Hematologic Oncology

The investigational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy CTL019 demonstrated promising activity in 2 pilot trials, eliciting complete remissions in 27 of 30 pediatric and adult patients (90%) with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Stephen G Emerson, MD, PhD, Clyde Wu Professor of Immunology and Medicine, director, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains the connection between stem cell mutations and leukemia.

The FDA has assigned a priority review designation to blinatumomab as a treatment for adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The combination of ABT-199 and ibrutinib (Imbruvica) demonstrated promising early activity in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cell lines

Infinity Pharmaceuticals has entered into two separate agreements with Roche and AbbVie to develop and commercialize duvelisib (IPI-145), an oral inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, for the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies.

A Biologics License Application has been submitted to the FDA for the bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) antibody blinatumomab as a treatment for adult patients with Philadelphia-negative (Ph-) relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

A preclinical study has shown promising steps toward tackling drug resistance in hematologic malignancies using sequential dosing of drugs targeted against vulnerabilities that emerge as a result of tumor evolution

Treatment advancements for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are few and far between with marginal gains being made in the form of changes in current standard therapies or supportive care.

Jennifer Woyach, MD, assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the efficacy findings from the phase III RESONATE trial.

Despite a recent decline in utilization, consolidated radiation therapy has been shown to improve 10-year survival rates for patients with stage I/II Hodgkin's lymphoma following treatment with chemotherapy

Timothy S. Pardee, MD, discusses the results of a phase I study of the mitochondrial metabolism inhibitor CPI-613 for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, discusses the implications of responses to the CAR T-cell therapy KTE-C19, particularly among patients with chemotherapy-refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

Although standard induction therapy produces complete remissions in 50% to 70% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), long-term survival is seen in only 20% to 40% of patients. The prognosis for older patients is even worse, with a 5-year survival rate of 5% for patients older than 65 years.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy in which the patient's own T cells are isolated in the laboratory, redirected with a synthetic receptor to recognize a particular antigen or protein, and reinfused into the patient.

Anas Younes, MD, chief, Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the ongoing Echelon-1 study in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Michael Sawyer, MD, associate professor, Medical Oncology, University of Alberta, discusses lean body mass (LBM) outcomes in patients with multicentric Castleman's disease who received siltuximab (Sylvant).

Ian W. Flinn, MD, PhD, director, Hematologic Malignancies Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses IPI-145, an oral inhibitor of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)-delta and PI3K- gamma.

Joseph M. Flynn, DO, MPH, discusses the results of the phase II GAGE study, which compared 1000 mg vs 2000 mg of obinutuzumab in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The addition of lenalidomide to R-CHOP demonstrated promising efficacy in previously untreated patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma across all subtypes of the disease.

Although minor institution-specific variations exist, traditional fellowship programs in the United States are able to provide training in the sophisticated Western style of practice.

Hailed as "new ammunition in the war against cancer" and featured in TIME magazine at the turn of the new millennium, molecularly targeted therapies have gone on to revolutionize cancer treatment. Clinical responses, however, are all too often short-lived as cancer cells become resistant.

The FDA has assigned a priority review designation to the JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib as treatment for patients with polycythemia vera who are resistant or intolerant to hydroxyurea

The combination of carfilzomib (Kyprolis), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and low-dose dexamethasone extended progression-free survival (PFS) by 8.7 months compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma

The FDA has expanded the approval of ibrutinib to include the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who have received at least one previous therapy and harbor a 17p deletion.

Joseph M. Flynn, DO, MPH, co-director, Division of Hematology; co-director, LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center of Excellence; medical director, James Survivorship Clinics, The Ohio State University, James Cancer Hospital, discusses the impact ibrutinib has had on treating hematologic malignancies.

In the first pivotal phase III study of a Janus-associated kinase (JAK) inhibitor for the treatment of polycythemia vera (PV), ruxolitinib (Jakafi) was superior to best available therapy (BAT) in maintaining control of hematocrit without the need for phlebotomy and in reducing spleen size in patients with an inadequate response to or intolerance of hydroxyurea.

The FDA has approved idelalisib in combination with rituximab for patients with high-risk relapsed or refractory CLL and as a single-agent for two types of iNHL.

The ASCO annual meeting is always a time of excitement for the nearly 30,000 clinicians and scientists who gather every year to see "what's new."

An early study presented at the 2014 AACR Annual Meeting showed promise for a new targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukemia