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At the German Cancer Congress 2016, held in Berlin, Germany from 24 February to 27 February 2016, Axel Hauschild, MD, from University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany, explains that the treatment of metastatic melanoma has been revolutionised by recent developments in immunotherapeutic agents, including ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 antibody, pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, and nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody; targeted agents, including vemurafenib and dabrafenib, both BRAF inhibitors; and the oncolytic virus immunotherapy, talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC). European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Josep-Maria Ribera, MD, PhD from the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, presents preliminary data, which shows that adult patients with high risk (HR) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with an adequate minimal residual disease (MRD) response, can be safely managed without allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). He further explains why avoiding alloHSCT can be of advantage to the patients. The preliminary results are from the Pethema ALL-HR-11 trial presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, FL.

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At the German Cancer Congress 2016, held in Berlin, Germany from 24 February to 27 February 2016, Thomas Seufferlein, MD, from University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, discusses the relationship between oncologists in the community and oncologists in hospitals that have pancreatic cancer specialist teams. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in developed countries. At the German Cancer Congress 2016, held in Berlin, Germany, from 24 February to 27 February 2016, Thomas Seufferlein, MD, from the University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, summarises current treatment options, including new chemotherapy combinations, for pancreatic cancer and opportunities for developing novel therapies based on the improving understanding of the molecular processes underlying the development of the disease. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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At the German Cancer Congress 2016, held in Berlin, Germany from 24 February to 27 February 2016, Thomas Seufferlein, MD, from University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, explains the rationale of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for the treatment of pancreatic cancer with mutations in the BRCA genes, including the current status of the clinical development and future directions for research in this field. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Owen A O’Connor, MD, PhD from the Columbia University Medical Center Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, New York, NY, talks about a study on TGR-1202 presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL. TGR-1202 is a novel, next generation PI3K-delta inhibitor, found to show a favorable safety and tolerability profile and promising activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

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Wyndham Wilson, MD, PhD from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD talks about the concept of precision medicine in lymphoid malignancies. He discusses a study presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, looking at key mutations in the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling cascade within diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study revealed that certain mutations were associated with a better response to certain drugs, such as ibrutinib. These findings are important as we strive to improve precision in medicine and ensure patients are receiving the best treatment for their disease type.

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Wyndham Wilson, MD, PhD from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD talks about the new developments in the fields of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), mantle cell lymphoma and large B-cell lymphoma. In particular, new drugs targeting B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling, such as ibrutinib (Brutton tyrosine kinase inhibitor), idelalisib (PI3K-delta inhibitor). Other diseases such as mantle cell lymphoma and activated B-cell (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), have also been shown to be dependent of BCR signaling, indicating that patients can benefit from similar drugs.

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Owen A O’Connor, MD, PhD from the Columbia University Medical Center Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, New York, NY, talks about the progress in treating Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and how this might translate into better outcomes for HL patients in light of some studies presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

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Owen A O’Connor, MD, PhD from the Columbia University Medical Center Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, New York, NY, discusses the next steps for studying TGR-1202, which is a novel, next generation PI3K-delta inhibitor with promising activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). He also talks about findings concerning the targeting of oncogenes such as c-Myc in aggressive lymphomas, particularly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

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Owen A O’Connor, MD, PhD from the Columbia University Medical Center Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, New York, NY, presents the results of the first multicenter, randomized Phase III study (NCT01482962) in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), which evaluated alisertib vs the investigator’s choice (pralatrexate, romidepsin or gemcitabine). Alisertib is a selective inhibitor of Aurora A kinase but it was not found to be superior to the comparator arm in terms of progression-free survival (PFS). He explains some of the key findings and also talks about data from another study showing a synergy between alisertib and romidepsin. The…

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Elias Jabbour, MD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX talks about the different forms of acute leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). He explains the importance of knowing which subset of acute leukemia a patient is affected by and referring patients with AML or ALL to experts. He also discusses the advancements in treatments that have been made, such as the development of rituximab, and the difference these developments have made for survival rates in patients with, for example, Burkitt lymphoma. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual…

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Elias Jabbour, MD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX talks about a Phase II clinical trial of inotuzumab ozogamicin in elderly acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. Inotuzumab ozogamicin is an anti-CD22 antibody that contains a toxin attached to it, called calicheamicin. When the antibody binds to the cells, the toxin is internalized, binds to DNA, resulting in cell death. This drug was administered to relapsed/refractory patients, in combination with lower-dose chemotherapy (mini-hyper-CVD). The drug proved to be very effective, with a response rate…

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Gareth Morgan, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, PhD from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, AR discusses the results of clinical trial of carfilzomib, lenalidomide, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone. This drug combination turned out to be one of the most efficacious and low toxicity induction treatments for young multiple myeloma patients, as 15-20% of patients achieved complete remission (CR) before they receive a transplant. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, FL.

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Anders Österborg, MD, PhD from the Karolinska Hospital & Institute, Stockholm in Sweden gives an overview of the data presented by his group at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. The first real-world data on ibrutinib in 97 patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), demonstrated that the overall efficacy of this drug was in line with the results of the clinical trials that preceded this study. The progression-free survival (PFS) data was also in line with the clinical trials results. An analysis of historical data from the period between 2002-2013 showed that CLL…

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Solange Peters, MD, PhD, from Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland, discusses KEYNOTE-010, a phase 2/3 clinical trial that was designed to compare pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, against docetaxel, a commonly used chemotherapy, for patients with PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after platinum-based therapy. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Recent advances in the understanding of the biology of thyroid cancer have led to the development of targeted therapies, such as the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) sorafenib and lenvatinib, which have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Makoto Tahara, MD, PhD, from National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, evaluates the efficacy and safety of early versus delayed use of TKIs for the management of patients with thyroid cancer.…

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Solange Peters, MD, PhD, from Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland, discusses results from ASCEND-2 and ASCEND-3, both of which are single-arm, open-label, multicentre phase 2 clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of ceritinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and baseline brain metastases. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Seiji Hattori, MD, from The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, Tokyo, Japan, discusses the importance of controlling pain in patients with cancer in order to minimise the negative health and quality-of-life impact of living with cancer. Dr Hattori highlights the challenge of optimising the use of opioids for cancer pain. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Ryan Cassaday, MD, from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, discusses clinical data presented on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. Highlights include a clinical trial evaluating rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, added to a chemotherapy backbone; a phase 2 clinical trial of blinatumomab, a bispecific single-chain antibody targeting the CD19 antigen; and early clinical trials evaluating CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

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