November 25, 2020 - Supplement: Hematologic Oncology Almanac (View All Issues)
Hematologic Oncology Highlights 2019–2020 Almanac
The past year has seen remarkable advances in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, which combined account for 9.9% of the estimated 1,806,590 new cases of cancer diagnosed in the United States and an estimated 56,840 cancer-related deaths.1 Novel therapies are providing...
Novel Therapies and New Indications for Use in Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies
Venetoclax: On October 16, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved venetoclax (Venclexta) in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults aged 75 or older. See page 32 for more on this approval.
Novel Treatment Approaches on the Horizon in Multiple Myeloma
Clinicians who treat multiple myeloma can anticipate a host of new treatments: melflufen, cereblon E3 ligase modulators (CELMoDs), antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, FASCO, Director of the Jerome Lipper...
Novel Therapies and New Indications for Use in Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies
Daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj: On May 1, 2020, the FDA approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex) for adult patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Ibrutinib: On April 21, 2020, the FDA expanded the indication of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to include...
Responses Achieved With Belantamab Mafodotin in Relapsed or Refractory Myeloma
The antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin yielded responses as a single agent and in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to two reports from the DREAMM team at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program.1,2
In the...
Support Builds for Anti-BCMA CAR T-Cell Therapy in Multiple Myeloma
Based on early results in clinical trials, interest in the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma has been high, especially for products targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). During the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, further support for CAR T-cell...
Carfilzomib vs Bortezomib, Each Combined With Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone, in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Shaji K. Kumar, MD, of the Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, and colleagues,1 the phase III ENDURANCE trial has shown no improvement in progression-free survival with carfilzomib plus lenalidomide/dexamethasone (KRd) vs bortezomib plus...
Acalabrutinib Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Idelalisib Plus Rituximab or Bendamustine Plus Rituximab in Relapsed or Refractory CLL
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Paolo Ghia, MD, PhD, of the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, and colleagues, the phase III ASCEND trial showed significantly prolonged progression-free survival with acalabrutinib monotherapy vs investigator’s choice of either...
Final ASCEND Results Confirm Acalabrutinib as a Standard for Relapsed CLL
The Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors have been one of the most exciting advances in the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and have led to the development of chemotherapy-free treatments for both treatment-naive as well as relapsed or refractory CLL based on...
4-Year Findings From MURANO Trial: Venetoclax Plus Rituximab for Relapsed Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Arnon P. Kater, MD, PhD, of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, and colleagues,1 the 4-year progression-free and overall survival rates were significantly higher with venetoclax plus rituximab vs bendamustine plus rituximab in the phase III...
Optimizing the Treatment of Adults With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
In the treatment of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), use of newer antibodies and de-intensification of chemotherapy have greatly improved outcomes, according to Hagop Kantarjian, MD, FASCO, who has been very involved in much of the research in ALL treatment. Dr. Kantarjian, Professor ...
ASH Releases New Clinical Practice Guidelines on Treatment of Older Adults With Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has published new guidelines to help older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their health-care providers make critical care decisions, including if and how to proceed with cancer treatment and the need for blood transfusions for those in hospice...
Venetoclax Combination in Newly Diagnosed AML
On October 16, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to venetoclax (Venclexta) in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults aged 75 or older or who have comorbidities precluding...
Addition of Rituximab to Standard Chemotherapy Improves Event-Free and Overall Survival in Children With High-Risk, Mature B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
In a European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma/Children’s Oncology Group phase III trial, reported in TheNew England Journal of Medicine, -Véronique Minard-Colin, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France, and colleagues found that the addition of rituximab ...
Role of Rituximab in Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Mature B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
The European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma/Children’s Oncology Group (EICNHL/COG) recently reported a significant improvement in event-free survival among children and adolescents (aged 6 months to 18 years) with high-risk mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) following the...
Newer Therapeutic Approaches Improving Outcomes in Hodgkin Lymphoma
At the 2020 Debates and didactics in Hematology and Oncology Virtual Conference, sponsored by Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, Pamela Allen, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory, described recent trials on therapeutic approaches that are informative on...
Chemotherapy-Free Approaches in Follicular and Mantle Cell Lymphomas
As chemotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy regimens reach their maximal impact in follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma, clinicians are turning to chemotherapy-free approaches to achieve better control, less toxicity, and (hopefully) a cure. During the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program, Sonali...
Bispecific Antibodies Poised to Impact Treatment of Lymphoma and Other Blood Cancers
Studies of second-generation bispecific antibodies were among the highlights of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. The bispecific T-cell engager blinatumomab was the first such agent to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in...
Study Results With PET-Directed Therapy for Limited-Stage DLBCL
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Daniel O. Persky, MD, of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, and colleagues, the phase II Intergroup National Clinical Trials Network Study S1001 has shown good outcomes with positron-emission tomography (PET)-directed therapy in...
