VJHemOnc Podcast

The 5th International Workshop on Acute Leukemias (iwAL 2023) took place in San Diego, CA, and brought together leading experts in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as they discussed the latest updates in the field. In this podcast series, you will hear the latest advances in AML and gain an insight into the sessions that took place at this year’s meeting.

In this podcast, Naval Daver, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Gail Roboz, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, Harry Erba, MD, PhD, Duke University, Durham, NC, and Jessica Altman, MD, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, discuss new treatments in AML, drawing focus on FLT3 inhibitors, novel combinations, and treating patients with relapsed disease.

The 5th International Workshop on Acute Leukemias (iwAL 2023) took place in San Diego, CA, and brought together leading experts in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as they discussed the latest updates in the field. In this podcast series, you will hear the latest advances in AML and gain an insight into the sessions that took place at this year’s meeting.

In this podcast, Ravi Majeti, MD, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Courtney DiNardo, MD, MSCE, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Uma Borate, MBBS, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, and Koichi Takahashi, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, discuss clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in AML, early detection and intervention, and potential therapeutic strategies.

Measurable residual disease (MRD) has become a key biomarker in the field of multiple myeloma (MM), and the sensitivity of MRD testing has increased in recent years. MRD can indicate the depth of response to treatment as well as patient outcomes, leading to suggestions of using MRD status to guide the treatment of patients with myeloma. 

In this podcast, you will hear from Meral Beksac, MD, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey, Luciano Costa, MD, PhD, UAB School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, and Bruno Paiva, PhD, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, who discuss the exciting potential applications of MRD in multiple myeloma and share insights from recent clinical trials.

The treatment and management of relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains a major unmet need, and in recent years, the introduction of immunotherapies including CAR-T cells and bispecific antibodies has provided hope for several patients.

While both CAR-T cells and bispecific antibodies have their benefits, there are several factors to consider when evaluating their curative potential in R/R DLBCL. In this podcast, you will hear from Manali Kamdar, MD, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, Anna Sureda, MD, PhD, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Duran I Reynals Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, and Gloria Iacoboni, MD, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain, who share some insights into the value of CAR-T cells and bispecifics in R/R DLBCL, the benefits and drawbacks of these agents, and further comment on their efficacy and curative potential.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a heterogeneic group of disorders which remain a challenge to diagnose and treat. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in understanding various pre-MDS states, including idiopathic cytopenia of unknown significance (ICUS), clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), and clonal cytopenia of unknown significance (CCUS). The identification and classification of these pre-MDS states remains a challenge in the field, and it is important to continue developing distinct criteria to distinguish between these states and overt disease.

In this podcast, you will hear from Moshe Mittelman, MD, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, and Klaus Metzeler, MD, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany, who discuss approaches used to identify patients with pre-MDS states, the importance of early intervention, and challenges with distinguishing these conditions. The experts also highlight strategies that may be used to improve diagnosis, and further discuss treatment approaches being explored for these individuals.

Patients with BCR-ABL negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are at risk of progressing to accelerated-phase or blast-phase disease (MPN-AP/BP). Several mutations, including ASXL1, EZH2, and TP53, are involved in progression to MPN-AP/BP, and there are a number of challenges with treating patients who progress to this stage. 

In this podcast, Anand Patel, MD, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Andrew Kuykendall, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, and Jan Philipp Bewersdorf, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, discuss the mutational landscape of MPN-AP, and further highlight challenges with treating patients. The experts also comment on novel therapeutic strategies being explored in this space.

Bispecific antibodies and CAR-T cells have transformed the myeloma treatment landscape in recent years, providing hope for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease. While both of these therapies offer benefits to patients, there are challenges to address regarding the optimal sequencing of these agents.

In this podcast, experts Salomon Manier, MD, PhD, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France, Surbhi Sidana, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, and Hermann Einsele, MD, FRCP, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, share some interesting insights into the optimal sequencing of bispecific antibodies and CAR-T cells in myeloma, highlighting data from recent clinical trials.

CAR-T therapy has become a promising novel option for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) hematological malignancies, providing hope to several individuals with a high unmet medical need. Although CAR-T cells have demonstrated promising efficacy in patients, there are several challenges that need to be overcome before these are optimally used in clinical practice. 

In this podcast, you will hear from Edward Cliff, MPH, MBBS, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, and Natacha Bolaños, Lymphoma Coalition Europe, Madrid, Spain, who discuss two major barriers to CAR-T therapy: the high cost of CAR-T cells and the need to improve access to these agents.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) represent a challenging group of diseases to treat, and patients with MPNs suffer from several symptoms which negatively impact their quality of life (QoL). Novel agents, including JAK inhibitors, have demonstrated an ability to reduce symptom burden in patients with MPNs, and there is ongoing research aimed at improving symptom management and QoL in these patients.

In this podcast, you will hear from Ruben Mesa, MD, Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston Salem, NC, Lucia Masarova, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, and Jeanne Palmer, MD, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, who discuss the importance of understanding and addressing QoL in patients with MPNs, and further highlight strategies to improve symptom management.