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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), held in Valencia, Spain, EBMT 2016 President Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, from Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, discusses graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a complication that can occur after allogeneic transplantation and be a major barrier to the success of stem cell transplantation. Dr Mohty gives an overview of EBMT 2016 discussions, which address GvHD prophylaxis, pharmacologic agents and the role of polyclonal antibodies.

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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), held in Valencia, Spain, EBMT 2016 President Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, from Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, talks about veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a rare but serious complication that can occur after allogeneic transplantation. Severe VOD can be fatal in up to 80% of patients. The approval of the novel polydisperse oligonucleotide defibrotide for the treatment of VOD treatment rejuvenated this field, with EBMT 2016 discussions focusing on the criteria for the diagnosis and grading of the severity of this complication.

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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), held in Valencia, Spain, Mike Thompson, MD, PhD, from Aurora Health Care, WI, discusses Twitter and other social media platforms as a way to engage colleagues and educate patients who now have a better access to disease information. Twitter allows for diversification of communication, without being limited to only physician-to-physician communication. Dr Thompson provides tips on how to approach Twitter, including a discussion on preferred activity level.

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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, held in Valencia, Spain, Miguel Perales, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discusses strategies to reduce graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), highlighting ex vivo T-cell depletion. An ablative conditioning regimen combined with ex vivo T-cell depletion using CD34 selection offers long-term survival in patients with significantly reduced acute and chronic GvHD and low risk of relapse in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), held in Valencia, Spain, Catherine Bollard, MD from Children’s National Health System, Washington, D.C., gives an overview of the field of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. Dr Bollard discusses CAR T-cells for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), where they give a response rate in the order of 90%, and in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, where response rate is lower at 50%. There are many outstanding questions related to the clinical development of CAR T-cell therapy, including understanding how long…

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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, held in Valencia, Spain, Arnon Nagler, MD, from Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, talks about the separation of graft-versus-leukemia from graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). A good readout assay for graft-versus-leukemia is currently unavailable, besides lack of patient’s relapse or GvHD development. Patients with GvHD usually have less relapse; this gives an opportunity for patients with low-grade GvHD to benefit from the immunological attack against leukemia caused by allogeneic transplant without morbidity or mortality of GvHD.

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At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), held in Valencia, Spain, Paul Richardson, MD, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, discusses the clinical development and approval of the novel polydisperse oligonucleotide defibrotide for the treatment of patients with severe veno-occlusive disease (sVOD) following a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).

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At the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 9 to 11 March 2016, Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, from Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy, discusses the value of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Multiple checkpoint inhibitors are currently in clinical development for this patient group, including anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab, anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab and anti-PD-L1 antibody atezolizumab. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, from Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France and President of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), provides an overview of the sessions and themes of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the EBMT held in Valencia, Spain. The range of topics covered this year include standard and novel therapies as well as the use of stem cell transplantation for diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Prof. Mohty also talks about the novel features and innovations in the structure of the meeting, such as a session on social media and its importance for clinicians.…

