The 1st International Workshop on Acute Leukemias (iwAL), held in St. Pete Beach, FL, hosted though-provoking discussion on the topic of minimal residual disease (MRD). In this panel discussion, experts from the meeting deliberate the topic, recognizing differing views between the two sides of the Atlantic. Alan Burnett, MD, FRCP, of Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, is joined by Wolfgang Hiddemann, MD, PhD, from Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany, Mark Levis, MD, PhD, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, and Richard Stone, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA. The panel cover key questions: the role of MRD as an endpoint for drug approval; issues with standardization; whether it should be measured routinely; how it may affect transplantation; and whether it could be used to identify chemosensitive patients. Finally, the group discuss alternative biomarkers in acute leukemia, which are often neglected in clinical trials. This video was recorded at iwAL 2018.
MRD for acute leukemias: opinion from both sides of the Atlantic
