2011 in oncology

Lung cancer (all types). PLCO randomised 154,901 people to four annual chest X-rays or usual care: 1,213 lung cancer deaths against 1,230 after 13 years.

Screening by chest radiograph and lung cancer mortality: the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) randomized trial NLST: yearly low-dose CT scans cut lung cancer deaths in heavy smokers

2011Colloid versus tubular histology shown to decide the outcome of invasive IPMN

Invasive carcinoma arising in an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN-associated carcinoma)

Colloid (mucinous non-cystic) carcinoma of the pancreas

2011Crizotinib approved four years after the fusion was found

ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer

Crizotinib

2011Everolimus (RADIANT-3) and sunitinib approved for pancreatic NETs

Neuroendocrine tumours

RADIANT-3 and RADIANT-4 Everolimus Sunitinib

2011EXPeRT pooled analysis defines outcomes and the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and complete resection

Pancreatoblastoma

Cisplatin Doxorubicin

2011FOLFIRINOX proves active in metastatic disease and is taken up as a neoadjuvant regimen

Borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

FOLFIRINOX / mFOLFIRINOX Conroy 2011: FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer (PRODIGE 4/ACCORD 11)

2011FOLFIRINOX result in metastatic disease is adopted as induction for locally advanced tumours

Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

FOLFIRINOX / mFOLFIRINOX Conroy 2011: FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer (PRODIGE 4/ACCORD 11)

2011FOLFIRINOX: OS 11.1 vs 6.8 months

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. PRODIGE 4 / ACCORD 11 establishes combination chemotherapy for fit patients.

FOLFIRINOX / mFOLFIRINOX

2011GNAS mutations define the IPMN pathway; the first expression subtypes

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. GNAS R201 in 66% of IPMNs and carried into the invasive cancer; Collisson's classical, quasi-mesenchymal and exocrine-like classes.

Recurrent GNAS mutations define an unexpected pathway for pancreatic cyst development Whole-exome sequencing of neoplastic cysts of the pancreas reveals recurrent mutations in components of ubiquitin-dependent pathways Subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and their differing responses to therapy GNAS

2011GNAS mutations found in IPMNs, distinguishing them from other cysts

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm and other pancreatic cystic precursors

Comprehensive genomic profiling

2011GOG 174: pulsed actinomycin D beats weekly methotrexate on complete response

Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (FIGO score 0 to 6)

Dactinomycin (actinomycin D)Methotrexate

2011HER2 amplification identified as a cause of anti-EGFR resistance in patient-derived xenografts

HER2-amplified colorectal cancer

HER2 EGFR

2011IDH1 and IDH2 mutations found in chondrosarcoma and enchondroma

Chondrosarcoma

IDH1 / IDH2

2011Imatinib phase 2 trials in KIT-mutant melanoma, many of them acral

Acral melanoma

Imatinib

2011Imatinib phase 2 trials show responses in KIT-mutant melanoma

Mucosal melanoma

Imatinib

2011International expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment

Inflammatory breast cancer

2011Invasive IPMN outcome shown to depend on colloid versus tubular histology

Colloid (mucinous non-cystic) carcinoma of the pancreas

Invasive carcinoma arising in an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN-associated carcinoma)

2011Ipilimumab and vemurafenib approved

Melanoma

Ipilimumab

2011Ipilimumab and vemurafenib approved

Melanoma. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy arrive in the same year.

Vemurafenib Ipilimumab

2011Ipilimumab and vemurafenib approved for advanced melanoma

Skin cancer (all types). The first checkpoint inhibitor and the first BRAF inhibitor, the two routes that transformed melanoma.

Ipilimumab Vemurafenib

2011Japan Pancreas Society series of 156 MCNs with ovarian-type stroma

Mucinous cystic neoplasm of the pancreas with associated invasive carcinoma (MCN-associated carcinoma)

Grade

2011Long-term follow-up of the DES cohort confirms continued excess of clear cell adenocarcinoma and other harms

Vaginal adenocarcinoma (including DES-associated clear cell adenocarcinoma)

2011MARS 1: extrapleural pneumonectomy shows harm; practice shifts to lung-sparing surgery

Mesothelioma

Extended pleurectomy/decortication & radical mesothelioma surgery

2011Neuroendocrine prostate cancer gets a molecular identity

Prostate cancer. AURKA and MYCN are co-amplified in 40% of neuroendocrine prostate cancers against 5% of adenocarcinomas, and Aurora kinase inhibition switches off the neuroendocri...

