Highlights From ASH 2019 Included New Data in Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Myelodysplastic Syndromes
The 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition featured a cornucopia of sessions. It was impossible to attend all the lectures, symposia, oral presentations, poster presentations, and special events because many were concurrent. Below, we have selected some...
Expert Point of View: Basem M. William, MD, MRCP (UK), FACP, and Caron Jacobson, MD
Basem M. William, MD, MRCP (UK), FACP, Director of the T-Cell Lymphoma Program and Member of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, said many of the new-generation bispecific antibodies are “highly promising.” He said they “are...
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...
Mehdi Hamadani, MD: In My Experience Question 6
Are you proceeding with front-line autologous transplant in patients with mantle cell lymphoma or delaying it during the COVID-19 pandemic? Recorded April 21, 2020.
Mehdi Hamadani, MD: In My Experience Question 5
For community oncologists treating patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma during the COVID-19 pandemic, what resources and clinical pearls would you suggest? Recorded April 21, 2020.
Mehdi Hamadani, MD: In My Experience Question 3
During the COVID-19 pandemic, would you still recommend immediate upfront autologous transplant in patients with T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma? Recorded April 21, 2020.
Mehdi Hamadani, MD: In My Experience Question 2
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when and why would you consider delaying autologous transplant for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in second complete remission? Recorded April 21, 2020.
Mehdi Hamadani, MD: In My Experience Question 1
Are you testing for COVID-19 before administering therapy on an outpatient basis for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma? Recorded April 21, 2020.
FDA Pipeline: Priority Review in AML, Fast Track Designations for Pancreatic Cancer and Neuroendocrine Tumors
Over the past 2 weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML); Fast Track designations for agents in pancreatic cancer and pancreatic/nonpancreatic neuroendocrine tumors; approvals for companion diagnostic tests;...
Selected ASH Abstracts on Novel Treatments for Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
To complement The ASCO Post’s continued comprehensive coverage of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel therapies for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs). For full...
It’s T Time for Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma, a Much-Neglected Disease
The lymphomas are an incredibly complex assemblage of neoplastic diseases. They are not one disease, and, at least based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors published in 2017, they represent a collection of approximately 80 different malignancies, a number that will...
Vitamin D and Lymphoma: An Apparent Benefit, but Further Study Required
Vitamin D is a steroid-like hormone involved primarily in human calcium homeostasis. Obtained through sun exposure as well as food and dietary supplements,1 vitamin D in humans is metabolized in the liver and kidneys to its active form, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25[OH]2D).2 Other cell types,...
FDA Approves Ibrutinib/Rituximab for CLL/SLL
On April 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to include its combination with rituximab for the initial treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). This review was conducted...
KTE-X19 for Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma: ZUMA-2 Trial
In a phase II trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Michael Wang, MD, and colleagues found that the anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy KTE-X19 produced a high response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma who had received previous...
FDA Pipeline: Approval of New Dosing for Biosimilar, Plus Two Fast Track Designations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new dose for a biosimilar referencing trastuzumab and granted Fast Track designations to agents for patients with urothelial cancer and follicular lymphoma. Approval of Multidose Vial of Trastuzumab Biosimilar The FDA approved a...
Selected ASH Abstracts on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
ABSTRACT 355: MURANO study: Four-year analysis confirms sustained benefit (compared to bendamustine and rituximab; n = 195) of time-limited venetoclax/rituximab (n = 194) in relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02005471)1...
Selected ASH Abstracts on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
To complement The ASCO Post’s continued comprehensive coverage of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel therapies for newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and...
Nivolumab for Children and Young Adults With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors or Lymphoma
In the phase I/II ADVL1412 study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Davis et al identified the phase II dosage of nivolumab monotherapy in children and young adults with relapsed or refractory solid tumors or lymphoma. Objective responses were observed in patients with lymphoma, but not in those with ...
A Discussion About CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma and Lymphoma
Dr. Armitage discusses the role of CAR T-cell therapy in the management of multiple myeloma and lymphoma in a conversation with his colleagues Dr. Holstein and Dr. Lunning.
