ASCO Annual Meeting: Hematology

Researchers are making much-needed progress in developing treatments for patients with three rare malignancies: recurrent and refractory primary central nervous (CNS) system lymphoma, secondary CNS lymphoma, and primary vitreoretinal lymphoma.

CAR T-cell therapy targeting B-cell maturation protein may be a new effective type of immunotherapy treatment for patients with multiple myeloma.

This video highlights results of the BFORE trial, which tested bosutinib vs imatinib in newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

Prognostic somatic copy number alterations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma can be detected and monitored noninvasively using ctDNA from patient plasma.

Significant improvements in treatment protocols have reduced the incidence of serious chronic late health effects in survivors of childhood cancer treatment.

Ahead of the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting, we discuss the discontinuation of TKIs in some chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

The anti-CCR4 antibody mogamulizumab showed promising response rates compared to investigator’s choice in a randomized phase II trial of relapsed/refractory adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Two studies show that early deep responses with TKIs yield lasting positive outcomes in CML patients, and that dasatinib outperforms imatinib.

Crenolanib, a type I pan FLT3 inhibitor, had activity in a group of patients with FLT3-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including a number of patients with FLT3 D835 mutations.

New research has shown that a higher dose of CTL019 with split dosing was associated with reduced toxicity in adult patients with relapsed, refractory CD19-positive ALL.

Adding bortezomib to bendamustine/rituximab significantly improves complete remission rates in previously untreated high-risk follicular lymphoma, according to a new study.

Researchers were able to identify a subset of patients with smoldering multiple myeloma who have a greater than 80% risk of progressing to myeloma within 2 years.

Monotherapy with the monoclonal antibody isatuximab was effective and well-tolerated in a small study of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.

Lenalidomide was able to penetrate ventricular cerebrospinal fluid and was active in a small study of patients with relapsed CNS diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

A three-drug regimen that includes daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone may be the new standard of care for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

CPX-351, a liposomal formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin, improved event-free survival, overall survival, and response compared with a traditional dose of cytarabine/daunorubicin in older patients with high-risk secondary acute myeloid leukemia.

More than half of patients with chronic phase CML who achieved a deep molecular response after nilotinib therapy were able to maintain treatment-free remission.

Maintenance lenalidomide after autologous stem cell transplantation significantly prolonged survival in patients with multiple myeloma, according to results of a meta-analysis.

A study testing the all oral combination of ixazomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone showed that patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma responded well to the experimental treatment regimen.

In this interview we discuss research and the treatment approaches for primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Undergoing upfront autologous stem cell transplantation is still the preferred treatment of choice for patients aged 65 or younger with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to interim results of a phase III trial.

Obinutuzumab in combination with bendamustine followed by obinutuzumab maintenance improved PFS over bendamustine monotherapy in patients with refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A vaccine known as AST-VAC1 was successfully produced from most patients in a phase II trial of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

A trial found that ibrutinib in combination with bendamustine and rituximab is superior to standard of care in patients with previously treated CLL/SLL.

We discuss some of the anticipated multiple myeloma trials with Sagar Lonial, MD, ahead of the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

Ruxolitinib was significantly better than the best available therapy in a phase III, open-label trial of patients with polycythemia vera who were resistant to or intolerant of hydroxyurea.

A phase II trial of the selective spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) inhibitor GS-9973 showed substantial biologic activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Ibrutinib substantially increased progression-free survival and overall survival over ofatumumab in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), according to the results of the RESONATE trial.

Treatment with lenalidomide and dexamethasone improved quality-of-life measures in multiple myeloma patients, according to a study presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Continuous therapy produces drastically better progression-free survival and overall survival outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma. A novel endpoint involving time to second progression is an important tool in evaluating this type of treatment in the future.