HEMATOLOGY

While the approval of new agents represents a great step forward in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), physicians are now challenged with how to best utilize these new treatment options, according to a presentation by Anthony Mato, MD, MSCE, at the 2nd Annual Live Medical Crossfire: Hematologic Malignancies.

Michael Wang, MD, discusses what he hopes to find in the ZUMA-2 trial and his belief that MCL can be cured in his lifetime.

The FDA has received a supplemental New Drug Application for venetoclax in combination with a hypomethylating agent or low-dose cytarabine as a frontline treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy, Genentech, the manufacturer of the BCL-2 inhibitor, has announced.

An updated analysis of obinutuzumab alone or in combination with chemotherapy for patients with treatment-naïve or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia detected no new safety signals. Investigators in the phase IIIb GREEN trial also found overall response rates greater than 80% at 3 months post-treatment in some patients.

In topline findings from the phase III TOURMALINE-MM3 study, maintenance treatment with the proteasome inhibitor ixazomib improved progression-free survival compared with placebo in adult patients with multiple myeloma who responded to high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant.

Romyelocel-L (human myeloid progenitor cells) has been granted a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation by the FDA for the prevention of bacterial and fungal infections in patients with acute myeloid leukemia undergoing induction chemotherapy, according to Cellerant Therapeutics, Inc, the manufacturer of the therapy. RMAT designation holds similar advantages to breakthrough therapy designation.

General Cancer

Paul G. Richardson, MD, clinical program leader and director of Clinical Research in the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses results from the phase III OPTIMISMM trial comparing treatment regimens for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. This data compares a regimen of pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone alone. 

Progression-free survival was not improved by combining pixantrone with rituximab compared with gemcitabine plus rituximab in patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma enrolled in the phase III PIX306 trial, according to CTI BioPharma, the manufacturer of pixantrone.

Elotuzumab (Empliciti) added to pomalidomide (Pomalyst) and dexamethasone reduced the risk of disease progression by 46% in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma compared with pomalidomide and dexamethasone alone, according to findings from the phase II ELOQUENT-3 trial presented at the 2018 EHA Congress.

In an analysis of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma enrolled on the phase Ib MMY1001 trial, daratumumab (Darzalex) was shown to be safe and effective when added to the backbone of carfilzomib (Kyprolis) and dexamethasone. These findings, which were presented during the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, signaled promising efficacy in patients who are refractory to lenalidomide (Revlimid), according to lead study author Ajai Chari, MD.