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At the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 9 to 11 March 2016, Douglas Easton, PhD, from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges associated with applying the knowledge of a patients genetic susceptibility for breast cancer in clinical management, including the potential to individualise breast cancer screening and risk-reduction measures. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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At the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 9 to 11 March 2016, Fatima Cardoso, MD, from the Champalimaud Clinical Center, Lisbon, Portugal, provides highlights of abstracts from the conference, including results from the EPHOS-B trial, which was designed to evaluate lapatinib and trastuzumab, alone and in combination, for early HER2-positive breast cancer; and results from the EORTC 10085/TBCRC/BIG/NABG International Male Breast Cancer Program, which was designed to understand pathologic prognostic factors of male breast cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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At the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 9 to 11 March 2016, Isabel Rubio, MD, PhD, from Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, discusses her highlights from the conference, including the development of personalised screening and the translation of cancer genomics into therapeutics for patients with breast cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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At the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 9 to 11 March 2016, Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, from Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy, provides an overview of the challenges in the clinical development of precision medicine, which is defined as treatment selection that is guided by specific molecular aberrations in a patient’s tumour, for patients with breast cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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How much progress has been made in the field of lung cancer? Can patients expect increased treatment options? Patient Power Founder Andrew Schorr interviews lung cancer expert Dr. George Simon, Thoracic/Head & Neck Oncology Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, discussing the dramatic changes occurring in lung cancer research. Listen as Dr. Simon describes how the field is accelerating, or as Dr. Simon puts it, Getting 2020 treatment in 2016. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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Viewer Cindy in this Ask the Expert segment asks MPN expert Dr. Naval Daver, Can the effectiveness of ruxolitinib (Jakafi) be impacted by missing doses? Listen as Dr. Daver the long-term efficacy of this treatment and reviews the potential impact of missing a dose. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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At the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 9 to 11 March 2016, Andrew Evans, MRCP, FRCR, from the University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom, discusses the development of new methods to personalise breast cancer imaging based on risk factors, such as breast cancer density, texture, MRI parenchymal enhancement and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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B.J. Rimel, MD of Cedars Sinai Medical Center discusses the SGO 2016 highlights and trends from SGO 2016. Transcription: I think that the array of options. For testing whether it be genetic panel testing with multiple multiple genes. Or is it a ray of immunotherapy auctions are probably the two strongest trends I see here at this meeting. There’s a lot of work that remains to be done to see how that’s going to play out for patients I think that clinicians and providers. And patients need to be aware of these options before we run headlong into these be…

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B.J. Rimel, MD of Cedars Sinai Medical Center discusses the next 5 years in gynaecologic malignancies treatment from SGO 2016. Transcription: I think that we’re going to continue become more multi disciplinary then we have been. Gynecologic oncology is. Expanding in the types of people that are practicing it medical oncologist being included in our society pharmacist nurse. Shares position of. Students. Our frozen residents I think it’s just an incredibly expanding field and I think that that’s going to be a wonderful opportunity for us to draw on the experiences of other disciplines to help better treat our.

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B.J. Rimel, MD of Cedars Sinai Medical Center discusses the high number of uterine and BRCA mutations from study focusing on endometrial cancer patients from SGO 2016. Transcription: There is another abstract by doctor ring that looked at and unselected cohort of individual cancer patients that have been panel tested and soon there some pretty remarkable findings from. Paper I specifically that there were urine cancers that had opposed. Surprisingly high number of mutations that were previously unknowns there there are some recommendations in their serious cancers which is really interesting more data will be very valuable and try to…

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B.J. Rimel, MD of Cedars Sinai Medical Center discusses the future clinical trials in ovarian cancer from SGO 2016. Transcription: In terms of future clinical trials. There we are selecting more clinical trials based on. Known genetic predispositions be RCA. The potential response to platinum potential response to part now being a sort of thing that we’re looking at. So all of these panel testings are going to lead us down different pathways and so that does make us help a stratified patients for future study for clinical trials. Probably the direction I see that going on right now.

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses toxicities of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 in gynecologic cancers at SGO 2016. Transcription: Database here is very limited said there’s been one study of about twenty patients an ovary. There’s been an adorable studies in cervix and endometrial cancer so we don’t have a big and. To look at toxicities it’s probably better to extrapolate. From the larger studies in lung cancer and melanoma and real cell in the bottom line is that he’s ageism extremely well tolerated. Yes skin rash is good za and some fifty. The biggest concern is auto…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses the unique side effects of trabectedin at SGO 2016. Transcription: The main talks isn’t your back is seen in the ovarian cancer trial was essentially miles suppression. It affects the bone marrow presumably through targeting the minor groove of DNA. Wheat you do see elevated liver function tests. And that is of some concern. And so patients who have elevated liver function tests prior to initiation drug may not be candidates to be treated with this. Rather mile isis I’ve actually not seen a case I would if I did manage…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses promising immunotherapy currently under evaluation for advance gynecologic cancers at SGO 2016. Transcription: Well I think the checkpoint hitters are the hot ones partly because they they’ve got eggs terrific track record and other tumors into easy to give their antibodies but it’s been a long track record of immunotherapy. In gynecologic cancers the the. Pennsylvania group where George Lucas was now Georges and in Switzerland was doing adopted TCL approaches and there were some promising results with that the problem is it’s it’s. Resource intensive credibly expensive and toxic. But…

