October 2015
Volume 1, Issue 10
This issue features coverage from the ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies that took place in Chicago, IL. Our feature on big data reveals its potential to revolutionize healthcare, and our Editor’s Corner gives an in-depth look at putting together a presentation for the upcoming ASH Annual Meeting.
Table of Contents
October 2015
An Unabashed Rehash of the ASH Dash
(Or, How to Write an Abstract Guaranteed to be Selected for a Plenary Presentation at the Annual Meeting*)
6:15 a.m. (EST), August 4, 2015: My...
The Cost of Treating Thrombosis
In their interesting debate (“Drawing First Blood: For Anticoagulation in Cancer-Associated Thrombosis, Is Less More?”) in the August issue of ASH Clinical News, David Garcia, MD, and...
October 2015
Remembering Michael Friedland, Lasker Award Winners, and more
Michael L. Friedland, MD (1942 – 2015)
Michael L. Friedland, MD, founding dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University,...
Counting Down to the ASH Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida
The 57th ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition is less than two months away. This is the premier event in malignant and non-malignant hematology, where...
October 2015
What’s the Big Deal with Big Data?
Clinical trials, the largest of which may enroll a few thousand patients with hematology or oncology diagnoses, represent the gold standard of clinical research....
Going the Distance: Carol O’Hear, MD, PhD
What is ultra-running?
“Ultra-running,” or “ultra-distance running” is defined as anything over 26.2 miles, or anything longer than a traditional marathon. I love all types...
October 2015
How do you treat blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm?
Clinical Dilemma:
Experts Make the Call
Dr. Larson: Next Month’s Clinical Dilemma:
I have seen several orthopedic surgeons give tranexamic acid before and during surgery. One surgeon did...
October 2015
ICD-10: Ready or Not!
After two one-year reprieves, it’s finally here: The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM).
Nationwide, on October 1, 2015, all health-care business...
Improved Survival for AML Patients Enrolled in Clinical Trials
Given the lack of large population-based studies of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), long-term data on the therapies these patients receive and long-term...
Assessing the Updated Vienna Prediction Model for Unprovoked VTE: Does It Hold Up?
The Vienna Prediction Model was established to identify patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) who have a low risk of recurrence, with the aim...
Examining Daratumumab Monotherapy in Heavily Pretreated and Refractory Multiple Myeloma Patients
Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are refractory to proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs have poor prognoses and limited treatment options. Recently, though, preclinical...
FDA Approvals, Draft Guidance on Biosimilar Naming, House Bill on Stem Cell Research, and...
FDA Expands Eltrombopag Indication to Even Younger Pediatric Patients with ITP
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication for eltrombopag for the...
Understanding Familial Risk for Hodgkin Lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) represents approximately 1 percent of all de novo neoplasms worldwide annually, with more than 65,000 new cases diagnosed globally each year....
Novel Combination of ISS and EMC92 Gene Classifier Leads to Better Risk Stratification in...
Patients with multiple myeloma have variable survival rates and require reliable prognostic and predictive scoring systems. Currently, the available clinical and biologic risk markers...
Measles Virus in Myeloma, SGN-CD33A in AML, and more
LEUKEMIA
David Steensma, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
A Safety Study of SGN-CD33A in Combination With Standard-of-care in Patients With AML (NCT02326584)
Study Design: Non-randomized, open-label, parallel-assignment safety/efficacy...
Study Finds No Increased Risk of Transmission of CLL Through Blood Transfusions
An analysis of from Denmark and Sweden has shown that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) does not appear to be...
Iron Supplementation for Women with Iron Deficiency: Less May Be More
Iron supplements can replete iron stores and increase hemoglobin levels in individuals with an iron deficiency, but it can come with a price in...
High Expression of HLA-DPB1 Mismatching Increases Risk of Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Death
Though hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from unrelated donors can cure some blood disorders, an HLA-mismatched transplantation can result in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) which,...
October 2015
Shared-Care Model of Post-Consolidation Care Reduces Travel Burden for AML Patients
In Canada, investigators have been evaluating a shared-care model for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) post-consolidation supportive therapy. The collaborative program permits patients to visit...
Ibrutinib + Bendamustine/Rituximab in Patients with Previously Treated CLL/SLL
The combination of ibrutinib and bendamustine/rituximab (BR) was well-tolerated and did not significantly affect the safety profile of BR in patients with previously treated...
Microtransplantation: A Better Option for AML Patients Without an HLA-Identical Donor?
The optimal therapy for patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission is uncertain. Microtransplantation, the practice of infusing patients with...
Daratumumab Has Favorable Safety Profile in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Patients
For relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated with the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab, management of infusion-related reactions (IRRs) required temporary slowing or stopping of...
Researchers Identify Markers of Relapse in Post-Transplant Multiple Myeloma Patients
Results from an analysis presented at the 2015 ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies confirm that T-cell exhaustion and senescence (occurring when T cells are...
HIV-Associated Lymphoma: Examining Treatment Patterns and Survival in the Antiretroviral Era
As use of antiretroviral therapy has increased, the incidence of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) among HIV-positive patients has fallen, though it has not disappeared. For...
Is the Combo of Abbreviated Chemo Plus Radiation Therapy a Viable Option for DLBCL...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s guidelines for the management of non-bulky diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) recommend that, for patients with early-stage disease, shortening...
Age, Comorbidity, Time on Chemotherapy Predict Increases in Hospitalizations, ER Visits Among CLL Patients
Researchers identified several risk factors leading to greater health-care resource use, including age, comorbidity burden, presence of adverse events, and duration of therapy, in...
Age, Sex, Timing of Treatment Response Predict Avascular Necrosis in Children with ALL
Avascular necrosis (AVN), a disorder resulting from a temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone, is one of the most serious...
