Hematologic Oncology

The FDA has granted a priority review to an application to expand the approval of blinatumomab (Blincyto) to include the treatment of pediatric and adolescent patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to pembrolizumab as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

The FDA has granted nivolumab (Opdivo) a priority review for use in previously treated patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

David P. Steensma, MD, Senior Physician, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute discusses myelodysplastic syndromes.

Jorge E. Cortes, MD, deputy department chair, professor of Medicine and Internist, chair, AML Sections, D. B. Lane Cancer Research Distinguished Professor for Leukemia Research, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the mechanism of action for BP-100.01.

The European Medicines Agency validated an application for use of nivolumab (Opdivo) for previously treated patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma), which officially begins the centralized review process for final approval of the drug in the European Union.

Andre Goy, MD, chairman and director, chief of Lymphoma, and director of Clinical and Translational Cancer Research at John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses marginal zone lymphoma.

Hematology/oncology fellowship coordinator, Theresa Marcus, reflects on what it was like to receive a diagnosis of cancer, experience recurrence, and later learn that she had finally become cancer-free with the help of her colleagues.

Faisal Musa, MD, reviews the case of a patient with large granulocytic leukemia and discusses why collaborating with the patient’s pathologist was so important to her diagnosis.

Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell therapies have demonstrated durable complete responses for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; however, several questions remain regarding their optimal use and applicability outside of this disease.

Immuno-oncology has advanced rapidly, with the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibition and effective adoptive T-cell therapies. As these agents rush through development, several questions remain regarding the optimal patients for treatment and the next steps for further improving outcomes.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, retired NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, discusses his experience with chronic myeloid leukemia‎ (CML) at the 20th Annual International Congress on Hematologic Malignancies: Focus on Leukemias, Lymphomas and Myeloma, held March 18.

Frontline treatment with CPX-351 (Vyxeos) significantly reduced the risk of death by 31% compared with cytarabine and daunorubicin (7+3) for older patients with high-risk, secondary acute myeloid leukemia.