HEMATOLOGY

The longest follow-up for ibrutinib monotherapy to date maintained the benefit of the Bruton&rsquo;s tyrosine kinase inhibitor for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma across settings.<br /> &nbsp;

The appropriate gap between diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and treatment is now clearer as a new prognostic tool, IPS-E, that can predict the length of &ldquo;watch and wait&rdquo; has been introduced, according to a press release from the American Society of Hematology.

Rajneesh Nath, MD, discusses the rationale for phase III SIERRA trial, which evaluated the anti-CD45 monoclonal antibody apamistamab followed by fludarabine/total body irradiation and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

The FDA has accepted and granted a priority review to a supplemental Biologics License Application for pembrolizumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic solid tumors with tissue tumor mutational burden-high who have progressed following prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.

Sonali M. Smith, MD, discusses&nbsp;how to handle patients with follicular lymphoma when they relapse, especially if they are early progressors.<br /> &nbsp;

Although fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab may be efficient in inducing remission for the treatment of patients with Binet A high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia, recent data published in&nbsp;Leukemia&nbsp;suggest there is no evidence that this would be better than the current standard of care, which is the &ldquo;watch and wait&rdquo; approach.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a Biologics License Application for remestemcel-L, an allogeneic cell therapy for the treatment of children with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease, according to a press release from Mesoblast Limited.

Jeff P. Sharman, MD, discusses the secondary end points from the&nbsp;<u><strong><a href="https://www.targetedonc.com/conference/ash-2019/patients-with-cll-treated-on-the-elevatetn-trial-experience-improved-pfs-with-acalabrutinib">phase III ELEVATE-TN&nbsp;trial</a></strong></u>, which evaluated the role of acalabrutinib, either as a single agent or in combination with obinutuzumab in patients with treatment-naive chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The FDA has granted Fast Track Therapy designation to ME-401, an investigational selective oral inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor as treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies.

Experts discuss the phase III SIERRA trial, which recently demonstrated durable complete responses in patients with acute myeloid leukemia<br /> &nbsp;

An association was found between a lower risk of grade 3 or higher chemotherapy toxicity with higher body mass indexes and normal albumin, a protein made in the liver, levels in older adult patients with solid tumors, according to an analysis of a prospective, multicenter study.

A phase II trial of ficlatuzumab, an investigational HGF inhibitory antibody, in patients with relapsed and refractory acute myeloid leukemia joins the growing list of clinical trials halted due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

A sudden surge in the cases of COVID-19 due to pandemic, along with efforts to contain it, has led to multiple challenges that no country has experienced in the last several decades. The global pandemic from COVID-19 poses a unique set of challenges not only for patients with cancer who need their treatment, but also for caregivers, oncologists, and the overall care team.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, James L. Ferrara, MD, discussed the prognosis of patients with graft-versus-host-disease and the current treatment strategies. He also highlighted his experience with ruxolitinib and the remaining challenges in this space.

Brad Kahl, MD, discusses the treatment options for patients with indolent lymphomas who are relapsed/refractory.

Efficacy analyses by cell of origin and by MYC and BCL2 double expression status showed a trend toward improved outcomes of patients treated on the polatuzumab vedotin-containing arm regardless of cell of origin or MYC and BCL2 doubkle expression status.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, Kashyap Patel, MD, discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of new precautions in his practice as the number of COVID-19 infected persons rises in the state.<br /> &nbsp;

Venetoclax in combination with azacytidine demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival and achieved a satisfactory composite complete remission rate in previously untreated patients with acute myeloid leukemia, meeting the co-primary end points of the phase III VIALE-A study. Genentech, the developer of venetoclax, announced the positive news in a press release, also noting that safety profiles of both drugs were consistent with prior reports.