July 2017
Volume 3, Issue 8
This issue features an interview with the FDA’s Richard Pazdur, highlights from the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting, a debate about minimal residual disease testing in myeloma, and more.
Table of Contents
July 2017 Issue
Remembering Neil Abramson, MD, AACC Announces Clinical Chemistry Trainee Council Educational Initiative, and more
Remembering Neil Abramson, MD (1937-2017)
Neil Abramson, MD, a hematologist/oncologist who served as a Blood Special Section Editor from 2008-2012, passed away at the age...
AML Matters Summit, ASH President Participates in LLS Panel Discussion, and more
AML Matters Summit Continues Across U.S.
AML Matters is a free educational program designed to provide guidance to health-care professionals on the optimal diagnosis and...
July 2017 Issue
Harnessing the Power of Collaboration
ASH Clinical News spoke with Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), about the...
Is MRD Testing Worthwhile in Myeloma?
With the clinically effective treatment regimens now available for myeloma, more patients can achieve deep and sustained responses. The ability to measure minimal residual...
July 2017 Issue
Understanding Blood Clots
As many as 900,000 people in the United States develop blood clots annually, and clots are
responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths each year. Research has...
July 2017 Issue
Rates of Myeloid Neoplasms in Patients With Unexplained Cytopenias
Patients with unexplained cytopenias may never receive a definitive diagnosis, or may eventually be classified as having myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS, a myeloproliferative neoplasm ...
Enoxaparin Increases Risk of Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients With Glioma
Venous thromboembolism occurs in approximately one-third of patients with glioma, but the decision to treat patients with anticoagulation is complicated by the risk for...
CD19-Directed CAR T-Cell Therapy Associated With High Rates of MRD Negativity in Young Patients...
Though CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have shown great promise for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, the possibility of routinely bringing these...
Blinatumomab Versus Standard-of-Care Chemotherapy in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
In a multinational, prospective, randomized, phase III study, investigators found that the anti-CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager antibody blinatumomab improved survival outcomes, compared with standard-of-care...
Selinexor Induces Response in Patients With Various Subtypes of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic...
The heterogeneity of the various subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) necessitates the development of specific therapies that address fundamental mechanisms that are dysregulated in...
Pomalidomide Does Not Significantly Improve RBC Transfusion Needs in Myelofibrosis
Anemia occurs commonly in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN)-associated myelofibrosis (MF), and such patients are often red blood cell (RBC) transfusion-dependent. No therapy approved...
Finding the Best VTE Prophylaxis Options for Patients Undergoing Total Hip and Knee Replacement
For prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR), guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians...
CMS Proposes Public Reporting of Medical Facility Inspections
A new rule from CMS proposes increasing transparency of the inspection process of medical facilities by requiring that private health-care accreditors (the largest of...
PubMed to Disclose Funding Information of Studies Up Front
In March, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) implemented a series of changes to how conflict-of-interest (COI) information is displayed in PubMed-indexed abstracts. COI...
CTL019 Being Reviewed for DLBCL and ALL
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted breakthrough-therapy designation for CTL019, a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, for adult patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large...
FDA Lifts REMS Requirement for ESAs for Anemia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted its risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) certification requirement for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), specifically epoetin...
July 2017 Issue
Early Results from CAR T-Cell Therapy Trial for Myeloma Show “Encouraging” Response Rates
In an ongoing, phase I trial of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma, 33 out of 35 patients achieved...
Mixed Results in Trials of Momelotinib Versus Ruxolitinib for Myelofibrosis
The investigational JAK1/2 inhibitor momelotinib was active in the treatment of myelofibrosis (MF) in phase I/II trials, but updates presented at the 2017 ASCO...
Daratumumab-Based Quadruplet Combination Is Safe in Newly Diagnosed Myeloma
In November 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab in combination with two standard-of-care regimens (dexamethasone plus lenalidomide...
