He believes FAST may lead to much earlier detection of all kinds of solid tumors.

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"I think we have to think about solid tumors and other malignancies at the molecular level, " Adams says.

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"Many of the solid tumors have very complex biology with redundant pathways, " says David Epstein, president of Novartis Oncology.

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Most solid tumors of the colon, lung, breast, prostate and pancreas have a slew of defective genes propelling their rapid growth.

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Celgene moves into solid tumors, and gets control of Abraxane, a breast cancer drug that might sell better with a new set of executives guiding it.

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It is far easier to demonstrate that a drug is having the desired effect in these diseases than in more complicated cancers that involve solid tumors.

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In one recent commentary in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, University of Toronto oncologist Ian Tannock argued that a three month survival difference is the minimum clinically meaningful difference for most solid tumors.

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The excitement over Canadian-based YM and its presentation of data from phase I and II clinical trials at ASCO centers not only on its positive data on myelofibrosis but on indications its JAK inhibitors may also have applications in solid tumors, as well as inflammatory diseases, says Chrystyna Bedrij, biotech analyst at Griffin Securities.

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In midstage trials Genentech reported promising results against solid kidney tumors using a combination of its colon cancer drug, Avastin, and another targeted agent, Tarceva.

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But unlike solid-mass tumors, glioblastomas have tiny tentacles that spread into the brain, making it impossible for a surgeon to remove every bit of the tumor.

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