VJHemOnc Podcast

There are several forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), with B-cell ALL being the most common (around 75% of cases). A range of treatments are available for ALL, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplantation. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a novel cellular therapy that has demonstrated potential for treating other hematological malignancies, such as B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

In this podcast, Reuben Benjamin, MBBS, FRCPath, PhD, from Kings College Hospital in London, London, UK, Cameron Turtle, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, Claire Roddie, MD, PhD, from University College London, London, UK, Nirali Shah, MD, from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, and Bianca Santomasso, MD, PhD, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discuss the latest updates and future directions for the use of CAR-T therapy in the treatment of ALL.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, myeloma support and advocacy groups were forced to adapt to a new way of working in order to continue helping patients with myeloma and improving their quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that patients with myeloma interact with their doctors, with phone and video appointments filling in for face-to-face appointments, as well as impacting on the role of nurses. Furthermore, the emotional burden of lockdowns and increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection for patients with hematological malignancies has made the role of myeloma nurses and advocacy groups more important than ever.

In this VJSession, chaired by leading myeloma expert Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, myeloma nurse Sarah Henshaw, BSc, MSc, and patient advocates Jack Aiello, Cindy Chmielewski and Jim Omel, MD, discuss myeloma from the patient’s perspective, highlighting challenges during the pandemic and the role of the patient advocate.

The post The Myeloma Sessions: post-COMy 2021 myeloma patients session appeared first on VJHemOnc.

Over the past ten years, the approval of several new and effective therapies for multiple myeloma has significantly improved overall survival outcomes. The introduction of novel therapies has led to high levels of complete response, and many novel techniques are now being explored for the assessment of the depth of response, one of the most effective thus far being measurable residual disease (MRD). MRD describes a small number of cancer cells which remain after treatment but can only be detected by highly sensitive tests. MRD negativity has been demonstrated to be predictive of longer progression-free survival in a number of studies.

In this podcast, Bruno Paiva, PhD, of the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, Noemi Puig, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, and Benjamin Derman, MD, of the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, discuss key research, presented at this year’s Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA 2021), investigating the role of MRD in the management of multiple myeloma.

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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is slow to develop and can be hard to treat as patients relapse or become refractory to currently available therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a novel type of treatment which is currently being explored for several forms of hematological cancer, with FDA approvals of CAR-T therapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma already in place. Recent trials, such as the TRANSCEND CLL004 trial, have reported promising data on the effectiveness of CAR-T in treating patients with CLL.

In this podcast, Jordan Gauthier, MD, MSc, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, WA, Tanya Siddiqi, MD, from the City of Hope National Medical Center, CA, and David Porter, MD, from the Abramson Cancer Center, PA, report on the latest results from clinical trials and discuss at what point we can consider the idea of curing CLL with CAR-T therapy.

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Age is an important prognostic factor in multiple myeloma, with patients aged over 75 years showing inferior outcomes when compared to younger patients. Several factors play into the poor survival observed, including a higher incidence of severe disease, and high rates of comorbid conditions and functional impairment. However, the elderly population is heterogeneous, ranging from fit and active to frail and dependent. Thus, caring for older adults with myeloma is complex, with many patient factors influencing outcomes.

The clinical approach in this patient population must be modified to account for comorbidities and the likelihood of higher treatment-related toxicity. The introduction of proteasome inhibitors (PI) in the last 20 years was a huge step to improving survival in elderly patients. These advancements have continued, with ongoing investigations into optimal PI-based combinations and other novel agents.

In this Post-COMy 2021 Myeloma Session, Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France; Thierry Facon, MD, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France; and Alessandra Larocca, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital Città della Salute e della Scienza, Torino, Italy, discuss the latest in the treatment of elderly multiple myeloma. Featuring insights into how elderly myeloma treatment evolved to where we are today, frailty assessment, the challenges associated with the extremes of the frailty spectrum, and a look towards the future.

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