cancerous tumors when the angiogenesis process goes awry.
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Colonoscopy may be cost effective for young people with rectal bleeding
PHILADELPHIA (American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine) InteliHealth, Jan. 15 -- Using a computer model, researchers estimated the effectiveness and cost of various procedures in investigating rectal bleeding in people aged 25 to 45 years old.
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Second Opinion: Prime time's cancer cure
Washington Post - Jan. 29 - Gleevec -- what a geeky name for a TV star. But Gleevec, the hottest new agent in the war on cancer, played a major role in episodes of both "The West Wing" and "Law and Order" recently, leaving behind a trail of blood and broken dreams.
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New Test Detects Colon Cancer Gene
Howard Hughes Medical Institute - Jan. 31, 2002 - Researchers have developed a technique that detects small amounts of a colon-cancer-triggering gene in stool samples.
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Introgen's anti-cancer therapy in combination with current cancer treatments awarded european patent
AUSTIN, Texas - Gene Therapy - Jan. 30, 2002 -- Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. and The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System announced today that the European Patent and Trademark Office has been granted to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System European Patent No. 0 760 675 titled "Compositions Comprising DNA Damaging Agents and p53." The patent relates to novel methods and compositions that combine the potency of DNA damaging agents, such as chemotherapy, with the delivery of a tumor suppressor gene. This patent is one of numerous patents, pending or issued, that Introgen has licensed exclusively from The University of Texas System based on technology from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Virtually all cancer patients receive DNA damaging agents such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy as part of standard cancer treatment. By treating cancer cells with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy prior to receiving gene therapy, the effects of the gene therapy treatment are enhanced. Importantly, this enhanced therapeutic effect is not dependent on the type of cancer or the method by which a patient receives chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Targeted therapy for GIST
Healthology - Feb. 4 - Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors or GISTs are rare cancers that occur in the gastrointestinal tract. Up until now, treatment options have been limited but there is hope in a drug called STI571 or Gleevec, which recently was approved for a common type of leukemia. Dr. George Demetri talks about GIST and the latest treatment strategies.
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The future of targeted cancer therapy
Healthology - Feb. 4 - In recent years, targeted therapies have become increasingly successful in the treatment of various cancers, and new studies have found that therapies designed for one cancer can sometimes be used to treat another. Dr. Charles Sawyers and Dr. Oliver Press discuss the latest groundbreaking discoveries, and future directions for targeted cancer therapies.
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The success of targeted cancer therapy
Healthology - Feb. 4 - Medications that can target cancer cells without harming the rest of the body have become an important part of oncology's cutting edge. They've been around for several years, but recent advances are generating a lot of excitement among patients and doctors alike.
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Screening for colon cancer: Know the facts
Healthology - Feb. 4 - After the age of 50 -- and sooner if colon cancer runs in your family -- every man and woman should start getting screened for colon cancer. Why? Colon cancer is considered the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, but many cases can be cured if caught early. Still not convince? A panel of experts discuss the benefits of screening, and describe the different options.
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Bristol-Myers Squibb proposes restructuring relationship with ImClone Systems, Inc.
SOURCE: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
NEW YORK, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peter R. Dolan, chairman and chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, said today that he has proposed steps to fundamentally restructure the company's relationship with ImClone Systems, Inc. "If these conditions are accepted, Bristol-Myers Squibb will take the lead in the FDA approval process and other clinical and regulatory matters related to Erbitux,'' said Mr. Dolan. Bristol-Myers Squibb entered into a commercial agreement with ImClone on Sept. 19, 2001 to co-develop and co-promote Erbitux, an investigational cancer drug, in the U.S., Canada and Japan.
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AFL-CIO asks SEC to bar Enron directors from boards
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Feb. 4 - The AFL-CIO called on federal regulators on Monday to bar directors of Enron Corp. from serving on other companies' boards, arguing the directors were "substantially unfit" for such duties.

Companies who include some of the 10 Enron directors include ImClone Systems, Inc., Owens Corning, Comdisco Inc., Motorola Inc., and Qualcomm Inc., the AFL-CIO said.
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FDA approves Gleevec to treat gastrointestinal stromal cancer
FDA - Feb. 1, 2002 - The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the cancer drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) for treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). GIST is a relatively uncommon tumor, affecting about 5,000 people in the United States. It is a tumor that generally arises within the stomach or intestinal tract and metastasizes within the abdomen or the pelvis.
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Perth company completes trial of anti-cancer vaccine
ABC Online - Feb. 2, 2002 - A Perth-based cancer treatment company says it has completed the first phase of a clinical trial of an anti-cancer vaccine. The clinical trials on the drug "Pentrix" are being conducted at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital. The Australian Cancer Technology group says the first trial of the drug on humans has demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and further trials will now take place. Sydney-based Associate Professor Robyn Ward says the vaccine has the potential to treat a wide range of cancers.
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New, painless test detects colon cancer
USA TODAY - Jan. 31, 2002 - Researchers have developed a painless test that finds colon cancer before it turns lethal, a study out today says.
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Could an immunosuppressive drug prevent cancer?
The Lancet Journal, Feb. 2, 2002 - A new immunosuppressive drug could have a role in preventing cancer, report researchers from the University of Regensburg, Germany.

