Leukemia and Lymphoma

Trials conducted at the Abramson Cancer Center among others have identified the potential of an antimalarial agent, hydroxychloroquine, in stabilizing aggressive cancers.

EU's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP)supported the use of Gazyvaro based on the phase III CLL11 study, wherein treatment with Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) plus chlorambucil significantly reduced the risk of disease worsening or death by 86% and increased survival time for previously untreated CLL patients compared to those who received treatment with chlorambucil alone.

AstraZeneca's Phase III pipeline is growing ahead of plan, chief executive Pascal Soriot told a recent media briefing, and cancer drugs make up a major chunk of the pipeline.

Those with chronic illnesses such as leukemia, hepatitis C, and multiple sclerosis may face a significant increase in their out-of-pocket expenses for specialty drugs. This is because payers are replacing fixed-dollar copayments with coinsurance rates that require patients to contribute a higher percentage of the cost for their specialty medications.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday granted accelerated approval for the expanded use of ibrutinib, marketed as Imbruvica, for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who have previously received at least one therapy. The therapy is notable for its relative lack of toxic effects.

When it comes to managing chronic conditions and rare disease, the cost of treatment can be astronomical.

This week AJMC is covering session highlights from the PBMI Annual Drug Benefit conference.

Strategies that identify new uses for existing drugs have grown in popularity in recent years as a way of quickly developing new disease therapies. Zebrafish models are cost-effective platforms for rapidly conducting drug screens as well as basic stem cell, genetic, cancer and developmental research.

The coming year will be one for those who have beaten cancer to develop survivorship plans, with the Commission on Cancer to require planning by treatment centers starting in 2015.

Treating lymphoma today starts with an understanding of what is being treated, and the revolution in genetic profiling lets clinicians do that with more precision than ever.

New therapies to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) will receive plenty of attention this week at the 55th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans. At an education session that opened the meeting Saturday, a physician with the Mayo Clinic made it clear that cost considerations are a reality for many older patients.

Half the patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were treated with idelalisib in a phase I study experienced rapid and prolonged tumor shrinkage, a promising finding given the limited treatment choices for this group.

Imaging spotted relapses for just a tiny fraction of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) before symptoms appeared, according to a new multi-institutional study, prompting recommendations that the radiation exposure of follow-up scans may not be worthwhile for all patients.

Thomas P. Loughran, Jr, MD, Professor of Medicine, Penn State University, Director, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, describes the clinical sequelae of large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia, particularly noting neutropenia and anemia, and discusses the pharmacotherapeutic approach.

Ibrutinib, an investigational Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, achieved excellent results in clinical trials of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.