Impact of Recurrent C Difficile Infection on Costs and Patient Quality of Life
January 13th 2025The panelist discusses how recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection significantly increases health care costs through prolonged hospitalizations, complex treatments, and elevated medical resource utilization while severely compromising patient quality of life through persistent physical symptoms, psychological distress, and substantial social disruptions.
Tailored Support: The Role of Industry-Provided Services in Lymphoma Care
January 10th 2025Panelists discuss how they assess the individual support needs of patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma and describe an ideal model for industry-provided support services for these patients.
Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Care
January 10th 2025Panelist discusses how social determinants of health create significant diagnostic barriers for hidradenitis suppurativa through systemic inequities, limited health care access, and provider knowledge gaps. Health systems can mitigate these challenges through targeted educational, technological, and culturally responsive interventions.
Incorporating Emerging BTK Therapies Into the CLL Treatment Landscape
January 10th 2025Panelists discuss how emerging data from ASH 2024 and recent NCCN guidelines supporting pirtobrutinib use in later-line CLL treatment are prompting oncologists to carefully evaluate factors like BTK resistance patterns and the potential role of novel BTK degraders when selecting therapy for relapsed/refractory patients.
Sequencing Consequences for Earlier Line Use of Bispecifics in B-Cell Lymphomas
January 10th 2025Panelists discuss how the sequencing of bispecific therapies in first-line vs later-line settings should be guided by factors such as disease stage, prior treatments, and patient-specific characteristics to optimize therapeutic outcomes.
Exploring Bispecifics in Earlier Lines of Therapy for B-Cell Lymphomas
January 10th 2025Panelists discuss how several studies evaluating bispecific therapies in earlier lines of therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma suggest that patients with high-risk or relapsed/refractory disease are most likely to benefit from these treatments.
Navigating New BTKi Treatment Strategies in Mantle Cell Lymphoma
January 10th 2025Panelists discuss how emerging Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) treatment regimens for treatment-naive patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), including acalabrutinib + bendamustine + rituximab (ECHO), acalabrutinib + lenalidomide + rituximab (ALR), acalabrutinib + umbralisib + ublituximab (AU2), ibrutinib + rituximab (ENRICH), and zanubrutinib + rituximab (CHESS), are exploring novel combinations to improve treatment outcomes and address unmet clinical needs in MCL therapy.
Transplant-Ineligible Myeloma and MRD Integration: Current Definitions and Future Directions
January 10th 2025Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, discusses how the definition of the transplant-ineligible population for multiple myeloma is evolving while also addressing the challenges of standardizing minimal residual disease (MRD) as a biomarker across various treatment settings and clinical trials to ensure consistent and reliable use in treatment decision-making.
MRD Outcomes From CEPHEUS at ASH 2024
January 10th 2025Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, discusses how the CEPHEUS study, presented at ASH 2024, along with its expanded analysis of minimal residual disease (MRD) outcomes, provides valuable insights into the role of MRD as a biomarker in multiple myeloma treatment, highlighting its potential to guide therapy decisions and improve patient outcomes.
Symptoms and Epidemiology of Iron Deficiency Anemia
Panelists discuss how iron deficiency anemia manifests through debilitating symptoms, including severe fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, headaches, and difficulty concentrating, which can profoundly impact patients’ daily functioning, work performance, and overall quality of life.
Empowering Patients: Strategies for Emotional Resilience and Support in Lymphoma Care
January 7th 2025Panelists discuss the key challenges faced by patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma at diagnosis, how these challenges evolve during treatment, and the emotional and psychological support strategies employed to help patients navigate their lymphoma journey.
The Role of Patient Engagement Tools and Patient Advocacy Groups in LEMS Care
January 6th 2025A panelist discusses how digital patient engagement tools and collaboration with advocacy groups can enhance treatment adherence and care coordination while providing vital support and resources for individuals managing Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS).
Navigating Adverse Events in Bispecific Antibody Therapies: Infection Prevention and Management
January 6th 2025Robert M. Rifkin, MD, FACP, discusses how the MagnetisMM-3 update at the 66th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition sheds light on elranatamab’s role in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma while panelists discuss how emerging data on bispecific antibodies and combination strategies could shape treatment timing and improve outcomes, especially in heavily pretreated patients.