Conventional drugs, such as ciclosporin, used to suppress the immune system to prevent organ rejection after transplantation, carry a risk of developing new or recurrent cancer. This risk has been suggested to be as high as a 20-50-fold increased incidence of certain types of tumour in transplant patients on immunosuppressive medication.

By contrast, Markus Guba and colleagues report that normal immunosuppressive doses of a newer drug, sirolimus (also known as rapamycin), have a potent antiangiogenic effect that actually inhibits tumour growth in mice.

The researchers injected three groups of seven mice intraportally with CT-26 adenocarcinoma cells to simulate metastasis of colon cancer to the liver.
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First milestone achieved in Centocor-Crucell agreement for CD46 human antibodies against cancer
This Crucell press release contains forward-looking statements that involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We have identified certain important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements. See our Form 20-F, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 29, 2001 and the section of the Form 20-F entitled "Risk Factors".
Leiden, The Netherlands, Feb. 1, 2002 - Dutch antibody and vaccine company Crucell N.V. today announced that the first milestone has been achieved under Crucell's agreement with Centocor, Inc. for the development and commercialization of Crucell's CD 46-specific human antibody against cancer.

The preclinical milestone further confirms the efficacy of the CD-46 antibody in animal models and indicates the development of the antibody is proceeding as planned. As a result, Centocor will make a $1.5 million payment to Crucell.

Crucell is developing antibodies against colon cancer, breast cancer, anti-angiogenesis, leukemia and inflammation.
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Editor's note: A sign of the times. The first paragraph of the above item was prominently emphasized at the top of the press release by its authors.

Targeted cancer drugs face uphill battle, One takes temporary fall, but others hot on heels
WebMD Medical News - Jan. 30, 2002 -- Just as media buzz surrounds an actor favored to win big at the Oscars, so talk in the press and elsewhere recently suggested that the experimental drug C225 would win the title "Best New Cancer Treatment." The drug made headlines last year because it seemed able to launch an innovative attack on several types of cancer, signaling a potential end to the dark days of chemotherapy.
But the image of C225, known by the trade name Erbitux, is quickly being recast. Last month, the FDA shot down an application asking for approval to market the drug as a treatment for colon cancer. The FDA claimed that the research was poorly done.
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New colon cancer test shows promise, noninvasive method identifies genetic markers of disease early
WebMD Medical News - Jan. 30, 2002 -- Perfecting a simple, accurate, and noninvasive diagnostic test has been the elusive Holy Grail of colorectal cancer research. Now, researchers from Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University say they have developed a safe and reliable noninvasive test that can detect early colon cancers and precancerous polyps.
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New gene test may provide early signs of colon cancer
NEW YORK TIMES - Jan. 31 - A new screening test for colon cancer, based on detecting a gene that is disrupted very early in the course of the disease, could prevent many thousands of deaths each year, researchers are reporting today.
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Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer
Am J Gastroenterol 2002 Jan;97(1):13-21
Gwyn K, Sinicrope FA.
Department of Gastrointestinal Medicine and Nutrition, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
This review focuses on chemoprevention of colon cancer, which is defined as the use of natural or synthetic agents to reverse the process of carcinogenesis. Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that chronic intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), principally aspirin, can reduce the incidence of colorectal adenomas and carcinomas.
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Daily aspirin not cost-effective for preventing colorectal cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan. 26 - As prevention for colorectal cancer, colonoscopy once every 10 years saves more lives at a lower cost than chemoprevention with a daily dose of aspirin, researchers report in the January issue of Gastroenterology.
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Bristol's bad FDA record a prelude to ImClone
Forbes.com - Jan. 28 -- Bristol-Myers Squibb last September pledged $2 billion to get what looked like a promising new cancer drug from ImClone Systems . Then, in December, the Food and Drug Administration rejected ImClone's application for the drug, dubbed Erbitux. The application is going to be resubmitted with Bristol's help, but the drug giant's own history with the FDA indicates that the process will be anything but smooth.
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Big pharma's investments sour
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Jan. 30 -- The mother's milk of biotechnology -- cash from big drug makers -- may not be flowing so freely now that Bristol-Myers Squibb has had to write off most of the billion dollars it invested in ImClone Systems Inc.
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New stool test detects early signs of colon cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan. 30 -- A test that picks up DNA in a stool sample can reliably detect colorectal cancer in the earliest stages when the disease is highly treatable, according to a new report.
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Polyp Man is the new villain in public service announcements encouraging colon cancer screening
By Elizabeth Cohen and Miriam Falco
CNN Medical Unit
NEW YORK (CNN) Jan. 30 -- It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Polyp Man, and he's no superhero.

He's the villain in a series of public service announcements being sent out to television stations this week. Dressed in red tights and a bulbous red suit, Polyp Man runs from doctors in scenes reminiscent of "Cops" or "NYPD Blue."

"He's hilarious," said Dr. Harmon Eyre, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, which is sponsoring the PSAs together with the Advertising Council.

The point of the ads is to persuade people to get tested for colon cancer. The tag line for the ad is "Get the test, get the polyp, get the cure."
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Experimental test finds cancer in its curable stage: study
MSNBC News Services -- Jan. 30 -- A new screening test can find colon cancer in its early, curable stage by detecting extremely small traces of cancer genes in patients? stool. The experimental test, still several years away from routine use, offers an entirely new approach to mass screening for colon cancer, which will kill an estimated 48,000 Americans this year.
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