April 2015
Volume 1, Issue 4
This issue features a look at the ACA’s out-of-pocket limit, reports from the IOM’s Pediatric Oncology Workshop, tips for improving your presentations, and more.
Table of Contents
April 2015
Integrating Palliative Care in Hematology
What are the goals of palliative care?
Palliative care clinicians treat physical symptoms (pain- and non-pain-related) and also aim to alleviate psychological, social, and spiritual...
Don’t Just Do Something! Stand There.
It’s the hardest thing in the world to do – or not do, as the case may be.
Someone has just been diagnosed with cancer....
April 2015
Nominations for ASH Leadership Positions, and more
Clinical Practitioners: Nominate Yourself or a Colleague for an ASH Leadership Position
ASH members in good standing can nominate themselves or other members for leadership...
Mapping the Road to Progress in Lymphoma Research: An Update from the ASH Meeting...
To review the state of science in lymphoma biology, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) organized the ASH Meeting on Lymphoma Biology in August...
April 2015
Pulling Back the Curtain: Steven L. Allen, MD
What was your first job?
Technically, my first job as a teenager was in the medical field – I helped install the first window air...
The ACA Out-of-Pocket Limit: Good and Bad News for Hematology Patients
Although the act sets limits on the out-of-pocket expenses a patient might face, many costs associated with hematologic care may fall outside of the...
Stephan Moll, MD: As the Lathe Turns…
What sparked your interest in woodturning?
It happened by chance a few years ago: I have always enjoyed building and repairing things, including working with...
April 2015
Understanding Hemophilia
A bleeding disorder is a condition in which a person tends to bleed longer (not faster) before a blood clot forms to stop the bleeding....
How would you treat a patient with Hodgkin lymphoma and bleomycin lung injury?
This month, George P. Canellos, MD, advises on treatment options for a young patient with Hodgkin lymphoma and bleomycin lung injury.A 23-year-old male patient with...
The Do’s and Don’ts of Research Presentations
There’s a basic formula for presentations of any kind: “Tell them what you are going to tell them; then tell them; and then tell...
April 2015
You’ve Gotten Blood on Your Clothes – What Do You Do Next?
A survey of ASH Clinical News readers presents some interesting advice:
(Happy April Fool’s Day!)
Is Carpet Thickness at Exhibitor Booths the Key to Drug Sales?
Who knows why doctors prescribe the medications they do? Low adverse events? Long-term efficacy? Recent research has revealed that plush carpet at the exhibitor...
The Dead Sea Slideshows
Recently uncovered slidescroll presentations from the 1282 A.D. ASH Annual Meeting reveal the year's biggest therapeutic breakthroughs in hematology.
Spoiler alert: It was a big...
Entospletinib Makes Its Mark in Chronic Lymphocytic Lymphoma
Therapies that target B-cell receptor signaling kinases have made great strides in chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) and other B-cell malignancies. According to results from...
How Costly is Febrile Neutropenia in Patients with Metastatic Cancer?
Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a frequent and often costly complication for patients with metastatic cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. When patients develop FN, the likelihood...
Carfilzomib in Multiple Myeloma, New FDA App to Track Drug Shortages, and more
Carfilzomib Granted Priority Review in Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted priority review status to the supplemental new drug application for...
Novel Agent Attacks the Cause of Vaso-Occlusive Crisis in Sickle Cell Disease
Vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) is a severely painful disease manifestation in adolescent and adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Currently, treatment is limited to...
Ruxolitinib: Another Option for Polycythemia Vera Patients with Poor RESPONSE
Patients with polycythemia vera who do not respond well to hydroxyurea may have another promising treatment option, according to results from the RESPONSE trial.
A...
Newer TKIs Versus Imatinib in CML-CP Patients
With the emergence of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), more choices than ever exist for treating patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP). However,...
Ibrutinib-Chemoimmunotherapy Combo Adds to CLL Therapy
In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), combining two effective treatments enhances their clinical activity, according to early study results published recently in Blood.
Treatment-naive CLL patients...
Red or White Blood Cell? Donut Ask a Cop!
A joint poll conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges and Dunkin' Donuts found that:
(Happy April Fool's Day!)
April 2015
IOM/ACS Pediatric Oncology Workshop Highlights Survivorship Issues
On March 9-10, the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) National Cancer Policy Forum (NCPF) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) sponsored a workshop on Comprehensive...