Leukemia

Atlanta, GA—Although there have been major advancements in the treatment of hematologic malignancies in recent years, according to Richard Pazdur, MD, Director, FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, the number of agents approved in 2017 for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was nothing short of “phenomenal.”

Chicago, IL—Survival with the use of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase is comparable among the available drugs, so other variables should come into play when selecting a specific TKI. In some instances, a treatment-free remission is possible, said CML experts at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting.

San Diego, CA—Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) including imatinib (Gleevec), nilotinib (Tasigna), and dasatinib (Sprycel), have dramatically improved outcomes in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the costs of these drugs have spiraled out of control, causing some patients to stop treatment or cut their dosage because of financial toxicity. Data presented at the 2016 American Society of Hematology meeting show that it is possible for some patients with CML to reduce their TKI dose by 50% and maintain remission, perhaps even stop treatment altogether once deep and durable remission has been achieved after approximately 5 years of treatment.

San Diego, CA—Maintenance therapy with lenalidomide (Revlimid) after frontline chemotherapy markedly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to interim results from a phase 3 study presented at the 2016 American Society of Hematology meeting.

San Diego, CA—Targeting a second-­generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in mutation-specific chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) led to deep and durable responses that were maintained beyond 3 years in some cases, reported Neil Shah, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine/Hematology-Oncology, University of California San Francisco, during a poster presentation at the 2016 American Society of Hematology meeting.

San Diego, CA—Induction therapy with a liposomal formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin CPX-351 (Vyxeos) is superior to cytarabine plus daunorubicin (7+3 regimen) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a subgroup analysis of a large phase 3 clinical trial that was presented at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting.

New York, NY—Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was a hot topic at the 2016 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Congress on Hematologic Malignancies. Jessica K. Altman, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, assured attendees that time was not standing still for patients with AML.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have saved lives in some patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who had run out of other treatment options. This type of immunotherapy is making inroads in other hematologic malignancies as well, but it is still being studied in very sick patients.