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Presentation Of The National Consortium For Translational Cancer Research
No progress without research - this is particularly true for cancer medicine. The chances of cure for those affected can only be further increased if research results are swiftly transferred from the laboratory into clinical practice. Framework conditions for this research transfer, also called translational research, will now be optimized in Germany. Last Tuesday, German Research Minister Annette Schavan, Friedrich Carl Janssen, Chairman of German Cancer Aid (Deutsche Krebshilfe), and Professor Dr. Otmar D. Wiestler, Scientific Director of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) presented the "National Consortium for Translational Cancer Research" in Berlin.

Opinion Piece Examines Abortion-Rights Opponents' Response To Connection Between Recession, Abortion
In response to recent news reports from Reuters, the Associated Press and other media outlets tying the recession to an increase in demand for abortion, the antiabortion-rights community is arguing that women are "choosing their own material comfort over the life of their unborn children" -- an interpretation that is "wrong on several accounts" -- Double X contributor Anna Murphy Paul writes in an opinion piece."No one wants her most intimate decisions to be driven by money," but, at the same time, "opting not to have a child you can"t afford to raise can be a realistic and responsible -- if painful -- choice, one often based on taking good care of the kids you already have" Murphy Paul says. She continues, "Nor is the intrusion of economic concerns on childbearing a phenomenon of this recession, or even the loosening of sexual mores over the past half-century; historically, financial hardship has been an ever-present motivation for ending a pregnancy."Murphy Paul cites the results of a 2005 Guttmacher Institute survey that found that nearly three-fourths of respondents said that the reason they decided to have an abortion was that they "could not afford a baby right now," which was the second-most common reason. The report found that the top reason for having an abortion was that children would interfere with women"s education, work or ability to care for dependents, all "concerns that are also largely economic in nature," Murphy Paul writes. She notes that at the time the study was published, "the Dow was still riding high, and the housing bubble seemed it would never pop." Murphy Paul adds that a 1987 Guttmacher survey on the same subject produced results "almost identical" to the 2005 survey.However, "to hear the pro-life activists tell it, women aren"t really struggling with difficult choices -- they just don"t want to give up the luxuries to which they"ve become accustomed," Murphy Paul writes. Abortion-rights opponents promote offers of counseling and no-cost infant supplies provided through "pregnancy re centers" to support women who choose not to have an abortion, but such centers often provide misleading information or offer little assistance beyond the first few months after birth, she says."Pro-life activists are surely right about one thing: It"s tremendously sad when a woman decides that she can"t bring into the world a child whom under better circumstances she would have welcomed," Murphy Paul continues. However, the "harsh rhetoric about selfishness and irresponsibility help far less than an acknowledgement of -- and lasting aid with -- the true costs of raising a child," she writes. According to Murphy Paul, in "the absence of such help, the most responsible act is to face economic reality head-on. For some women, that may mean abortion" (Murphy Paul, Double X, 5/15).
News of the day
European Society Of Cardiology Congress 2009: 29 August To 2 September, 2009
The latest news on procedures, drugs and equipment in the field of cardiology will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress which will take place in Barcelona, from 29 August to 2 September.
Public Health

Bayer And Onyx Initiate Phase III Trial Of Nexavar(R) In Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Bayer HealthCare AG and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the companies have begun enrolling patients in an international Phase III trial to evaluate Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets in patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have failed two or three previous treatments. "Nexavar has proven efficacy in kidney cancer and liver cancer and we are committed to researching Nexavar in a variety of other solid tumors," said Dimitris Voliotis, MD, vice president, Nexavar Clinical Development, Bayer HealthCare. "Based on strong findings in the Phase II trials, Bayer and Onyx moved to the next phase of development and initiated this Phase III trial evaluating Nexavar in NSCLC." About the Phase III Study The MISSION (Monotherapy administration of Sorafenib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer) trial is an international multicenter study that will enroll approximately 850 patients with advanced relapsed or refractory non-squamous cell NSCLC who have failed two or three previous treatments. Patients will be randomized to receive either Nexavar as single agent or placebo. In both treatment arms, best supportive care will be provided. The primary endpoint of this trial is overall survival, and secondary endpoints include progression-free survival and overall response rate. The safety and tolerability of the two treatment groups will also be compared. The study will be conducted at more than 120 sites in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan. For information about this study, please visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. "As the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, lung cancer is a complex disease that requires new therapeutic options for patients," said Laura Brege, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Onyx Pharmaceuticals. "We are committed to studying Nexavar to understand how it may play a role in the treatment paradigm of this difficult-to-treat disease." About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) NSCLC accounts for 85-90 percent of diagnosed lung cancers and is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the lung. It is characterized by several types of lung cancers, each of which grow and spread in different ways, including: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Every year 1.4 million people worldwide will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 1.2 million will die from the disease. Nearly 60 percent of people in the U.S. diagnosed with lung cancer die within one year of their diagnosis and 75 percent die within 2 years. These survival rates have not improved in the past 10 years. About Nexavar® Nexavar®, an oral anti-cancer therapy, is currently approved in more than 70 countries for liver cancer and in more than 80 countries for the treatment of patients with advanced kidney cancer. In Europe, Nexavar is approved for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have failed prior interferon-alpha or interleukin-2 based therapy or are considered unsuitable for such therapy. Nexavar targets both the tumor cell and tumor vasculature. In preclinical studies, Nexavar has been shown to target members of two classes of kinases known to be involved in both cell proliferation (growth) and angiogenesis (blood supply) - two important processes that enable cancer growth. These kinases included Raf kinase, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, PDGFR-B, KIT, FLT-3 and RET. Nexavar is also being evaluated by the companies, international study groups, government agencies and individual investigators as a single agent or combination treatment in a wide range of other cancers, including breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, and as an adjuvant therapy for kidney cancer and liver cancer. A science podcast about Sorafenib can be found here: http://http//www.podcast.bayer.com. Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Schering Pharma


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