HEMATOLOGY

Tisagenlecleucel has gained approval from the European Commission as a treatment for adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is relapsed or refractory after 2 or more lines of systemic therapy, or patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is refractory, in relapse posttransplant, or in second or later relapse.

Based on findings from the phase III iNNOVATE trial, ibrutinib has been approved by the FDA in combination with rituximab for patients with Waldenstr&ouml;m macroglobulinemia across all lines of therapy.<br /> &nbsp;

Javier Pinilla-Ibarz, MD, PhD, senior member of the Department of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the biggest challenge in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Polycythemia vera is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by clonal hematopoiesis and an absolute increase in the red blood cell mass, with an associated leukocytosis and thrombocytosis. Virtually all patients with PV harbor a mutation in the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase JAK2, with the majority of patients harboring the classic JAK2.

Kerry Rogers, MD, assistant professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses a short-term&nbsp;treatment&nbsp;strategy for&nbsp;reducing tumor burden and the risk for tumor lysis syndrome in patients with&nbsp;chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Preclinical and phase I proof for CYAD-01 as well as preliminary findings from the ongoing THINK trial were presented at the 2018 American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Annual Meeting.

During a presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research&rsquo;s inaugural Advances in Malignant Lymphoma meeting, Mehta-Shah, associate professor in the Department of Medicine with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, presented preliminary data showing how new pathway-dependent strategies using novel agent combinations may represent a new way to treat patients with T-cell lymphomas.

Targeting EZH2, the catalytic subunit of the multiprotein PRC2, may represent an attractive therapeutic objective in malignant lymphoma, Vincent Ribrag, MD, told his audience at the American&nbsp;Association for Cancer Research&rsquo;s inaugural Advances in Malignant Lymphoma meeting.

A biologics license application for SL-401 (tagraxofusp, Elzonris) has been granted a priority review by the FDA as a treatment for patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm,&nbsp; Stemline Therapeutics,&nbsp;the developer of the novel stemness inhibitor, has announced.

Susan M. O&rsquo;Brien, MD,&nbsp;discusses some of the latest intriguing data in the treatment of CLL, and the growing importance of mutation status.

David Sallman, MD, assistant member, Department of Malignant Hematology, Moffitt Cancer Center, explains the significance of the initial results from a recent phase 1B/2 trial combining APR-246 and azacitidine (Vidaza) in patients with TP53-mutant myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.

Karyopharm Therapeutics has announced that a rolling submission of an FDA new drug application has been completed for&nbsp;selinexor as a treatment for patients with penta-refractory multiple myeloma,&nbsp;based on results from part 2 of the phase IIb STORM trial.

Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, Chief in the Division of Oncology/Hematology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, discusses strategies for overcoming resistance in lymphoma during the 2018 Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference.&nbsp;

Mogamulizumab-kpkc&nbsp;(Poteligeo) has been approved by the FDA as a treatment for patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma who have received at least 1 prior systemic therapy.

Targeted Treatment for IDH2-Mutated AML

Danielle Brander, MD,&nbsp;highlights how recent advances are changing the field of CLL and what it means for physicians and their patients.

Brad S. Kahl, MD, professor in the department of medicine at Washington School of Medicine at Siteman Cancer Center, discusses the use of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in older patients with mantle cell lymphoma. This agent is currently being investigated in the frontline setting for patients not eligible for stem cell transplant.

Guadecitabine failed to improve complete response rate&nbsp;and overall survival&nbsp;in treatment-na&iuml;ve adult patients with AML who are not candidates for intensive induction chemotherapy, missing the coprimary endpoints of the phase III ASTRAL-1, according to&nbsp;Astex Pharmaceuticals and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

Sagar Lonial, MD, professor and chair, Department of Hematology &amp; Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, chief medical officer, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, discusses the results from 2 large phase III trials presented earlier this year for triplet regimens including pomalidomide in multiple myeloma.

Quizartinib has been granted a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA&nbsp;for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory&nbsp;<em>FLT3</em>-ITD&ndash;positive acute myeloid leukemia.

The FDA issued several approvals in July, including in colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia.&nbsp;Here&rsquo;s a look back on the FDA happenings for the month of July 2018.

Susan M. O&#39;Brien, MD, associate director for clinical sciences at UC Irvine Health, shares her insights on why CAR T cells are not as successful in chronic lymphocytic leukemia as compared to lymphoma or acute lymphocytic leukemia. She also discusses what she believes must change in order for this therapy to move up in the treatment landscape for CLL.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Paul G. Richardson, MD,&nbsp;clinical program leader and director of Clinical Research in the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,&nbsp;discussed the results from the OPTIMISMM trial. He also shared his insight on the significance of these findings and what he expects to see in the future for this patient population.