Author: Editor

Omid Hamid, MD of The Angeles Clinic discusses immune related adverse events within melanoma and other disease states at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Wyndham Wilson, MD, PhD from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD talks about drugs that have been developed to indirectly target BCR, such as venetoclax (ABT-199), a Bcl-2 inhibitor; drugs targeting transcription factors, called bromodomain inhibitors, targeting MYC and NF-kappaB.

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.

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.

Owen A O’Connor, MD, PhD from the Columbia University Medical Center Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, New York, NY, talks about the Phase I trial (NCT01998035) looking into combining oral 5-azacitidine and romidepsin in patients with B-cell and T-cell lymphoma. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

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…

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…

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…

Gareth Morgan, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, PhD from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, AR discusses some of the data presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, FL, on the mechanisms driving relapse in multiple myeloma (MM).

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.

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…

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

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.…

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

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses the indications for systemic therapy of Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses the standard of care options for frontline therapy of Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses the roles of proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory agents in Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses Ibrutinib and Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses MYD88 mutation and management of Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses Panobinostat and other HDAC inhibitors in relapsed Multiple Myeloma at Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses how Ixazomib will change therapeutic algorithms for myeloma at the Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses elotuzumab second line or third line regimen following a Proteasome-IMiD based combination Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

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

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses how Daratumumab is to be used anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Morie A. Gertz, MD of Mayo Clinic discusses the new novel agents which might have significant therapeutic impact in multiple myeloma at the Scripps Health 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

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.

William Wierda, MD, PhD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX talks about venetoclax (ABT-199), which is a Bcl-2 inhibitor. Bcl-2 is an apoptosis regulator expressed in high levels in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, and it is responsible for the prolonged survival of these cells. Venetoclax will block and modulate the activity of Bcl-2. Prof. Wierda also discusses the clinical trials and side-effects associated with this drug.Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, FL.         bcl-2 inhibitor, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (cll), cll, american society of…

At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Stephen Nimer, MD, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discusses the need to improve the education of physicians in order to better understand the characteristics of new treatment approaches in clinical practice.

At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Stephen Nimer, MD, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, reviews promising epigenetic targets in cancer and explains that combining epigenetic therapies with immunotherapies may improve outcomes for patients.

William Wierda, MD, PhD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX discusses the side-effects profile of novel drugs in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL. Ibrutinib (trade name Imbruvica) and idelalisib are effective at controlling the disease, but occasionally, patients do have to interrupt treatment due to side-effects. Less toxic drugs, within the same category in respect to mechanism of action, have been developed and are currently being tested in clinical trials.

William Wierda, MD, PhD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX talks about the importance of prognostic factors in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The most important tool to assess prognostic factors is fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which is used when patients first need treatment and for any subsequent treatments, as patients can acquire chromossomal abnormalities as the disease progresses. Certain chromossomal changes, such as IgVH mutations, are important in the context of clinical trials, as they are directly associated with prognosis.

William Wierda, MD, PhD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX talks about recent advances in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL. New drugs, and new treatment strategies are having an impact on the standard of care in the field of CLL, and clinicians are now faced with a variety of treatment options that need to be tailored for each patient.

Gareth Morgan, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, PhD from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, AR talks about gene expression analysis in multiple myeloma (MM), which can help determine the prognosis of the disease based on different molecular sub-groups. The Arkansas group has developed a simple test that can help identify the genetic markers of high-risk MM, called Mymap. The data was presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, FL.

At the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, John Gribben, MD, DSc and Stephan Stilgenbauer, MD discuss several topics related to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The topics covered range from: ASH 2015 highlights; Bcl-2-targeted therapies; Resonate-2 clinical trial; implications and challenges of long-term therapy; venetoclax (ABT-199); combination therapies; and other related topics.

Gareth Morgan, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, PhD from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, AR discusses the future of multiple myeloma (MM) treatment. Dr Morgan believes that newly diagnosed patients will receive a drug combination that will be able to overcome the intra-clonal heterogeneity and eradicate high-risk sub-clones that lead to early relapse. To achieve this, we need to have novel end-points that can be applied early in the disease process that are surrogates for long-term outcome and perhaps minimum residual disease detachment is one of those surrogates. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting,…

Véronique Leblond, MD, PhD from the Hospital of Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France, talks about one of the arms of the Phase IIIb GREEN clinical trial, of obinutuzumab (GA101) plus bendamustine in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting. Patients in this arm had a complete remission rate of 40%, and the majority of them achieved minimum residual disease (MRD) negativity in the blood and approx. 50% were MRD negative in the bone marrow.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses how FLT3 occurs in about a third of adult AML patients and may prove very important at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses phase III RATIFY trial 7+3 chemo plus Midostaurin or placebo in FLT3 mutated AML at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses Quizartinib FLT3 inhibitor status at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses the fact that no data for FLT3 inhibitor more effective than dirty inhibitor like Midostaurin in AML at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses IDH1 and IDH2 results in AML at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses DNMT3A and the impact on the course of AML at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

Hagop Kantarjian, MD of MD Anderson Cancer Center discusses the new targetable molecular abnormalities in AML at the Scripps 36th Annual Conference: Clinical Hematology and Oncology in San Diego.

At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Sibylle Loibl, MD, PhD, from the German Breast Group, Neu-Isenburg, Germany, explains the current approach, including some of the challenges, to the management of patients who become pregnant during or after breast cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews