Hematologic Oncology

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.

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.

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.

While the expansion of therapeutic opportunity in multiple myeloma has been incremental in some ways, it’s been continuous and, when seen in aggregate, the impact is considerable.

Nelson Jen An Chao, MD, discusses current understandings of minimal residual disease and the therapies that have helped promulgate its utility in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to polatuzumab vedotin (Polivy) for use in combination with bendamustine and rituximab for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, shares advice for community oncologists on to how to better navigate the complex treatment paradigm of acute myeloid leukemia.

The fixed-dose combination of cedazuridine and decitabine demonstrated decitabine exposure equivalence of total 5-day dosing compared with intravenous decitabine in patients with intermediate- and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, meeting the primary endpoint of the phase III ASCERTAIN trial.

Lindsay A.M. Rein, MD, discusses the current state of TKI discontinuation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Ixazomib in combination with dexamethasone did not demonstrate a significant improvement in overall hematologic response compared with standard therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory systemic light-chain amyloidosis, missing one of two primary endpoints in the phase III TOURMALINE-AL1 trial and leading to discontinuation of the study.

Carlos Manuel de Castro III, MD, highlights current treatment approaches for severe aplastic anemia and some of the unmet needs that still exist.

The FDA has granted momelotinib a fast track designation for use as a treatment of patients with intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis who previously received a JAK inhibitor.

Harry P. Erba, MD, PhD, provides insight into how to navigate through the targeted therapies available in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and discussed the work that lies ahead in this space.

The FDA has accepted a biologics license application for the investigational erythroid maturation agent luspatercept for the treatment of adult patients with very low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes-associated anemia who have ring sideroblasts and require red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, as well as for adult patients with beta-thalassemia-associated anemia who require RBC transfusions.

John Sweetenham, MD, associate director for clinical affairs, Harold G. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center, discusses unanswered questions with CAR T-cell therapy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Matthew S. McKinney, MD, discusses exciting treatment advances made in Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, specifically the compelling research in follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma.

Lyndsey Runaas, MD, an assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, discusses impactful targeted therapies for patients with FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The FDA has granted copanlisib (Aliqopa) a breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed marginal zone lymphoma who have received at least 2 prior therapies.

The FDA approved a supplemental new drug application to update the label for gilteritinib to include final analysis data from the phase III ADMIRAL trial, which demonstrated an improvement in overall survival with the FLT3 inhibitor compared with salvage chemotherapy in adult patients with relapsed/refractory FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia.

The FDA has approved the R2 regimen of lenalidomide plus rituximab for use in patients with previously treated follicular lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma.