LEUKEMIAS

The FDA has received a supplemental biologics license application to expand the approval of blinatumomab to include pediatric and adolescent patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The FDA has handed down a breakthrough therapy designation for midostaurin (PKC412) as a potential treatment for adults with newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is pivoted around cytogenetic analysis of patient bone marrow or peripheral blood cultures. The World Health Organization classification of tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues is based on cytogenetic features along with other clinical, morphological, and immunophenotypic characteristics.

Anthony Mato, MD, MSCE, director of the CLL Program, University of Pennsylvania, discusses the difference between intolerance and resistance when giving patients with chronic lymphotic leukemia ibrutinib.

The FDA has designated the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax as a breakthrough therapy for use in combination with rituximab (Rituxan) to treat patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Ofatumumab (Arzerra) has received FDA approved for the extended treatment of patients with recurrent or progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients eligible to receive the treatment must show complete or partial response following at least two lines of therapy.

A new retrospective study claimed a rarity of cytogenetic and molecular monitoring exists among patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treated in a community setting; however, one researcher is challenging that claim.

Venetoclax has been granted priority review status by the FDA for use in adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) following at least 1 prior therapy. This patient population includes those with a 17p deletion (del[17p]), according to codevelopers of the BCL-2 inhibitor AbbVie and Genentech.

Betty Hamilton, MD, discusses TET2 mutations in molecular mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) on allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant outcomes.

A combination of venetoclax and obinutuzumab, followed by additional cycles of venetoclax, has shown tolerability in elderly patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia with comorbidities, data from the CLL14 trial (BO25323) shows.

Patricia L. Kropf, MD, discusses a combination of decitabine and arsenic trioxide as a replacement for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who cannot withstand induction chemotherapy.

Blinatumomab (Blincyto) as a single agent showed high complete remission (CR), or CR with partial hematological recovery, in adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive and -negative B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

David Steensma, MD, discusses how midostaurin could affect the treatment paradigm for acute leukemia. He says that while midostaurin is not currently approved by the FDA, studies show its potential usefulness when added to conventional induction platforms.

Novel BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax showed a near 80% overall response rate (ORR) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia harboring a chromosome 17p deletion.

Data from a phase III trial shows adding idelalisib to bendamustine and rituximab (BR) dropped the risk of progression and/or death by 67% when compared to BR alone in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The multikinase inhibitor midostaurin (PKC412) has been shown to nearly triple the median overall survival (OS) rates of patients with FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in comparison to a placebo, according to the results of the prospective phase III trial CALGB 10603.

Stephen Nimer, MD, leukemia and lymphoma treatment specialist, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, discusses results of a study which examined Musashi2 as a requirement for maintaining activated myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cells.

Michael Mauro, MD, discusses the side effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Where once limited treatment options existed for patients with CLL, medical oncologists now have a plethora of agents from which to choose, making disease management in CLL more effective with fewer toxicities.

A supplemental new drug application has been submitted to the FDA for ibrutinib in conjunction with bendamustine and rituximab. The combination would treat patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma.

While CLL patients have lived longer with the use of B-cell pathway inhibitors, they require diligent monitoring and even potential suspension to control adverse events.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a relatively rare malignancy in adults, with an estimated 6250 new cases and 1450 deaths expected in the United States in 2015. Although most patients achieve complete remission with conventional combination chemotherapy regimens, at least two-thirds of high-risk patients relapse.2 While overall survival for children has significantly improved in the last 30 years, newly diagnosed adults continue to have a poor 5-year OS rate, approximating 35%, depending on age and risk factors.

The anti-CD22 antibody-drug conjugate inotuzumab ozogamicin has been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA as a potential treatment for relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.

John C. Byrd, MD, on Hematologic Malignancies in Chicago about novel agents in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia, specifically about the emergence of new targeted therapies, including ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and idelalisib (Zydelig) and what clinicians should know about them.

Christoph Roellig, MD, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden, Germany, discusses FLT3 ITD/NPM1 mutation status for patients with AML who are in first remission.