Leukemia

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is one of the most curable malignancies in adults. However, survival rates for elderly patients with HL (often defined as ≥ 60 years of age) are inferior to those achieved by younger populations.

In this issue of ONCOLOGY, Evens et al present a thoughtful and compelling argument that Hodgkin lymphoma in elderly patients deserves to be a focus for clinical research.

As the authors have correctly pointed out, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in elderly patients is an orphan disease that has been the subject of very few specific studies, particularly regarding treatment.

Eisai Corporation of North America announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an efficacy supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for denileukin diftitox (Ontak) solution for intravenous injection for the treatment of patients with persistent or recurrent cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) whose malignant cells express the CD25 component of the interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (CD25+).

Socioeconomic factors and the type of treatment received have an impact on a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patient’s risk of dying.

This supplement to ONCOLOGY provides a comprehensive look at state-of-the-art management of three of the most prevalent hematological malignancies in the US today.

The investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitor bosutinib has an acceptable safety profile and appears to be efficacious among patients with chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia who have intolerance or resistance to other TKIs, according to new data presented at ASCO 2008 (abstract 7001).

WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey-Eisai Corporation of North America has announced that FDA has accepted for priority review a supplemental biologics license application for the company’s fusion toxin protein Ontak (denileukin diftitox).

Eisai Corporation of North America announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for denileukin diftitox (Ontak). The sBLA seeks to convert an accelerated approval indication into full approval. It is based on a placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial to confirm the clinical effectiveness of the drug in certain patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

The NCCN has added nilotinib to its practice guideline for CML for use after any imatinib failure point in the chronic phase of disease.

Cephalon recently announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved bendamustine hydrochloride (Treanda) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The introduction of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) has dramatically changed the management and prognostic outlook of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Chronic myelogeneous leukemia (CML) is a biologically unique neoplasm resulting from a mutation producing a single abnormal protein that induces unregulated proliferation of myelopoiesis. Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) profoundly inhibits the chimeric bcr/abl tyrosine kinase, and has dramatically improved the outlook for patients with CML in chronic phase.

The introduction of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) has profoundly changed the treatment paradigm for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

The management of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has been altered dramatically since the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors by Druker et al in the late 1990s.

Long-term results of a German randomized trial suggest that a novel escalated-dose regimen may replace the current chemotherapy standard of care for treatment of advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. Volker Diehl, MD, of the University of Cologne, Germany, presented 10-year follow-up data on behalf of the German Hodgkin Study Group at ASH 2007 (abstract 211).

Among Ph+ chronic myelogenous leukemia patients in accelerated phase with imatinib (Gleevec) resistance or intolerance, treatment with nilotinib (Tasigna) rapidly produced significant responses and was generally well tolerated in an open-label pivotal phase II study

Study results presented at ASH 2007 showed efficacy of the novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib (Sprycel) in imatinib (Gleevec) resistant or intolerant chronic myelogenous leukemia patients in chronic, accelerated, and blast phase

In a significant proportion of imatinib (Gleevec)-resistant chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia patients with Bcr-Abl mutations, nilotinib (Tasigna) treatment results in hematologic, cytogenetic, and molecular responses

Six-year results of the IRIS trial confirm imatinib (Gleevec) as the standard first-line therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia

Recent trials have demonstrated improvements in progression-free and overall survival with the inclusion of the chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) in chemotherapy regimens for treatment-naive and relapsed patients with advanced-stage follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). As rituximab therapy has significant single-agent activity in follicular NHL, is generally well tolerated, and has no dose-limiting or significant hematologic toxicity, a number of approaches evaluating maintenance therapy with extended dosing of rituximab are being tested. Trials have demonstrated prolonged progression-free survival in patients treated with maintenance rituximab using a variety of schedules following treatment with single-agent rituximab, induction or salvage chemotherapy, or salvage therapy with rituximab and chemotherapy combinations. Small increases in neutropenia and infections have been reported with extended rituximab use. Ongoing trials are evaluating the optimal use of rituximab (maintenance vs retreatment) and the benefit of rituximab maintenance following treatment of therapy-naive patients treated with rituximab-containing chemoimmunotherapy induction regimens. This article discusses the risks and benefits of maintenance rituximab for follicular NHL.

Genta Incorporated announced the release of new survival analyses based on extended follow-up of patients in a randomized phase III trial of oblimersen sodium (Genasense) for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Recent trials have demonstrated improvements in progression-free and overall survival with the inclusion of the chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) in chemotherapy regimens for treatment-naive and relapsed patients with advanced-stage follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). As rituximab therapy has significant single-agent activity in follicular NHL, is generally well tolerated, and has no dose-limiting or significant hematologic toxicity, a number of approaches evaluating maintenance therapy with extended dosing of rituximab are being tested. Trials have demonstrated prolonged progression-free survival in patients treated with maintenance rituximab using a variety of schedules following treatment with single-agent rituximab, induction or salvage chemotherapy, or salvage therapy with rituximab and chemotherapy combinations. Small increases in neutropenia and infections have been reported with extended rituximab use. Ongoing trials are evaluating the optimal use of rituximab (maintenance vs retreatment) and the benefit of rituximab maintenance following treatment of therapy-naive patients treated with rituximab-containing chemoimmunotherapy induction regimens. This article discusses the risks and benefits of maintenance rituximab for follicular NHL.

;FDA has approved new labeling for Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sprycel (dasatinib) to include a lower recommended starting dose of 100 mg once daily, and safety and efficacy data in a greater number of patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia resistant or intolerant to prior therapy including imatinib (Gleevec).

For decades, initial therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) consisted of alkylators such as chlorambucil (Leukeran). The introduction of nucleoside analogs such as fludarabine and monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab (Rituxan) markedly changed the initial therapy of CLL, particularly in the United States. Fludarabine and combination regimens such as fludarabine/cyclophosphamide (FC) have achieved higher complete response (CR) rates and progression-free survival (PFS) than chlorambucil in previously untreated CLL, but long-term overall survival has not improved, due to concurrent improvement in salvage therapy of relapsed CLL patients. Upfront chemoimmunotherapy regimens such as fludarabine/rituximab (FR) and fludarabine/cyclophosphamide/rituximab (FCR) have similarly improved CR rates and PFS in previously untreated CLL patients, but it is unclear whether overall survival is improved. Advances in cytogenetic analysis and other biologic prognostic factors have greatly enhanced clinicians' ability to risk-stratify newly diagnosed CLL patients, and knowledge of such prognostic factors is necessary to properly interpret results of clinical treatment studies. The choice of initial therapy for an individual patient should depend upon the patient's age and medical condition, cytogenetic and other prognostic factors, and whether the goal of therapy is maximization of CR and PFS or palliation of symptoms with minimal toxicity.