Key Background Information on Recurrent C. Difficile Infections
January 6th 2025Panelist discusses how recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection results from persistent microbiome disruption, where antibiotic-induced dysbiosis enables bacterial overgrowth and toxin production. Characterized by repeated episodes of colitis, it predominantly affects older, hospitalized patients with compromised immune systems, presenting significant clinical challenges through inflammatory complications and potential systemic spread.
Importance of Early Detection of Recurrent C Difficile Infections
January 6th 2025The panelist discusses how early detection of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections is critical in clinical practice because these infections can rapidly escalate patient morbidity and mortality. Recurrent C difficile infections are associated with significantly increased mortality rates, with studies showing that patients experiencing multiple infection episodes have a higher risk of complications, prolonged hospital stays, and increased health care costs. Early identification allows for prompt intervention, which can help prevent disease progression, reduce transmission risks, and implement targeted treatment strategies.
Team- and System-Based Approaches to Managing LEMS and Ensuring Access
January 3rd 2025A panelist discusses how comprehensive care coordination between specialists, proactive adverse effect management, and innovative care models can optimize treatment outcomes for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) patients, particularly those with dual diagnoses like small cell lung cancer (SCLC), while ensuring both clinical effectiveness and cost-efficiency through managed care strategies.
Gepotidacin vs Nitrofurantoin in uUTI: Study Overview and Clinical Implications
January 3rd 2025Wendy Cheng, PhD, MPH, discusses how the study on the efficacy of gepotidacin vs nitrofurantoin in a nitrofurantoin-resistant population (a pooled analysis of the EAGLE-2 and EAGLE-3 trials) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of gepotidacin as a first-in-class oral therapy for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs), showing promising results in overcoming antimicrobial resistance and potentially filling critical gaps in current UTI treatments.
Emerging Data for Odronextamab in DLBCL
January 2nd 2025Panelists discuss how emerging data on odronextamab in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma suggest its potential to play a significant role in therapy, with promising results that may position it alongside or as a superior option compared with currently approved bispecifics.
Pathophysiology of Iron Deficiency Anemia
Panelists discuss how iron deficiency anemia significantly impacts patients’ quality of life through symptoms like chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction, while also creating substantial psychosocial burdens including depression, reduced work productivity, and social isolation, particularly affecting vulnerable populations who may face barriers to diagnosis and treatment.
Exploring the Frontline Potential of Teclistamab: Insights From MajesTEC-5 at ASH 2024
January 2nd 2025Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, discusses how the MajesTEC-5 study, presented at ASH 2024, demonstrates the potential of teclistamab in combination with standard therapy in the frontline setting, highlighting its safety profile and 100% minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity after cycle 3, and explores how using bispecific antibodies like teclistamab earlier in treatment could influence future options for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
Clinical Implications and Unmet Needs in CLL BTKi Therapies
January 2nd 2025Panelists discuss how the clinical implications of emerging Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) trials in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are addressing unmet needs by offering new treatment options that target treatment-naive patients, potentially improving outcomes and filling gaps in the current therapeutic landscape.
Pirtobrutinib in the BRUIN CLL-321 Study
January 2nd 2025Panelists discuss how pirtobrutinib demonstrated superior progression-free survival compared with standard Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors in previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients as shown in the BRUIN CLL-321 trial results.
Improving HS Diagnosis and Care Through Better Alignment of Staging and Severity
January 2nd 2025Panelist discusses how the misalignment between Hurley stages and patient burden in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) creates diagnostic and treatment challenges. Current Hurley staging inadequately captures the full patient experience, potentially leading to suboptimal treatment approaches. Standardized clinical training and assessment tools that incorporate both objective staging and subjective patient-reported outcomes could help bridge this gap, enabling more personalized and comprehensive HS management.
Using Technology for Early Detection of LEMS
December 23rd 2024A panelist discusses how enhanced screening protocols combined with predictive analytics can accelerate Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) detection in high-risk populations like patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) while also exploring the potential of telemedicine to improve early diagnosis in underserved communities.
Differentiating Uncomplicated and Complicated Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
December 23rd 2024A panelist discusses how uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) typically affect otherwise healthy individuals and can be treated with short-course antibiotics by primary care physicians, while complicated UTIs involve underlying conditions or anatomical abnormalities requiring specialized care from urologists, infectious disease specialists, and other healthcare providers working collaboratively to optimize treatment outcomes through coordinated multidisciplinary management.