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Is there a reliable test to determine whether a patient has a tendency to develop blood clots? Andrew Schorr asks MPN expert Dr. Naval Daver of MD Anderson Cancer Center to answer this and related questions. Dr. Daver explores the reasoning and methodology behind thrombotic screening. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses PDL-1 and immune checkpoint inhibitors in endometrial cancer at SGO 2016. Transcription: And the short answer is not a lot and meet your cancer. Has not been one of the first tumors explored for immunotherapy a really was melanoma and real sal. The second wave is involving ovary and. Other tumors in endometrial is probably closer to the third wave. Suffice it to say PT one is expressed. Our and it’s likely that PPL one will also be expressed. We have no clue whether that’s predictive. For. Response.

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The international Consensus Conference for Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) has established itself as a major international breast cancer conference. Its primary aim is the development of international consensus guidelines for the management of ABC patients. These guidelines are based on the most up-to-date evidence and can be used to guide treatment decision making in many different health care settings globally, with the necessary adaptations due to different access to care.

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses ovarian cancer is targetable with PARP inhibitors at SGO 2016. Transcription: Because because ovarian cancer has this defect in DNA repair. And you see this sort of gross shifting of DNA. How chromosomal abnormalities it has been argued that this tumors not target herbal. And the truth is that it is. You can target the DNA repair process very effectively I think with part innovators and maybe apartment either combinations. And then to the low frequency mutations which do exist but the low frequency once we understand the biology better. It’s…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses multiplex testing and next generation sequencing in metastatic ovarian cancer at SGO 2016. Transcription: So this is a really high question. Because there are many many commercially available platforms which provide a lot of genomic data both for the physician and the patient. I and I think frankly is more often than not confusing. For both individuals. What I recommend because. Ovarian cancer is a disease of genomics chaos. There’s a very low frequency of actionable mutations and even when you see a mutation in a gene that you think is…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses mirvetuximab soravtansin side effects compared to other systemic treatments in heavily pretreated OC at SGO 2016. Transcription: Ameritech some have survey and seeing is a antibody drug kanji and by definition these are drugs he’s our agency does specifically to the tumor. The distribution of fully receptor alpha in ovarian cancer patients is as almost solely locator on the. I cancer cells there’s a low level expression in the kidney tubules and some expression on type two alveolar cells begin see right there is extremely selective. So the side effects are…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses HPV-related cervical cancer with anti-PD-1 and anti-PDL-1 antibodies at SGO 2016. Transcription: So I think from a theoretical standpoint. Cervical cancer should be the poster child for immunotherapy. I sencha understand these tumors. Result in infection from HP vis vis vis vis genome is there E. seven any six are usually expressed these are foreign and agents these are viral infections. So if the immune system is. Op inactivated. Ended tumors producing some of these in him dory prophecies if you use an anti PDL-1 one or anti PD-1 you should.…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses guidelines for micro satellite instability or MSI testing for endometrial patients at SGO 2016. Transcription: So we established a. Policy and mass general to stain for MSH six. And other mismatch repair proteins. In. Patients who have an image of cancer under the age of fifty. That is consistent with the NCC and guidelines. Yes Yohe guidelines actually puts the age limit at six. And my guess is with time we will be doing on on everybody. A because it has a bit of a fairly large impact. In that Frizzle…

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Michael J. Birrer, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses current actionable mutations in advanced ovarian cancer at SGO 2016. Transcription: I think all of the genes and there’s probably between twenty and thirty of them are that are looking to Fanconi DNA repair pathway I would be important to look at they may ascribe homologous recombination deficiency to the tumor in which case those patients would benefit from apartment a better doesn’t have to be at the time of initial diagnosis. But knowing it would be important in the recurrent setting that the patient that would be a candidate for…

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