Hematology

With an increase in the use of 3- and 4-drug regimens in multiple myeloma, providers are going to need to communicate the out-of-pocket costs when presenting treatment options so that patients can make an informed decision, explained John Fox, MD, MHA, vice president of Clinical Transformation at Spectrum Health.

Research has shown disparities in multiple myeloma treatment between clinical trials and real-world outcomes, as well as a lot of heterogeneity among treatment patterns by age and region, said Ajai Chari, MD, associate professor of medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital.

In Latin America, there has been slower uptake of newer therapies to treat multiple myeloma (MM) in public clinics versus private clinics, which has led to disparities in outcomes.

Patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a precursor to multiple myeloma (MM), can progress from low- or intermediate-risk to MM in just 5 years, according to researchers who are now recommending all patients with MGUS undergo blood testing and risk assessment.

The study's lead author said more work is needed to develop screening protocols for people who may face familial risk of a blood cancer.

Pairing low doses of chemotherapy with newer, targeted drugs can help prevent high toxicity, said Catherine Diefenbach, MD, director of clinical lymphoma at the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) will likely see a new standard of care based on outcomes in a phase 3 trial for patients treated with a combination of ibrutinib and rituximab.

Orphan drug status applies to therapies that will treat fewer than 200,000 patients in the United States.

Some cancers, such as breast cancer and leukemia, were well-funded compared with their incidence, mortality, and person-years of life lost, while others, such as gastrointestinal and brain cancers, were all poorly funded.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant complication for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are being treated with immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), and a new assessment model may help to predict VTE in this population.

African Americans are twice as likely to get multiple myeloma (MM) as whites, but they get the disease at younger ages.

With the FDA approval of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) expanding the use of avatrombopag (Doptelet) for patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), Dova Pharmaceuticals said recently it will begin marketing the drug for the new indication in the middle of July.

A poster abstract evaluated real-world treatment patterns by region and age to better understand these issues in order to address them.

A new study by Mayo Clinic Researchers calls into question the current standard of care for treating smoldering multiple myeloma.

Researchers from the the University of Alabama finds the SIRT1 protein plays a key role in preventing chronic myeloid leukemia stem cell elimination.