A Case of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Dr. Armitage presents a case and asks Dr. Lunning to describe how he would treat this patient. The patient is a 52-year-old man who found a neck mass himself. He went to his doctor and was prescribed antibiotics. When the antibiotics failed to impact the mass, a biopsy was performed and a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was made. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan was positive in the neck, mediastinum, axilla, and retroperitoneum. The maximum standardized uptake (SUV) value was 29. A bone marrow biopsy was negative and the patient’s LDH level was slightly above normal. The patient was treated with six cycles of CHOP-R and responded to therapy. Nine months later this individual identified a new node in his neck. He returned to his doctor and a biopsy was performed. A diagnosis of large B-cell lymphoma was made. A PET scan showed disease in the neck and mediastinum, and the maximum SUV is now 18. How would Dr. Lunning approach such a person?
A Case of Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma
Dr. Armitage presents a case and asks Dr. Lunning to describe how he would treat this patient. The patient is a 25-year-old man with a diagnosis of stage III nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma. His disease went into complete remission when the patient was treated with ABVD and he was well. One year after his last cycle of therapy, the patient returns to see you, and you detect a node in his neck. A PET scan is performed, showing there is no node larger than 2 cm, but these nodes were present both above and below the diaphragm. The standardized uptake value (SUV) maximum was 8. The lymph node biopsy reveals recurrent lymphoma. What will Dr. Lunning tell this patient?
FDA Pipeline: Priority Review in DLBCL, Fast Track Designations in T-Cell Lymphoma and Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Over the past week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to a combination therapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); gave Fast Track designations for treatments in T-cell lymphoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma; granted Orphan Drug designation to an agent for the ...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews in Lung Cancers, Lymphoma
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to treatments for non–small cell and small cell lung cancers, as well as for diffuse large-B cell lymphoma (DLBCL); Breakthrough Therapy designation to an antibody-drug conjugate for bladder cancer; and a double Fast...
Quality of Life With Tisagenlecleucel Therapy for Relapsed or Refractory DLBCL
Adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) whose disease was effectively treated with the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel showed sustained and clinically meaningful improvement in a variety of self-reported quality-of-life measures, according to...
Highlights From ASH 2019 Included New Data in Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Multiple Myeloma
The ASH 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition featured countless important sessions and lectures. It would be impossible to attend all the symposia, oral presentations, poster presentations, and special events. Below, we have selected some presentation highlights to supplement our coverage of the...
Combination Brentuximab Vedotin, Nivolumab Explored in First-Line, Salvage Therapies for Patients With Hodgkin Lymphoma
Two separate studies are investigating brentuximab vedotin plus nivolumab combination therapy for adults with Hodgkin lymphoma: one as first-line therapy and another as salvage therapy for relapsed/refractory classic disease, according to data presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition...
Bispecific Antibody Shows Activity in Post–CAR T-Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Mosunetuzumab, an investigational bispecific antibody, demonstrated activity in preliminary studies of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), including those who are refractory to or relapsed after third-line chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. With further study, mosunetuzumab,...
Expert Point of View: Basem M. William, MD, MRCP (UK), FACP, and Caron Jacobson, MD
Basem M. William, MD, MRCP (UK), FACP, Director of the T-Cell Lymphoma Program and Member of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, said many of the new-generation bispecific antibodies are “highly promising.” He said they “are...
Will Bispecific Antibodies Compete With CAR T-Cell Therapy in Lymphoma?
Are second-generation bispecific antibodies the next big thing in lymphoma? Studies of these drugs were among the highlights of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. Years ago, the bispecific T-cell engager blinatumomab validated the concept of bispecific...
Conference Highlights From the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition
More than 25,000 specialists in hematology from over 115 countries attended the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition held last December in Orlando. The conference featured a stunning array of 4,900 abstracts with impressive new data in the treatment of multiple...
Haploidentical Related Donor vs Unrelated Cord Blood Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
In a retrospective analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Fatobene et al found that nonmyeloablative haploidentical related donor cell transplantation was associated with better outcomes compared to unrelated cord blood hematopoietic transplantation in patients with Hodgkin and...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews in Lymphoma, Lung Cancer, GIST, and Breast Cancer
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to agents in lymphoma, lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and breast cancer, and granted Fast Track designation to a first-in-class radioenhancer hafnium oxide nanoparticle in head and neck cancer. Priority...
Expert Point of View: Edmund K. Waller, MD, PhD
Edmund K. Waller, MD, PhD, Professor, Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Medical Director, Center for Stem Cell Processing and Apheresis at Emory, said he was not surprised to learn that bridging therapy was associated...
Study Finds ‘Bridge’ to CAR T-Cell Therapy May Be Detrimental to Survival
The use of bridging therapy before treatment with axicabtagene ciloleucel was associated with worse overall survival in univariate, multivariate, and propensity score–matched analyses performed on data from the U.S. Lymphoma CAR T Consortium, investigators reported at the 2019 American Society of...
