European Hematology Association Congress

The combination of venetoclax (Venclexta) and azacitidine led to a 34% reduction in the risk of death versus azacitidine alone in treatment-naïve patients with acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for intensive therapy.

Treatment with narsoplimab (OMS721) led to complete responses, improved laboratory markers, and encouraging 100-day survival rates in patients diagnosed with hematopoietic stem cell transplant-thrombotic microangiopathy.

Treatment with the CAR T-cell product lisocabtagene maraleucel led to high response rates, with durable complete responses, in transplant-ineligible patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who had poor prognostic features.

Parameswaran Hari, MD, MRCP, discusses the role of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma.

Luciano J. Costa, MD, PhD, discusses the safety results of CC-93269 in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Higher levels of the serum biomarkers ST2 and REG3α were associated with increased incidence of graft-vs-host disease and increased risk for transplant-related mortality in patients who have undergone haploidentical stem-cell transplantation with post-transplant cyclophosphamide.

The novel C3 inhibitor pegcetacoplan led to a significant improvement in hemoglobin level and other clinical outcomes at week 16 versus the current standard of care, eculizumab in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Ruxolitinib (Jakafi) induced a strong, durable response across several subgroups of patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease.

The triplet regimen of ibrutinib, venetoclax, and obinutuzumab demonstrated encouraging response rates with an acceptable safety profile in treatment-naïve patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Imetelstat demonstrated meaningful and durable transfusion independence in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome that are non-del(5q), dependent on red blood cell transfusion, and are relapsed/refractory to treatment with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents.

Radiation therapy can be omitted in patients with newly diagnosed early-stage unfavorable Hodgkin lymphoma without sacrificing efficacy.

Chemotherapy-free treatment with single-agent acalabrutinib provided a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared with physicians’ choice of standard therapy in patients with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Among the most highly anticipated study results to be presented during the 2019 European Hematology Association Congress were those of the phase III ASCEND trial, which investigated the use of acalabrutinib monotherapy in patients with previously-treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Ibrutinib monotherapy significantly improved event- and progression-free survival compared with placebo in treatment-naïve patients with early-stage, asymptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Despite promising progression-free survival and response data with venetoclax in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, an increased number of deaths due to infection in the experimental arm marred overall survival findings in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Susan M. O’Brien, MD, associate director for Clinical Services, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Irvine Medical Center, discusses the phase III ASCEND trial in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Hu5F9-G4 (5F9), a first-in-class antibody targeting CD47, used as monotherapy or in combination with standard azacitidine was well tolerated and provided deep and durable responses in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome, according to findings from a phase IB study presented at the 2019 European Hematology Association Congress.

Gail Roboz, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Clinical and Translational Leukemia Program at Weill Cornell MedicineNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the QuANTUM-R trial, which evaluated quizartinib versus chemotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia.

Alessandra Tedeschi MD, Department of Hematology, Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda Ca' Granda in Milan, Italy, discusses the long-term findings of the phase III RESONATE-2 trial during the 2019 European Hematology Association Congress.

Othman Al-Sawaf, MD, discusses findings from the CLL14 trial, the rationale for exploring this proposed combination, and shares his thoughts on the emerging treatment paradigms in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The combination of rigosertib and azacitidine demonstrated improved response rates over single-agent azacitidine in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, including patients naïve to a hypomethylating (HMA) agent and those who were refractory to HMAs.

Naval G. Daver, MD, discusses the data that support quizartinib so far, ongoing investigations with this drug in the frontline setting, and the potential for the agent to be approved by the FDA.

Frontline therapy with ibrutinib was successfully administered for more than 60 months in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia aged 65 years and older and provided improved progression-free and overall survival compared with chlorambucil.

Imetelstat treatment may allow patients with debilitating anemia due to myelodysplastic syndrome to remain transfusion-free for extended periods of time.

The triplet regimen of elotuzumab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone led to a 46% reduction in the risk of death compared with pomalidomide/dexamethasone alone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, according to updated findings of the phase II ELOQUENT-3 trial.

Simon Rule, MD, PhD, Plymouth University Medical School, discusses results of the phase III MabCute study evaluating subcutaneous rituximab as maintenance after standard subcutaneous rituximab induction and maintenance in patients who have relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Ajai Chari, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses INSIGHT MM (NCT02761187), the largest global, prospective, non-interventional, observational study on multiple myeloma to date.

At a median follow-up of 14.1 months, the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel achieved an objective response rate of 52% in adult patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

David Sallman, MD, assistant member, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the combination of APR-246 and azacitidine as a treatment for patients with TP53-mutant myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.

Anthony R. Mato, MD, hematologic oncologist, director, CLL Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the safety and efficacy of umbralisib in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.