Molecular characterisation of neuroendocrine prostate cancer and identification of new drug targets AURKA MYCN (N-myc)

2011NLST: low-dose CT screening cuts lung cancer mortality by 20 percent, finding more early-stage tumours

Resectable stage I to III non-small-cell lung cancer

NLST & NELSON (low-dose CT screening)Low-dose CT lung screening NLST: yearly low-dose CT scans cut lung cancer deaths in heavy smokers

2011NLST: low-dose CT screening reduces mortality 20%

Non-small-cell lung cancer

NLST & NELSON (low-dose CT screening)Low-dose CT lung screening

2011PRIMA: rituximab maintenance

Follicular lymphoma. Two years of maintenance doubles PFS after chemo-immunotherapy.

Rituximab

2011PRODIGE 4/ACCORD 11: FOLFIRINOX lengthens survival over gemcitabine in fit patients

Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

FOLFIRINOX / mFOLFIRINOX Thierry Conroy Conroy 2011: FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer (PRODIGE 4/ACCORD 11)

2011Prospective observation cohorts published

Desmoid tumour. French Sarcoma Group and others show frequent spontaneous stabilisation, seeding the surveillance-first approach.

2011RADIANT-3 and the sunitinib phase 3 published; everolimus and sunitinib approved; MEN1, DAXX and ATRX mutations mapped by exome sequencing

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

RADIANT-3 and RADIANT-4 Everolimus Sunitinib Menin

2011Rossi and colleagues show clonally related transformation carries TP53 and NOTCH1 lesions and a poor outcome

Richter transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

TP53-mutated (p53-abnormal)

2011RTOG 9410 long-term results: concurrent chemoradiation beats sequential

Unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer

Chemoradiation (chemoradiotherapy, CRT)NRG Oncology

2011Ruxolitinib approved

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (PV, ET, myelofibrosis). COMFORT-I/II: spleen and symptom benefit in myelofibrosis; the first JAK inhibitor.

Ruxolitinib

2011Ruxolitinib approved: the first JAK inhibitor, after COMFORT-I and II

Primary myelofibrosis

Ruxolitinib

2011Six molecular subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Lehmann and colleagues, 587 tumours: basal-like 1 and 2, immunomodulatory, mesenchymal, mesenchymal stem-like, luminal androgen receptor; refi...

Identification of human triple-negative breast cancer subtypes and preclinical models for selection of targeted therapies Refinement of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes: Implications for Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Selection Comprehensive genomic analysis identifies novel subtypes and targets of triple-negative breast cancer

2011Surveillance endorsed as the preferred stage I option in Europe

Seminoma

2011The National Lung Screening Trial proves screening works

Lung cancer (all types). 53,454 Americans aged 55 to 74 with 30 or more pack-years were randomised to three annual low-dose CT scans or chest radiographs: 20.0 percent fewer lung c...

CT (computed tomography)Low-dose CT lung screening

2011Two posterior fossa groups discovered

Ependymoma. Witt and colleagues (Cancer Cell) separate PF-A and PF-B by expression.

2011Vandetanib approved

Medullary thyroid cancer

Vandetanib

2011Vandetanib: first drug for medullary thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer

Vandetanib

2011Vemurafenib alone fails in BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer; EGFR feedback identified the next year

BRAF V600E-mutant colorectal cancer

BRAF EGFR Scott Kopetz

2011WWTR1-CAMTA1 fusion identified as the defining alteration

Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma

2011WWTR1-CAMTA1 fusion identified in EHE

Vascular tumours (angiosarcoma, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma, kaposiform haemangioendothelioma). Tanas and colleagues, Sci Transl Med; Errani and colleagues.

What happened

Approvals (18)

Regulatory events (5)

Laws and regulations (2)

Trials reported (12)

Papers (58)

Landmarks (56)

Technologies (9)

Companies founded (10)

Journals founded (6)

Papers listed on people's pages (46)

Notes

Connected

years

2011 in oncology

What happened

Approvals (18)

Regulatory events (5)

Laws and regulations (2)

Trials reported (12)

Papers (58)

Landmarks (56)

Technologies (9)

Companies founded (10)

Journals founded (6)

Papers listed on people's pages (46)

Notes

Connected

years

2011 in oncology

Overview

What happened

Approvals (18)

Regulatory events (5)

Laws and regulations (2)

Trials reported (12)

Papers (58)

Landmarks (56)

Technologies (9)

Companies founded (10)

Journals founded (6)

Papers listed on people's pages (46)

Notes

Connected

years

2011 in oncology

Overview

What happened

Approvals (18)

Regulatory events (5)

Laws and regulations (2)

Trials reported (12)

Papers (58)

Landmarks (56)

Technologies (9)

Companies founded (10)

Journals founded (6)

Papers listed on people's pages (46)

Notes

Connected

years