HEMATOLOGY

Clinical Management of Relapsed CLL

Boston University Medical Center has announced that Matthew Kulke, MD, will serve as its chief of the Section of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine, effective March 1, 2018. Kulke will also obtain the roles of deputy director of the BU-BMC Cancer Center, medical director of the Clinical Cancer Center at BMC, and the Zoltan Kohn Professor of Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine.

According to an updated analysis of the POLLUX trial, progression-free survival remained superior over time in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma treated with combination therapy that included the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab.

Andrew L. Pecora, MD, President of the Physician Services Division and Chief Innovation Officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, discusses preliminary safety and efficacy data for combined checkpoint inhibition with ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) as consolidation therapy following autologous stem cell transplant in patients with multiple myeloma and non-Hodkin lymphoma.

Multiple Myeloma

Anas Younes, MD, Chief of Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the interim analysis of a study exploring the safety and efficacy of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazya) and bendamustine in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma.

Based on data from the phase III 482 study, denosumab (Xgeva) has been granted FDA approval for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with multiple myeloma, according to Amgen, the developer of the RANK ligand inhibitor.

Eltrombopag (Promacta) has been granted a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA for use in combination with standard immunosuppressive therapy for the first-line treatment of patients with severe aplastic anemia.

The FDA closed out the year by approving several new agents last month, including bevacizumab for glioblastoma, cabozantinib for renal cell carcinoma, nivolumab for melanoma, bosutinib for chronic myeloid leukemia, and pertuzumab for HER2+ breast cancer. In addition, several agents were granted a priority review designation. Here is a look back at all the FDA activity that took place in December.

Based on findings from the phase III ECHELON-1 trial, a supplemental biologics application (sBLA) for brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with Adriamycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) has been granted a priority review by the FDA for the frontline treatment of advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a statement from the company developing the CD30-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, Seattle Genetics.

Mark W. Bustoros, MD, a postdoctoral fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, discusses ongoing research exploring the use of liquid biopsies in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma.

The proteasome inhibitor ixazomib has received a recommendation from the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy is guided mainly by cytogenetic profile, such as chromosomal duplication or deletion, and molecular mutations. <em>FLT3</em> mutations are the most common genetic abnormalities detected in patients with AML and are usually associated with a high relapse rate and short overall survival. Given the dismal outcomes in patients with <em>FLT3</em>-mutant AML, a great effort has been underway over the last several years to develop clinically effective FLT3 inhibitors.

Based on results of a phase I trial presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting, a new drug applicaton for ivosidenib has been submitted for FDA approval for the treatment of patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory IDH1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia, according to a statement from Agios Pharmaceuticals, the company developing the targeted therapy.

The label for nilotinib (Tasigna) has been updated by the FDA with a provision stating patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase (Ph+ CML-CP) who have received the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor could be eligible to stop treatment after having recieved for at least 3 years and having achieved the specific predetermined criteria.<br /> <br /> &nbsp;

Managing Relapsed Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Bosutinib (Bosulif) has been approved by the FDA as a first-line treatment for&nbsp;patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).