Hematology Times
ASH 2008
Thrombocytopenia itself does not define the risk of bleeding
A comparison of platelet function and bleeding parameters in immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) patients vs those who have chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) showed that bleeding is not directly dependent on low platelet levels. Additionally, CIT patients had more significant bleeding and reduced responses to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and thrombin receptor agonist peptide (TRAP) than ITP patients. These data were presented at a poster session at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read Article] Deferasirox removes heart iron from thalassemia patients with myocardial siderosis
Iron chelation therapy with deferasirox pulls iron out of the heart of β-thalassemia patients with myocardial siderosis, a new study indicates. Results show deferasirox not only decreases the hepatic and total body iron burden, which improves the myocardial T2*, it also maintains normal cardiac function as assessed by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Dudley Pennell, MD, of Royal Brompton Hospital in London, presented these results at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read Article] Genetic patterns provide insight into chronic ITP
To identify pediatric patients who may progress from acute ITP to chronic ITP, a group of researchers studied gene expression patterns in a small cohort of patients. James L. Zehnder, MD, from the Stanford University Medical Center, and colleagues found that vanin1 expression levels and advillin expression levels were significantly higher in patients who developed chronic ITP, as compared to those with acute ITP and control subjects. [Read Article] Early publication can compromise accuracy of trial results
Bone marrow aspirate
showing AML Publishing clinical trial data too early can lead to inaccurate conclusions, according to an analysis comparing trials of AML patients. Jacob Rowe, MD, from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, and colleagues from the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group set out to determine the optimum time for reporting clinical trial data in AML. They decided 3 years after study completion is the appropriate time, as it provides definitive survival data. [Read Article] Oral factor Xa inhibitor may be a substitute for warfarin in atrial fibrillation
The oral factor Xa inhibitor DU-176b, given in 2 different doses to patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, offers safety and tolerability comparable to warfarin. Researchers randomized more than 1000 patients to receive either 1 of 4 fixed-dose regimens of DU-176b or warfarin for 12 weeks. The study’s primary endpoints were the incidence of bleeding events (major and clinically relevant non-major) and elevated liver enzymes and/or bilirubin. [Read Article] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
