Hematologic Oncology

Impressive interim results from a phase Ib/II trial of ibrutinib, a selective Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were reported at ASCO.

Updated clinical data from the pivotal phase II global PACE trial of ponatinib confirm its impressive antileukemic activity in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia or Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia at all stages who are resistant or intolerant to dasatinib or nilotinib.

Bendamustine plus rituximab should be considered as the preferred first-line treatment of follicular and indolent lymphomas, and the elderly with mantle cell lymphoma.

Updated data from an ongoing phase II trial of oral sapacitabine showed that the drug had activity in older patients with myelodysplastic syndromes refractory to front-line hypomethylating agents indicates.

In a phase I study the targeted drug crizotinib, a small molecule inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase and met proto oncogene, delayed or eliminated signs of tumor growth in pediatric patients with aggressive cancers.

A new study has identified independent risk factors for the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) including high fetal growth, older age of the mother, low birth order, and male sex. A family history of NHL in either parent or sibling was found to be the strongest risk factor.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a protein that could be targeted to turn off B-cell lymphomas. The protein, CD19, was found to be a major regulator of B-cell neoplastic growth driven by the MYC oncogene.

Three studies published this week show that lenalidomide improves progression-free and overall survival as a maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma, despite its link to other primary cancers.

Dr. Hoppe and colleagues present a strong case supporting the use of proton therapy (PT) for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Proton radiotherapy is here to stay. Despite the high initial cost, the number of proton therapy machines in the United States and elsewhere is increasing rapidly.[1] The major questions now relate to defining and optimizing their appropriate use.

If there is one disease for which patients have experienced a significant improvement in the cure rate over the past 10 years, it is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

In their article in this issue of ONCOLOGY, Nastoupil, Rose, and Flowers give a very careful assessment of the options for treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), with a focus on the importance of dose density in improving outcomes in this disease.

This article examines clinical and biological features of DLBCL patients with poor outcomes, and reviews recent studies addressing alternatives to standard front-line management strategies together with unresolved questions.

This review addresses the rationale and evidence for-and the challenges, cost implications, and future development of-proton therapy as an important part of the treatment strategy in Hodgkin lymphoma.

Leukemias and lymphomas are estimated to contribute up to 7% of all new malignant cases in the United States.[1]

The leukemias and lymphomas represent a group of heterogeneous myeloid or lymphoid clonal stem cell disorders with variable clinical presentation, pathological characteristics, prognosis and recommendations for treatment.[1]

The management of leukemias and lymphomas now includes the use of many targeted therapies. Nurses need to have an understanding of the targeted therapies and their side effects so they can appropriately manage the side effects that their patients with leukemias and lymphomas may experience.

Two researchers from the Mayo Clinic have published an editorial calling for new approaches in the treatment of AML, arguing that "using the same old drugs in different doses or different schedules is not going to cut it."

Cancer treatment is undergoing significant developments and entering the new golden era of genomics which has true potentials for the promise of personalized medicine. Large-scale sequencing is changing our understanding of malignant disorders particularly acute myeloid leukemia.

Inotuzumab ozogamicin has achieved a markedly long antitumor response in patients with refractory or relapsed indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in an ongoing phase II study. Interim findings were reported by lead investigator Kenneth Luu, PhD, associate director of Pfizer global R&D.

A combination of TL32711, an investigational second mitochondrial-derived activator of caspases (Smac), and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand at low concentrations produced marked apoptosis in germinal center lines, with minimal to no effect for each agent alone.

Preliminary findings of a phase I/II randomized clinical trial indicate that SGI-110, a novel DNA methylation inhibitor, is safe, well tolerated and efficacious in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia.

When light-chain amyloidosis is diagnosed prior to the development of advanced cardiomyopathy, systemic therapy is capable of producing hematologic responses that will translate into organ responses and prolonged survival. Advances in the management of multiple myeloma are currently being translated into a variety of clinical trials designed to improve the quality of life and survival of patients with light-chain amyloidosis.

In this article, we review the current knowledge on the biological findings, clinical features, and therapeutic approaches for splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

Four publications on cancer treatment during pregnancy were published last week in the journal Lancet, serving as new treatment guidelines for chemotherapy and surgery in pregnant patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.