ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition

Treatment with carfilzomib reduced the risk of progression or death by 47% compared with bortezomib for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

William G. Wierda, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses two combination studies with venetoclax for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) during the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting.

Saad Z. Usmani, MD, hematology and medical oncology, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas HealthCare System, discusses results of a phase Ib/II study examining the combination of ibrutinib plus carfilzomib in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Marcel R.M. van den Brink, MD, PhD, provides an overview of four notable studies being presented at the 2014 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting and Exposition.

In less than 5 years, the treatment landscape for patients with hematologic malignancies has undergone a dramatic transformation, with continued advancements and pivotal data being presented at the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting.

Results from a pair of phase II studies indicate that adding the immunomodulatory agent pomalidomide (Pomalyst) to multiple myeloma regimens improved outcomes for patients who have stopped responding to earlier treatments.

Clinicians who treat patients with multiple myeloma have witnessed a sea change in the past 15 years. Yet another revolution appears right around the corner.

Ann LaCasce, MD, a lymphoma specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, discusses the use of brentuximab vedotin and bendamustine in combination for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.

Jae H. Park, MD, attending physician, Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses a trial presented at the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting that explored CD19-targeted T cells as treatment for patients with relapsed, refractory B- cell ALL.

Duvelisib (IPI-145), an inhibitor of PI3K-δ and PI3K-γ signaling, had a favorable risk:benefit profile in patients with relapsed/refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) in a phase I study, reported Ian Flinn, MD, PhD

Treatment with the TKI sorafenib in combination with standard chemotherapy increased event-free survival by 11.3 months compared with standard chemotherapy plus placebo in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia.

Some patients with heavily treated acute myelogenous leukemia benefited from treatment with the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199).

Ninety-six percent of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma who received treatment with the combination of brentuximab vedotin and bendamustine responded to treatment without experiencing dose-limiting toxicity.

Almost 90% of patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma responded to the targeted combination of ibrutinib and rituximab.

Ian Flinn, MD, PhD, director of the hematologic malignancies program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses findings from a phase I study that explored monotherapy with the PI3K-gamma and delta inhibitor duvelisib (IPI-145) in patients with relapsed/refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Jia Ruan, MD, PhD, is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, discusses sustained remissions experienced by patients treated with the combination of lenalidomide and rituximab as initial treatment for MCL.

Patients with HIV-associated lymphoma can effectively be treated with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with outcomes that are similar to patients without HIV.

Noopur Raje, MD, from the Multiple Myeloma Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the unprecedented efficacy seen with monoclonal antibodies as treatments for patients with multiple myeloma.

Treatment with elotuzumab in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone demonstrated encouraging efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Treatment with nilotinib in combination with chemotherapy elicited complete hematological remissions in 87% of elderly patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The novel drug AG-221 generated durable remissions in patients with AML by targeting a mutation of the IDH2 gene in a small, first-in-man study that represents a new, chemotherapy-free approach for attacking the malignancy.

The anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell therapy CTL019 demonstrated an impressive 92% complete response rate in pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Farhad Ravandi, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, describes results from the phase III VALOR trial that explored vosaroxin plus cytarabine versus placebo and cytarabine in patients with first relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Idelalisib monotherapy shows activity in treatment-naïve patients ≥65 years with CLL or SLL, with nearly 90% of patients enrolled in a phase II study demonstrating a partial response.

Eytan Stein, MD, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses new data from a phase I study exploring the oral IDH2 inhibitor AG-221 in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies, primarily acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Patients with relapsed and difficult-to-treat Hodgkin lymphoma who received brentuximab vedotin had an unprecedented 50% higher likelihood of continuing to experience PFS at 2 years.

Two studies spotlighted at the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting characterized the efficacy of treatment with anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies in the frontline setting and for patients with refractory disease.

Treatment with carfilzomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone increased PFS by 8.7 months in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma when compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone.

Treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab generated responses in 66% of patients with heavily pretreated classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

At least 80% of patients with B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia had a complete minimal residual disease response after a single cycle of treatment with the CD19-directed antibody blinatumomab.