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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof Francesco D’Amore (Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark) interviews Dr Elaine Jaffe (National Cancer Institute, Maryland, USA) and Prof Laurence de Leval (IUP Institut universitaire de pathologie, Lausanne, Switzerland) about their involvement at this workshop. Dr Jaffe describes the important abnormal contribution of B-cell proliferation in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and other T-cell lymphomas of follicular T-helper cell derivation. As a result, a neoplastic precursor cell is speculated. Prof de Leval describes recent sequencing discoveries in peripheral T-cell lymphomas that have provided new insight in tumour understanding.

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At the iwNHL 2014, Dr Rafael Fonseca (Mayo Clinic, Arizona, USA) interviews Prof Keith Stewart (Mayo Clinic, Arizona, USA) and Prof Leif Bergsagel (Mayo Clinic, Arizona, USA), all doctors with an interest in myeloma, about the application of myeloma biology and therapies in lymphoma. Prof Stewart describes tumour heterogeneity and suggests a parallel between myeloma and indolent follicular lymphoma, where the presence of a more aggressive tumour subclone may have significant clinical implications. Prof Bergsagel describes the contribution of MYC to tumour heterogeneity and poor prognosis. Targeting the interaction between the immune system and tumour may provide new therapies.

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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) interviews Prof Wolfram Brugger (University of Freiburg, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany) and Dr Myron Czuczman (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, New York, USA) about the current and future clinical application of targeted or chemotherapy-free therapies in lymphoma. They discuss their experiences and some of the challenges of these therapies in clinical practice. It is emphasised that targeted therapies should not necessarily be used as standalone approaches. Combinations of targeted therapies and conventional therapies should be considered, and emerging clinical trials investigating combinations are described. The use of patient’s age to determine…

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At the iwNHL 2014, Dr Steven Rosen (City of Hope National Medical Center, California, USA) describes the progress made in understanding the biology and management of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Now, there is need to consider new drug combinations to maximise efficacy. Alternatives to chemotherapy including biologic approaches and future research directions including in precision medicine are examined.

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At the iwNHL 2014, Dr Mathias Rummel (Justus-Liebig University-Hospital, Gießen, Germany) describes his research investigating the use of bendamustine plus rituximab in treating indolent and mantle-cell lymphomas, highlighting the clinical implications of his long-term findings. He also presents an overview of the progress in other treatment strategies. He concludes with a description of the current and prospective treatment strategies for indolent lymphomas.

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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) interviews Prof Randy Gascoyne (British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada) about the significance of the lymphoma microenvironment in tumour biology and therapy. Understanding the biology of the lymphoma microenvironment may allow rational therapeutic targeting. Emerging clinical studies in this field are reviewed. The immune system is presented as a potential and attractive target to disrupt the interaction between the tumour and non-tumour microenvironment cells, with a focus on lenalidomide and rituximab immunotherapy.

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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) interviews Prof Randy Gascoyne (British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada) about the significance of the lymphoma microenvironment in tumour biology and therapy. Improved trial designs, consideration of clinical variables and use of higher resolution approaches are recommended to overcome current research limitations in this field.

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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) interviews Prof Randy Gascoyne (British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada) about the significance of the lymphoma microenvironment in tumour biology and therapy. The interaction between tumour cells and non-tumour cells has been increasingly recognised to contribute to disease progression.

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Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) chairs a discussion with Dr Wyndham Wilson (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA), Prof Anton Hagenbeek (Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands), Prof Michael Pfreundschuh (University of Saarland, Homburg-Saar, Germany) and Dr Myron Czuczman (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, USA) about the highlights from day two of the 12th iwNHL. The group discusses the value of a multidisciplinary approach in cancer management. Understanding of myeloma biology and therapies is proposed to be applicable to NHL; specifically, there is an emerging paradigm of tumour subclones that facilitate drug resistance. Implications of investigational lymphoma therapies are…

