AML |

‘Intense’ end-of-life care may be common in HSCT recipients

Published on October 19, 2018October 18, 2018 by HT Staff

Hospital room
Photo by Diane Reid

Patients who die within a year of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) tend to receive “medically intense” end-of-life care, an analysis suggests. Researchers studied more than 2,000 patients who died within a year of allogeneic HSCT and found that a majority of the patients died in the... [Read Article]

Adoptive T-cell therapy treats PML

Published on October 19, 2018October 19, 2018 by HT Staff

JC virus protein (brown)
in a brain biopsy (glial
cells demonstrating PML)
Image by Marvin 101

Adoptive T-cell therapy has proven effective for treating progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers observed substantial improvements in three PML patients infused with donor T cells targeting the... [Read Article]

Dataset could reveal better therapies for AML

Published on October 18, 2018October 17, 2018 by HT Staff

Brian Druker, MD
Photo from OHSU/
Kristyna Wentz-Graff

Researchers have released a dataset detailing the molecular makeup of tumor cells from more than 500 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The team discovered mutations not previously observed in AML and found associations between mutations and responses to certain therapies. For instance, AML cases with... [Read Article]

FDA issues draft guidance on MRD

Published on October 16, 2018October 15, 2018 by Jen Smith

Researcher in the lab
Photo by Darren Baker

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a draft guidance document on the use of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment in trials of patients with hematologic malignancies. The FDA said it developed this guidance to assist sponsors who are planning to use MRD as... [Read Article]

CDK8 inhibitor can fight AML, though it’s unclear how

Published on October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 by Jen Smith

Eliza Majewska, PhD

The CDK8 inhibitor SEL120 has demonstrated preclinical activity against acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but the agent’s mechanism of action is still unclear. Researchers found that several AML cell lines were “highly sensitive” to SEL120, and the inhibitor was active in primary patient samples. SEL120 also reduced tumor growth in mouse models... [Read Article]

Novel agents changing treatment algorithm in AML

Published on September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by Erilyn Riley

Richard Stone, MD
Photo courtesy of NCCN

Recent drug approvals for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have greatly expanded options for treating patients, according to a presentation at the NCCN 13th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies. Richard M. Stone, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, M.A., gave this presentation, providing some guidance for how... [Read Article]

Current management of AML patients

Published on September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by Erilyn Riley

Attendees at the 13th NCCN
hematology congress
Photo courtesy of NCCN

A presentation at the NCCN 13th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies outlined current practices for managing patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Richard M. Stone, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, M.A., noted that management of AML now includes increased screening of... [Read Article]

FLT3 inhibitor approved for rel/ref AML in Japan

Published on September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by HT Staff

AML cells
Image by Lance Liotta

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib (Xospata®) to treat patients with FLT3-positive relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Gilteritinib is available in 40 mg tablets. The usual recommended starting dose of gilteritinib for an adult is 120 mg... [Read Article]

NGS can predict AML relapse after HSCT

Published on September 21, 2018September 21, 2018 by HT Staff

Bone marrow smear
from AML patient
Image from Armed Forces
Institute of Pathology

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can be used to predict relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), according to research published in Blood. Researchers found that patients with a higher variant allele frequency (VAF) 21 days after... [Read Article]

Insights could change treatment, classification of MPAL

Published on September 13, 2018September 12, 2018 by HT Staff

From left to right: Study
authors Ilaria Iacobucci,
Charles Mullighan, Hiroto
Inaba, and Zhaohui Gu
Photo from St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital

An extensive analysis of mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) has led to new insights that may have implications for disease classification and treatment. Researchers believe they have identified new subtypes of MPAL... [Read Article]

Prophylaxis reduces bacteremia in some kids

Published on September 13, 2018September 12, 2018 by Andrew D. Bowser

Agar plate showing
staphyloccus infection
Photo by Bill Branson

In a phase 3 study, levofloxacin prophylaxis significantly reduced bacteremia in children with acute leukemias who received intensive chemotherapy. However, the risk of bacteremia was not significantly reduced with levofloxacin in another cohort of children who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Sarah Alexander,... [Read Article]

Hormonal contraceptives tied to leukemia in progeny

Published on September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 by Bianca Nogrady

Pregnant woman
Photo by Nina Matthews

A nationwide cohort study suggests an association between a woman’s use of hormonal contraceptives and leukemia in her offspring. Children of mothers who used hormonal contraception, either during pregnancy or in the 3 months beforehand, had a 1.5-fold greater risk of leukemia, when compared to children of mothers who... [Read Article]

Cell population appears to drive relapse in AML

Published on September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 by HT Staff

From left to right: Study authors Lili Aslostovar, Allison Boyd, and Mick Bhatia
Photo by Kevin Patrick Robbins/McMaster University

Researchers believe they have identified cells that are responsible for relapse of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These “leukemic-regenerating cells” (LRCs), which are distinct from leukemic stem cells (LSCs), seem to arise in response to chemotherapy. Experiments... [Read Article]

Team identifies potential immunotherapy target for AML

Published on September 10, 2018September 9, 2018 by HT Staff

Ben Vincent, MD
Photo from the University
of North Carolina

New research could aid the development of immunotherapies tailored to patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are undergoing stem cell transplant (SCT). Researchers found they could use genetic sequencing and computer software to identify minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAs) known to occur in AML. The... [Read Article]

PLK1 inhibitor receives orphan designation for AML

Published on August 31, 2018August 31, 2018 by HT Staff

AML cells
Image by Lance Liotta

The European Commission has granted orphan drug designation to onvansertib for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Onvansertib (formerly PCM-075) is an oral adenosine triphosphate competitive inhibitor of the serine/threonine Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) enzyme, which is overexpressed in hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. Trovagene, Inc., the company... [Read Article]