Hematology

More data is needed to get wider acceptance of the use of palliative care services for patients with blood cancers, said Adam Olszewski, MD, associate professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

For patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, higher diversity of intestinal microbiota at the time of neutrophil engraftment was linked with lower mortality, according to study findings published today.

In a major study of a Chinese medical insurance database, investigators found the prevalence and incidence of the disease in China is similar to those of its neighbors, but lower than countries in the West.

Patients with sickle cell disease already face suspicion and biases based on their need for opioids, and African American patients also face additional racial biases, said C. Patrick Carroll, MD, director of psychiatric services, Sickle Cell Center for Adults, associate professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Predicting T-cell toxicity is a key factor when it comes to successfully using CAR T-cell therapy, said Reona Sakemura, MD, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

Sickle-cell trait (SCT) and disease (SCD) among African American patients were associated with faster kidney function decline, with SCD contributing to a more rapid decline, according to study findings.

Primary and acquired resistance to bortezomib can increase recurrence rates in patients with multiple myeloma. A new strategy could help reduce resistance.

Evidence is showing that early palliative care can be beneficial for patients with blood cancers, who receive very intense treatments that impact quality of life, said Adam Olszewski, MD, associate professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Researchers describe results of carfilizomib and bendamustine in a phase 1/2 study.

Based on positive data from the phase 3 CANDOR study presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Janssen announced yesterday the submission of a supplemental biologics license application to the FDA seeking approval of daratumumab in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Bone marrow derived cancer-associated fibroblasts promote tumor progression which can alter a treatment's course, said Reona Sakemura, MD, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

There is not a lot of evidence on how well nonpharmacologic treatments work to treat sickle cell disease–related pain, and it can be difficult to get people access to these treatments, said C. Patrick Carroll, MD, director of psychiatric services, Sickle Cell Center for Adults, associate professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Toxicities like cytokine release syndrome, along with other factors, limit widespread use of CAR T-cell therapies, said Reona Sakemura, MD, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

Three proteasome inhibitors (PIs) are approved for patients with multiple myeloma (MM): Bortezomib, a first-in class PI, fights both newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM); carfilzomib, a next-generation PI, treats RRMM as both a monotherapy and in combination; and ixazomib, the first oral PI, treats RRMM in combination. PIs work by preventing the proteasomes in cancerous plasma cells from “recycling” what is essentially garbage protein.

Patients had never been particularly enthusiastic about using opioids to treat their pain related to sickle cell disease, but they are more cautious now, especially as they are often meet with suspicion of addiction, said C. Patrick Carroll, MD, director of psychiatric services, Sickle Cell Center for Adults, associate professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Managing people with sickle cell disease and complex chronic pain is difficult and requires some trial and error, said C. Patrick Carroll, MD, director of psychiatric services, Sickle Cell Center for Adults, associate professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) published a draft evidence report on crizanlizumab (Adakveo), voxelotor (Oxbryta), and L-glutamine (Endari) for sickle cell disease, as well as a draft scoping document on valoctocogene roxaparvovec, an investigational gene therapy, and emicizumab (Helimbra) for hemophilia.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/managing-vasoocclusive-crisis-in-sickle-cell-disease-a-look-at-the-clinical-and-economic-burden

Results for Truxima, recently launched in the United States, and complement inhibitors were presented at the 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Symptom burden, functional ability, and quality of life are necessary considerations when treating hematologic malignancies in older patients.

Reviews of apixaban in active cancer, Medicare costs after CAR T-cell therapy, and the need for financial assistance for novel therapies.

A pair of interviews on investigational therapies whose sponsors reported updates at the 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition: UCART19 from Servier and a revamped anti-BCMA therapy ide-cel from bluebird bio.

Coverage from the 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Florida, featured results for allogeneic or "off the shelf" CAR T-cell treatments and bispecific antibodies.

A study identifying the different factors influencing peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell (PBSC) mobilization and collection in multiple myeloma (MM) and lymphoma cases determined that PBSC mobilization yielded sufficient CD34+ cell counts in both patients with MM and lymphoma, but the failure rates were high.

Sickle cell disease is the most common red blood cell disorder in the United States, having been diagnosed in approximately 100,000 African Americans alone. The lack of oxygen from sickle cell buildup can lead to acute pain crises, joint and organ damage, stroke, and reduced life expectancy.