September 2015
Volume 1, Issue 9
In this issue, we look at the problem of physician burnout, follow a day in the life of a hem/onc APP, and examine the work-life spectrum.
Table of Contents
September 2015
The Work-Life Spectrum
I wish we had a better term for the relationship between work and life, because, in my understanding, “work-life balance” suggests that in order...
A Day in the Life of a Hem/Onc APP
“What do you do in a typical day?” is a question I am often asked by everyone from nurses who aspire to further their...
A Few of My Favorite Things
It seems that my last “Editor’s Corner” column (“These Are a Few of My Least Favorite Things …,”) resonated with many of my fellow hematologists....
September 2015
ASH Awards Bridge Grants, New Podcasts from The Hematologist, and more
Twelve investigators will receive ASH Bridge Grants for promising blood disease research that could otherwise not be funded by the National Institutes of Health...
New Appointments at Cleveland Clinic, ICER to Launch Drug Assessment Program, and more
Julie A. Ross, PhD (1961 – 2015)
Julie A. Ross, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the...
September 2015
Minimal Residual Disease: ALL It’s Cracked Up to Be?
Monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) has become the standard of care in pediatric patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) based on evidence that it...
Hemo-philately: Robert A. Kyle, MD
When did you become interested in stamp collecting?
I have had a passing interest in postage stamps ever since I was young, but I didn’t...
Beating Burnout: When Clinicians are Overworked, Overtired, and Overwhelmed
If Katy H. Goldsborough, MD, a hematologist/oncologist with Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare in Naperville, Illinois, started to feel “burned out,” no one would blame her: Dr....
Pulling Back the Curtain: Jerald Radich, MD
What was your first job?
My first real job was at a Safeway grocery store; I started in high school, and basically worked there throughout...
September 2015
Teaching the Art of Advocacy
For some time now, the United States health-care system has been undergoing a significant transformation, marked by changes to our delivery and payment systems,...
What is Aplastic Anemia?
Aplastic anemia is a rare but serious disease of the bone marrow. Each year, between 600 and 900 people in the United States are...
What is your approach to a patient who is referred for an immunofixation showing...
This month, Robert A. Kyle, MD, answers a question about the “faint monoclonal band” of IgG kappa or IgG lambda in a dense polyclonal...
September 2015
Study Examines Alisertib for Relapsed/Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma
Alisertib, a novel oral aurora A kinase (AAK) inhibitor, has demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma, according to results from a...
FDA Approves Carfilzomib, Court Rules on Off-Label Drug Use, ABIM Reform, and more
FDA Approves Carfilzomib for Second-Line Multiple Myeloma
The U.S. FDA has approved expanded use of carfilzomib for the treatment of multiple myeloma when used in...
Frontline Brentuximab Vedotin Leads to High Response Rate for Older Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients
Older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) tend to have worse outcomes than younger patients when treated with conventional chemotherapy regimens, likely due to a...
Effectiveness of Treatment with VR-CAP Versus R-CHOP for Patients with Non-GCB DLBCL
Clinical outcomes differ considerably between the germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and non-GCB subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), with overall survival inferior in...
Examining the Efficacy of Granulocyte Transfusion Therapy in Neutropenic Patients with Infection
Granulocyte transfusion therapy was an approach to bacterial and fungal infections related to severe neutropenia for more than 50 years; however, due to questionable...
How Do Refractory Myeloma Patients Fare?
With more novel agents available for the treatment of multiple myeloma, including immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors, response rates and overall survival have improved in...
A New Topical Treatment for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
The investigational topical drug resiquimod was safe and effective in clearing treated and untreated skin lesions in patients with early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL),...
A Closer Look at Cancer-Associated Venous Limb Gangrene
Warfarin-induced venous limb gangrene (VLG) in patients with cancer with deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is an uncommon, poorly understood complication of anticoagulant therapy. While warfarin...
With Prolonged Treatment, Ruxolitinib Lessens JAK2 V617F Allele Burden in Patients with Myelofibrosis
A high proportion of patients with BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (myelofibrosis, essential thrombocythemia, and polycythemia vera) have the JAK2 V617F mutation, which can lead to...
Fludarabine + Busulfan: Improving Treatment-Related Mortality without Compromising Conditioning Intensity in High-Risk Multiple Myeloma
A myeloablative conditioning regimen consisting of fludarabine and busulfan was safe and effective in patients with high-risk multiple myeloma undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation...
Low Plasma ADAMTS-13 Levels Associated with Greater Risk of Myocardial Infarction
Though previous studies have linked low ADAMTS-13 (also known as von Willebrand factor –cleaving protease) levels with an increased risk of arterial thrombosis and...
Study of At-Home Rivaroxaban Treatment Supports Outpatient Treatment for Low-Risk DVT and PE Patients
While home treatment of venous thromboembolism has been associated with low failure rates in several studies, in the real-world setting, challenges in arranging follow-up,...
Can Shorter Time to Antibiotic Administration Improve Outcomes in Febrile Neutropenia?
A new protocol consisting of “relatively simple interventions” speeds time to initial receipt of antibiotic therapy for cancer patients experiencing febrile neutropenia (FN), according...
