November 2018
Volume 4, Issue 13
This issue features a look at the U.S. drug pricing system, attempts to solve physician burnout, and more.
Table of Contents
November 2018 Issue
Draining the Email Swamp
On a typical weekday, I receive 200 emails and send 40. Unless you, dear reader, are the taciturn Seattle hematologist who hasn’t responded to...
November 2018 Issue
Lili Yang Wins $1.4 Million CIRM Quest Discovery Grant, and more
Remembering Thomas Michael Przybysz (1951-2018)
Thomas Michael Przybysz, MD, an oncologist, passed away on July 19, 2018, at the age of 66.
After serving in the...
Nancy Berliner Named Next Editor-in-Chief of Blood, and more
ASH Launches New Sickle Cell Disease Clinical Trials Network
ASH has announced the launch of a clinical trials network in sickle cell disease (SCD) to...
November 2018 Issue
Who Pays What, and Why?
From R&D to PBMs, a look at the U.S. approach to drug pricing
When it comes to setting drug prices, the U.S. is singular in...
Rethinking Burnout
Will solving physician burnout require sweeping changes to the U.S. health-care system?
About 15 years ago, during the first year of his fellowship, Tait Shanafelt,...
Pulling Back the Curtain: Richard W. Childs, MD
In this edition, Richard W. Childs, MD, talks about his accomplishments in immunotherapy, his role in the response to the 2014 West Africa Ebola...
November 2018 Issue
How I Treat In Brief: Managing Ibrutinib-Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, associate professor at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, wrote about her strategy for the management of patients with...
How to Treat Anemia in a Patient Who Refuses Transfusions for Religious Reasons
This month, Neil A. Zakai, MD, discusses how to treat anemia in a patient who refuses packed red blood cells.
And don't forget to check out...
How to Treat Anemia in a Patient Who Refuses Transfusions for Religious Reasons
Here’s how readers responded to a You Make the Call question about a Jehovah's Witness patient with stage IV uterine cancer, a uterine abscess,...
November 2018 Issue
FDA Approves New Treatment for Hemophilia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved BAY94-9027, or antihemophilic factor (recombinant), PEGylated-aucl, for the prophylactic treatment of adults and adolescents (≥12 years)...
Evaluating Twice-Yearly Denosumab for Transfusion-Dependent, Thalassemia-Induced Osteoporosis
Treatment with twice-yearly denosumab improved spinal bone mineral density (BMD) compared with placebo in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT)–induced osteoporosis, according to results of...
FDA Approves Ibrutinib Combo for Waldenström Macroglobulinemia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ibrutinib, in combination with rituximab, for the treatment of adult patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). In...
Pre-emptive Rituximab Prevents Long-Term Relapses in Immune-Mediated TTP
Patients with immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) who have persistent, severe ADAMTS13 deficiency have a high likelihood of relapse, but pre-emptive treatment with rituximab...
Higher Childhood Leukemia Risk in Offspring Raises Questions About Hormonal Contraceptive Safety
Children born to women who were using hormonal contraception within three months of pregnancy and during pregnancy have a higher risk of developing myeloid...
Elephants’ “Zombie Gene” May Prevent Cancer
Researchers have identified a gene that appears to solve the mystery of why elephants – who should be at a greater risk of developing...
MRD Negativity Measured Via Next-Generation Sequencing Predicts Long-Term Survival in Myeloma
Measuring minimal residual disease (MRD) status using next-generation sequencing (NGS) represented a prognostic biomarker for survival in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), according to...
Post-Transplant Gene Mutations Predict Risk for MDS Progression
Sequencing bone marrow samples early after patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have undergone allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) could help identify patients who are...
Oncology Community Reacts to Medicare Advantage’s “Step Therapy” Decision
In early August 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will allow Medicare Advantage plans to implement “step therapy” for...
Next-Generation Sequencing MRD Assessment Valuable Tool in AML Management
Assessing minimal residual disease (MRD) using next-generation sequencing (NGS) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) prior to undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT)...
Risk of Thrombosis in Patients With Cancer and Implanted Ports
Although patients with solid-tumor cancers and implanted ports have a high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), guidelines advise against routine thromboprophylaxis, given the wide...
Rivaroxaban Fails to Prevent VTE and VTE-Related Mortality After Hospital Discharge
Patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness are at an increased risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the six weeks after discharge, but...
Rituximab Plus Lenalidomide Noninferior to Chemotherapy in Treatment-Naïve Follicular Lymphoma
Treatment with the chemotherapy-free combination of rituximab and the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide (R2) was noninferior to the combination of rituximab and chemotherapy (R-chemo) in...
Theranos Shutting Down Amid Fraud Allegations
In a letter to investors, the CEO of Theranos announced that the bloodtesting company is preparing to shut down. Theranos has faced a U.S....
Examining Hospice Use Among Transfusion-Dependent Patients With Leukemia
Since 2001, more patients with leukemia are receiving hospice services, which has been associated with improved quality of life, according to an analysis published...
