VJHemOnc Podcast

Advances in both the treatment landscape and the pathology of the disease have improved the outcome of children and adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, many challenges still remain, including the treatment of older patients with ALL, diagnosis of Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL, a newly identified aggressive subtype, as well as the evolving role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

In this exclusive podcast, VJHemOnc spoke with Selina Luger, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, Sarah Tasian, MD, from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA and David Marks, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPath, of the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK, who discuss the challenges in managing older patients with ALL, diagnostic testing modalities for Ph-like ALL and post-allogeneic stem cell transplantation interventions to prevent and treat relapse in patients.

The post Focus on ALL: treating older patients, Ph-like ALL & post-transplant interventions appeared first on VJHemOnc.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogenous group of myeloid disorders characterized by the accumulation of dysplastic cells within the bone marrow, resulting in ineffective hematopoiesis and cytopenia. Around 30% of patients with MDS will progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) currently represents the only curative option for MDS; however, novel strategies and therapies are under investigation, including personalized medicine approaches and immunotherapies.

In this VJSession, chaired by Amer Zeidan, MBBS, MHS, of the Yale University School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, CT, Valeria Santini, MD, of the University of Florence in Italy and Eva Hellström-Lindberg of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, discuss their experiences of breaking into the MDS field, share advice for women in science, and talk on the current state of the MDS space.

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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults and is highly heterogenous. AML is typically treated with chemotherapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation, however not all patients are eligible or able to tolerate these regimens, and many patients will experience relapse. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has demonstrated promising results in the treatment of B-cell lymphomas and is now being explored in AML.

In this podcast, Saar Gill, MD, PhD, of the Perelman School of Medicines, PA, Richard Aplenc, MD, PhD, MSCE, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA, Marion Subklewe, MD, of the LMU Hospital Munich in Germany, and Rizwan Romee, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MA, discuss the latest data from clinical trials, comparing CAR-T therapy to other immunotherapeutic approaches, and outlining the potential role of CAR-NK cells in AML treatment.

The post Key updates on CAR-T & cellular therapy for AML appeared first on VJHemOnc.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of myeloid disorders characterized by the accumulation of dysplastic cells within the bone marrow, resulting in ineffective hematopoiesis and cytopenia. Patients typically have a median survival of 0.8 to 8.8 years. Around 30% of patients with MDS will progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) currently represents the only curative option for MDS; however, novel strategies and therapies are under investigation, including personalized medicine approaches and immunotherapies.

In 2020, the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2020) was presented as an all-virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the quality of data and presentations remained exceptionally high and it was not an event to be missed.

In this roundtable discussion, Amer Zeidan, MBBS, MHS, Yale University School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, CT, Uwe Platzbecker, MD, from the University of Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany, Andrew Brunner, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, and Jacqueline Garcia, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, review the hottest topics in the treatment and management of MDS  presented at the ASH 2020 virtual meeting.

The post The MDS Sessions: highlights from ASH 2020 appeared first on VJHemOnc.

The management of post-transplantation relapse and immune attack is an ongoing battle in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants. The efficacy and safety of therapy options for graft-versus-host disease is part of a larger conversation aimed at improving the outcomes of patients after transplantation. Ongoing research has seen interesting directions with the advent of antigen escape targeted therapies and combination of gamma-secretase inhibitors. Cellular therapy such as CAR-T is on the rise in this field with a collective aim for durability in response.

The 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2020 Annual Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2020) was held virtually this year due to the COVID pandemic – but this did not affect the quality and quantity of data presented, where research was presented from around the globe for improved patient care.

In this roundtable discussion, leading experts Bruce Levine, PhD, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA and Christian Chabannon MD, PhD, Paoli-Calmettes Institute, Marseille, France, present the latest in the management of graft failure, graft-versus-host disease, post-transplant relapse and cellular therapies from the ASH 2020 virtual Annual Meeting and share how the new research and clinical updates can induce durability in patient management strategies in clinical practice.

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