Laura Joszt, MA

Research identified a new type of cell that is in the blood during the period before a rheumatoid arthritis flare and may be used to predict a flare in the weeks before one occurs, according to research published in New England Journal of Medicine.

Although early diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis is crucial for patients to receive timely access to care and effective treatment, these patients experience a diagnostic delay of more than 7 years, on average.

Using mindfulness meditation apps may provide an effective way to self-manage and reduce depression and anxiety in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPNs).

Two abstracts presented at the European Hematology Association's annual meeting evaluated the frequency of myeloid malignancies in patients with autoimmune disease and the impact autoimmune diseases have on patients with sickle cell disease.

A new oral therapy approved by the FDA will provide patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, who typically visit a health care facility for intravenous treatment, with an oral at-home option that can be beneficial during the coronavirus pandemic.

Treatment options for psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis are increasing, and with studies already identifying response predictors for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, there is a need to predict response to the interleukin-17A inhibitor secukinumab.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may consider hydroxychloroquine essential to their treatment, but after the drug was identified as a potential therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), patients with SLE experienced reduced access to the treatment, which could increase the risk of SLE flare.

FDA has lifted a partial clinical hold on a phase 2 trial of a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) Hodgkin lymphoma from ADC Therapeutics. The trial of camidanlumab tesirine (Cami), an antibody drug conjugate that binds to CD25, is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the therapy and is intended to support the submission of a Biologics License Application to the FDA.

A 52-week interim analysis confirmed previous findings highlighting the benefits of ruxolitinib in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) who are resistant or intolerant to hydroxyurea. The full study findings with a 24-month follow-up are still to come.

Patients with HIV who have been heavily treated but are failing their current regimen have few treatment options and are at risk of progressing to AIDS and death.

Researchers identified a protein that can not only worsen skin inflammation but also plays a key role in damaging joints and bones of patients with psoriasis.

Immunotherapy and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy are new and important treatments revolutionizing care of some cancers; however, their side effects can be very different than what is seen in traditional approaches, such as chemotherapy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency has led to an increased use of telemedicine services as CMS instituted reimbursement parity with in-person services. In a new position statement, the American College of Rheumatology has stated support for continuing to use telemedicine once the COVID-19 emergency passes.

Treating children with aggressive B-cell lymphoma with rituximab can improve cure rates to up to 95%.

Among patients with rheumatic diseases, medication nonadherence remains a significant problem because of a lack of standardization and guidance on terminology, measurement, and outcome selection, according to an abstract presented at the European Congress of Rheumatology of the European League Against Rheumatism.

Patients with steroid refractory acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) have a better overall response rate (ORR) when treated with ruxolitinib compared with the best available therapy, according to results from a phase 3 trial presented at the European Hematology Association’s annual meeting.

In its first briefing in 2 months, the White House Coronavirus Task Force addressed rising cases of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and positive test rates across states in the South, as well as the new data that show the majority of new cases are occurring in younger Americans.

While biologics may have improved outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), they also have higher costs and adverse events, and patients are more likely to request dose reductions or drug holidays.

There are thousands of rare diseases, but they each affect so few patients that diagnosis and treatment can be delayed by years. Researchers examined how machine learning has been studied in rare diseases and identified areas of opportunity where future studies can improve care and treatment of rare diseases.

Despite advances in therapeutics and treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that impact well-being, patients in clinical remission still report reduced well-being, according to an abstract presented at the European Congress of Rheumatology of the European League Against Rheumatism.

The FDA granted accelerated approval to selinexor (Xpovio, Karyopharm Therapeutics) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The oral treatment is to be used after at least 2 lines of systemic therapy.

Inflammatory skin diseases are often diagnosed by "first impression" and can be easily misdiagnosed. A new smartphone app using artificial intelligence (AI) may be able to assist with the diagnosis of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and eczema.

Technology has made it easier to deliver health care in the home in recent years, but the financing models have not caught up just yet.

In 90% of patients, psoriasis precedes psoriatic arthritis by an average of 7 years, providing a window of opportunity for early intervention and possible prevention of psoriatic arthritis.

Based on the safety and efficacy outcomes from the PREVENT phase 3 study, the FDA has approved secukinumab (Cosentyx) from Novartis for the treatment of active nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

In the real-world, ruxolitinib's approval to treat myelofibrosis has improved overall survival (OS) for elderly patients.

Measuring disease activity is a key aspect of rheumatologic care, but the creation of tools designed specifically for disease areas of interest has resulted in fragmentation and multiple disease activity scores, sometimes even just for a single disease.

Two abstracts presented at the European Congress of Rheumatology of the European League Against Rheumatism reviewed long-term safety data and real-life effectiveness and safety of secukinumab for ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis.

Patients with psoriasis often have other physical diseases, and these somatic comorbidities can have a bigger effect on the patient’s mental health than the skin symptoms from their psoriasis, according to a study published in JAMA Dermatology.

Recommendations that patients with rheumatoid arthritis see an expert within 6 weeks of symptom onset can provide challenges for practices.