Leukemia and Lymphoma

Adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) tend to have worse outcomes than children with ALL, and new research published at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting delved into the reasons why, explained Julie A. Wolfson, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

Patients with blood cancers tend to use hospice care services less frequently overall than patients with solid tumors. While there has been an increase in hospice care use in patients with blood cancers, there has been a failure to increase hospice use meaningfully, according to Thomas LeBlanc, MD, of the Duke Cancer Institute.

Clonal hematopoiesis and selection pressures associated with aging can together lead to the development of neoplasms. Two hematologists presented US and European updates on the potential to develop a predictive model, and an appropriate intervention, in these individuals.

Two abstracts at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia found that CTL019 shows promising potential in providing significant benefit and cost effectiveness for pediatric and young adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is transfusion dependence a barrier to hospice utilization among older patients with leukemia who are enrolled in Medicare?

Ibrutinib has the potential to improve vaccine response for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and an ongoing trial will help provide a better understanding, explained Kerry Rogers, MD, assistant professor, internal medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Three studies presented at the ongoing 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia, shared progress on the oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib, in the treatment of relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and as a single agent in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Acute myeloid leukemia treatment episodes such as high-intensity chemotherapy, low-intensity chemotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and relapsed-refractory patient episodes pose a significant substantial burden, according to an analysis presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta, Georgia.

An analysis presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology showed that against a 3-year horizon, ibrutinib succeeds in overall survival (OS) and progression free suvrvival (PFS) over hematopoetic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia with 17p deletion. Against a lifetime horizon, ibrutinib still proved to be superior in OS and PFS over HSCT, but is no longer cost saving as treatment costs continue.

A study published in JAMA Oncology found that a significant number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer have had a prior cancer. The prevalence differed among age group and incident cancer type.

An early-stage trial in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) has found that modifying the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to target the CD22 receptor achieved remission.

Research into GSK-3 inhibition in cells may have implications for leukemia treatment.

Mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Acalabrutinib (Calquence) is a kinase inhibitor that works by blocking an enzyme the cancer needs to multiply and spread.

CD19 CAR T cells are highly effective in high-risk patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who have failed to respond to treatment with ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, according to a new study.

The study found that young patients with leukemia who have been vaccinated against the influenza virus are as susceptible to develop flu as their unvaccinated peers.

New results published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report have identified a surge in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during the period 2001 to 2008, followed by stabilization during 2008 to 2014.

Patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma now have a new treatment option: copanlisib, a kinase inhibitor that was recently approved through the FDA’s accelerated approval process.

The treatment, which was approved nearly 2 decades ago but withdrawn due to safety and efficacy concerns, now has a new indication.

A look at some of the major developments in the chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell space.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells can re-expand in a lymphoma patient months after the initial infusion and can also be active against the patient’s cancer, according to a new study.

The FDA has approved Besponsa (inotuzumab ozogamicin) for treating adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

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Enasidenib (Idhifa), developed by Celgene and Agios, has been granted FDA approval in tandem with a companion diagnostic test to detect IDH-2 mutations.

A study on long-term remission of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) shows that Kite Pharma’s anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cell treatment resulted in remission for up to 56 months.

A poster session at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting presented the trial details of IRONCLAD, a randomized phase 3 study of ibrutinib versus no consolidation following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for activated-B-cell subtype relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Novartis’ chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for treating pediatric leukemia is on the cusp of being the first FDA-approved gene therapy, which will lead to new developments and utilizations of CAR-T therapy for treating other advanced blood cancers.

This week, the top managed care news included Senators hearing from their constituents about the healthcare bill; a dispute with a health insurer shut down a state government for 3 days; and the FDA approved a new test for leukemias and lymphomas.

A new liquid biopsy test that uses flow cytometry to detect cancer cells has been FDA approved for chronic leukemia, acute leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Among a group of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were previously unresponsive to rituximab, a new antibody could help enable the immune system to attack the cancer cells, according to a study in PLOS One.

As MACRA pushes physicians toward value-based reimbursement, how can the needs of cancer patients be served? The current issue of Evidence-Based Oncology,ââ€