HEMATOLOGY

Lung Cancer

Prithviraj Bose, MD, discussed the findings of 2 combination trials with ruxolitinib to optimize outcomes for patients with myelofibrosis. The JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib is the only FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis, but novel agents and combination regimens are in development to address some of the unmet needs in the field.

Tazemetostat showed efficacy in heavily treated patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma in interim results from a phase II trial. Investigators hope that the analysis of a 62-gene panel biomarker performed on the same patient population will help to identify the patients who will have an even stronger response to the oral EZH2 inhibitor developed by Epizyme.

Agne Paner, MD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions she makes when treating patients with multiple myeloma. Paner, an assistant professor of medicine at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, explained her treatment decisions based on 2 case scenarios during a <em>Targeted Oncology</em> live case-based peer perspectives presentation.

Michael L. Wang, MD, explains the&nbsp;biologic underpinnings of MCL as well as the treatment options for patients with MCL. The discussion is based on&nbsp;a case scenario of a patient with stage III intermediate-risk disease, and the factors that Wang would use when choosing the best treatment regimen for this patient.

Ibrutinib continues to be the standard of care for the treatment of relapsed/refractory patients with mantle cell lymphoma since its FDA approval in 2013, and long-term follow-up data of the Bruton&#39;s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor continue to demonstrate its clinical activity. In this interview with Targeted Oncology, an expert in the field sheds light on the impact of BTK inhibition on the treatment landscape.<br /> &nbsp;

The potential synergy of new agents with other treatment strategies, including immunotherapeutic and targeted approaches, is currently being investigated in various clinical trials, with the hope of identifying combinations that will lead to longer responses and improvements in duration of response for patients with MCL.

Effective management of mantle cell lymphoma requires awareness of current therapeutic approaches for a wide range of patient populations, clinical trials supporting the use of therapy in the frontline or relapsed/refractory settings, newer therapeutic options and strategies, and emerging therapies to improve patient outcomes&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;.

C. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions he makes when treating patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Landgren, chief of the Myeloma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, explained how he would treat these patients based on the review of a case scenario during a <em>Targeted Oncology </em>live case-based peer perspectives dinner discussion.

Due to the diversity of disease presentation, together with new iterations of guidelines for MCL diagnosis, staging, and risk, there is no standardized therapeutic approach. Treatment decisions are currently guided by several factors, including patient age, level of fitness, presence of symptoms, risk category, proliferative index, and cell variant, which means&nbsp;it is important to accurately diagnose, stage, and assess risk in patients with MCL

Anas Younes, MD, chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses results from a trial studying the combination of nivolumab and ibrutinib for the treatment of patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Denise. L. Pereira, MD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions she makes when treating patients with multiple myeloma. Pereira, assistant professor of clinical medicine, University of Miami, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, Florida, explained her treatment decisions based on 2 case scenarios during a <em>Targeted Oncology</em> live case-based peer perspectives presentation.

In an 8 to 4 vote, the FDA&#39;s&nbsp;Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of blinatumomab for the treatment of minimal residual disease-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Lung Cancer

One of the most exciting advancements in the lymphoma community has been the FDA approval of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta) for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma&nbsp;in October 2017.

New indications were approved by the FDA within the last month, including abemaciclib for HER2-negative breast cancer, durvalumab for non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, and abiraterone acetate for castration-sensitive prostate cancer.

Several combinations are being investigated for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, said Ian W. Flinn, MD, citing numerous ongoing trials presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting.

Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma with renal impairment who were treated with pomalidomide and&nbsp;low-dose dexamethasone had an overall response rate of up to 39%,&nbsp;according to findings of a phase II study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology.</em> &nbsp;

Progression-free survival was successfully predicted by a 23-gene expression-based model for patients with follicular lymphoma enrolled in the phase III randomized PRIMA trial.