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Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) chairs a discussion with Prof Randy Gascoyne (British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada), Dr Wyndham Wilson (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA) and Dr Myron Czuczman (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, USA) about the highlights from day one of the 12th iwNHL. There is an increasing recognition of the lymphoma microenvironment in influencing tumour progression and clinical outcomes. In peripheral T-cell lymphomas, progress in understanding the interaction between tumour cells of origin and non-tumour cells may allow rational and novel therapeutic targeting. Future treatment options for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who…

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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof Michael Pfreundschuh (Saarland University Medical School, Homburg, Germany), Dr Rich Fisher (Fox Chase Cancer Center, Pennsylvania, USA) and Prof Christian Gisselbrecht (Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France) discuss the biology and management of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Dr Fisher describes the difficulties in defining and managing patients who are not cured by standard therapy. The classification of DLBCLs is an important consideration for research studies and clinical management. Double-hit lymphomas have poor prognosis and management options are discussed. Prof Gisselbrecht describes important recent advances in treatment options for different DLBCL subtypes. Future research directions and their…

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At the iwNHL 2014, Prof Susan OBrien (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas, USA) and Prof Eva Kimby (Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden) provide an overview of mantle cell lymphoma. Current treatment strategies are discussed. There is a focus on ibrutinib therapy for patients who relapse after first-line therapy and a comparison is made with its use in treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Future trial and clinical directions are also examined.

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At ESMO 2014, Prof Tony Mok presents the results of the IMPRESS trial. This phase III trial showed that continuation of gefitinib with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone provided no significant improvement in progression-free survival in patients with EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer who previously failed to respond to first-line gefitinib.

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At ESMO 2014, Prof Sandra Swain presents the results of the CLEOPATRA trial. This phase III trial in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer showed that treatment with pertuzumab combined with trastuzumab plus docetaxel (pertuzumab group) significantly improved overall survival versus placebo combined with trastuzumab plus docetaxel treatment (control group). Median overall survival in the pertuzumab group was increased by 15.7 months versus the control group.

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During the Saturday press conference at ESMO 2014, Professor David Currow describes results of Phase III data showing that a new drug, anamorelin, improves appetite and body mass in patients with advanced lung cancer, who are suffering cancer anorexia and cachexia. In the ROMANA studies, patients with unresectable stage III or IV non-small cell lung cancer with cachexia were randomized to receive either 100 mg anamorelin or placebo, given orally each day for 12 weeks. For those patients taking anamorelin, lean body mass and body weight were significantly increased. Professor Currow mentions that patients did not experience improvements in their…

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Results of the MPACT Trial (weekly nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine versus gemcitabine alone) in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer will be reviewed, with emphasis on patient selection and neuropathy management. The webinar was delivered by Dr. Malcolm Moore, Program Head, Medical Oncology and Hematology, Director, McCain Centre for Pancreatic Cancer; Professor, Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Toronto.

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A study published online in the August 2014 edition of the Annals of Surgical Oncology shows that BluePrint (Agendia Inc) proves to be superior to conventional subtyping for analyzing breast cancer before surgery. [1] The study, which will also be published in the October print edition of the journal, is part of the ongoing Neoadjuvant Breast Registry Symphony Trial (NBRST, pronounced “N-breast”).[2][3] These finding may eventually change the way physicians evaluate and treat breast cancer. The researchers concluded that the BluePrint genomic test provides more accurate information about the molecular subtype of a specific breast cancer, compared to the use…

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Tamoxifen (Soltamox/Nolvadex®; AstraZeneca), an antagonist of the estrogen receptor ? in ER?-positive breast cancer has been effective in most patients. The drug has been used for more than 40 years to treat breast cancers that are hormone-receptor positive. As an adjuvant therapy tamoxifen improves overall survival. Its widespread use is thought to have made a significant contribution to the reduction in breast cancer mortality seen over the last decade. [1] However, resistance to tamoxifen is a clinically significant problem. So far, the mechanisms responsible for tamoxifen resistance remain elusive. Results from a study funded by the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF)…

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The immune system has the ability to recognize tumors and to stop or control their development through a process known as immunosurveillance. The PD-1 checkpoint pathway plays a key role in modulating the immune system. This video describes how tumor cells exploit the PD-1 checkpoint pathway and evade the immune response, leading to tumor growth. Immuno-oncology

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