Expert Point of View: Michael Jain, MD, PhD
Michael Jain, MD, PhD, Assistant Member in the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, commented on Dr. Kilgore’s findings. Dr. Jain was coauthor of a study by the U.S. Lymphoma CAR T Consortium that presented real-world data...
Real-World Data for CAR T-Cell Therapy Show Benefit in Older Patients With Lymphoma, Lower Subsequent Health-Care Costs
Once considered highly experimental, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is now an established third-line treatment option for B-cell lymphomas and leukemias. CAR T-cell therapy has saved the lives of people who would otherwise have run out of treatment options. But the question is...
Expert Point of View: Jeremy S. Abramson, MD
Jeremy S. Abramson, MD, Director of the Jon and JoAnn Hagler Center for Lymphoma at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, commented on the study by Topp et al for The ASCO Post. “Earlier use of steroids with axicabtagene ciloleucel...
Early Steroid Use May Reduce Toxicity With CAR T-Cell Therapy
In patients with large B-cell lymphoma undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy with axicabtagene ciloleucel, earlier-than-usual intervention with corticosteroids and tocilizumab may reduce the incidence of severe cytokine-release syndrome, according to the findings of a...
Expert Point of View: Joshua Brody, MD
Joshua Brody, MD, Director of the Lymphoma Immunotherapy Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, commented on where zanubrutinib might fit in once the drug is approved. “The two abstracts presented at ASH 2019 …demonstrated remarkably high response rates, durations of...
Two Clinical Trials Show Zanubrutinib Achieves High Response Rates in del(17p) CLL and SLL
The Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTK) zanubrutinib continues to achieve high overall response rates for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), even in the presence of high-risk cytogenetics, according to findings from two different trials...
Expert Point of View: Basem M. William, MD, MRCP(UK), FACP
Basem M. William, MD, MRCP(UK), FACP, Director of the T-Cell Lymphoma Program and Member of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio, commented on the...
CAR T-Cell Therapy Comes to Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Advanced mantle cell lymphoma appears to be a good target for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Treatment with KTE-X19, an anti-CD19 CAR T-cell product, led to unprecedented outcomes in patients with relapsed or refractory disease in the phase II ZUMA-2 study presented at the 2019 ASH ...
New NCCN Pediatric Cancer Guidelines for B-Cell Lymphomas
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has published new guidelines for treating children, adolescents, and young adults with pediatric aggressive mature B-cell lymphomas, including Burkitt lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. NCCN published the first pediatric NCCN Clinical...
Brentuximab Vedotin Plus Nivolumab in Hodgkin Lymphoma
The combination of brentuximab vedotin and nivolumab is making headway as first-line therapy for older adults with Hodgkin lymphoma and as salvage therapy for adults with relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma, according to separate studies presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting &...
Noninferiority of Four vs Six Cycles of CHOP for Patients With Favorable Prognosis B-Cell Lymphoma: FLYER Trial
As reported in The Lancet by Viola Poeschel, MD, and colleagues, the phase III FLYER trial has shown noninferiority of progression-free survival with four vs six cycles of cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone (CHOP) in combination with six doses of rituximab in patients with...
Is Pembrolizumab Active in Pediatric Patients With PD-L1–Positive Advanced Solid Tumors or Lymphoma?
Interim analysis of the phase I/II KEYNOTE-051 trial, reported in The Lancet Oncology by Geoerger et al, indicated minimal activity of pembrolizumab in pediatric patients with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive advanced, relapsed, or refractory solid tumors; however, activity was...
Rituximab-abbs: Biosimilar to Rituximab for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Late in 2018, rituximab-abbs was approved as the first...
KEYNOTE-013 and KEYNOTE-170: Improving the Precision of Checkpoint Blockade in Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma is an uncommon but distinct clinicopathologic variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that typically presents with an aggressive mediastinal mass and invasion of local structures. Most patients are young, typically in their 20s and 30s, and there is a...
Pembrolizumab in Relapsed or Refractory Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma: KEYNOTE-013 and KEYNOTE-170
Findings in the phase Ib KEYNOTE-013 and phase II KEYNOTE-170 trials, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Philippe Armand, MD, PhD, of DanaFarber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, indicate that pembrolizumab is active in relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell...
The WHO Classification of Tumors of Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and L. Jeffrey Medeiros, MD, explore the updated World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid ...
