AML |

Drug under priority review for BPDCN

Published on August 15, 2018August 15, 2018 by HT Staff

Vials of drug
Photo by Bill Branson

The US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) has accepted for priority review the biologics license application seeking approval for tagraxofusp (Elzonris, SL-401) to treat blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). The FDA expects to make a decision on this application by February 21, 2019. The FDA grants priority review... [Read Article]

Auto-HSCT linked to higher AML, MDS risk

Published on August 14, 2018August 14, 2018 by Susan London

Apheresis machine
Photo by Luis Alvaz

Patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (auto-HSCT) for lymphoma or myeloma have an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), according to a retrospective study. The study suggested these patients have 10 to 100 times the risk of AML or MDS as the general... [Read Article]

Familial risk of myeloid malignancies

Published on August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by HT Staff

Three generations of
women in a family

A large study has revealed “the strongest evidence yet” supporting genetic susceptibility to myeloid malignancies, according to a researcher. The study showed that first-degree relatives of patients with myeloid malignancies had double the risk of developing a myeloid malignancy themselves, when compared to the general population. The researchers... [Read Article]

Ixazomib could improve treatment of AML

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

Lab mouse

New research suggests the FOXM1 protein plays an important role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) progression, and targeting FOXM1 could improve AML treatment. With a retrospective study, researchers showed that overexpression of FOXM1 was associated with increased resistance to chemotherapy and inferior overall survival. Subsequent preclinical research showed that ixazomib inhibits FOXM1, exhibits... [Read Article]

Orphan designation recommended for PCM-075

Published on August 4, 2018August 5, 2018 by HT Staff

AML cells
Image by Lance Liotta

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has recommended that PCM-075 receive orphan drug designation as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). 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... [Read Article]

Method may enable eradication of LSCs in AML

Published on August 3, 2018August 3, 2018 by HT Staff

Micrograph showing LSCs
Image by Robert Paulson

Disrupting mitophagy may be a “promising strategy” for eliminating leukemia stem cells (LSCs) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to researchers. The team found that AML LSCs depend on mitophagy to maintain their “stemness,” but targeting the central metabolic stress regulator AMPK or the mitochondrial dynamics regulator FIS1... [Read Article]

Inhibitor receives breakthrough designation for AML

Published on August 2, 2018August 2, 2018 by HT Staff

AML cells

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough therapy designation to quizartinib, an investigational FLT3 inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with relapsed/refractory FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The FDA granted quizartinib breakthrough designation based on results from the phase 3 QuANTUM-R study, which were presented at the 23rd Congress of... [Read Article]

Global burden of hematologic malignancies

Published on July 29, 2018July 29, 2018 by Alexander M. Castellino, PhD

Cancer patient receiving chemotherapy
Photo by Rhoda Baer

Research has shown an increase in the global incidence of leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in recent years. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study showed that, from 2006 to 2016, the incidence of NHL increased 45%, and the incidence of leukemia increased 26%. These... [Read Article]

Study could change treatment of MLSM7

Published on July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 by HT Staff

Study authors Tamara
Lamprecht, Jason Schwartz,
Jing Ma, and Jeffrey Klco
Photo from St. Jude
Children’s Research
Hospital/Justin Veneman

New findings could help improve treatment of an inherited bone marrow disorder known as myelodysplasia and leukemia syndrome with monosomy 7 (MLSM7), according to researchers. While studying families affected by MLSM7, researchers identified germline mutations... [Read Article]

Treatments, disease affect spermatogonia in boys

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

Male germinal epithelium
showing spermatogonia,
spermatocytes, spermatids,
and spermatozoa
Image from Dreamstime

Alkylating agents, hydroxyurea (HU), and certain non-malignant diseases can significantly deplete spermatogonial cell counts in young boys, according to research published in Human Reproduction. Boys who received alkylating agents to treat cancer had significantly lower spermatogonial cell counts than control subjects or boys... [Read Article]

FDA approves drug for IDH1-mutated AML

Published on July 23, 2018July 20, 2018 by HT Staff

Ivosidenib (Tibsovo®)
Photo courtesy of
Agios Pharmaceuticals

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval for the isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) inhibitor ivosidenib (Tibsovo®). The drug is approved to treat adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have an IDH1 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. Ivosidenib was approved... [Read Article]

FDA approves biosimilar filgrastim

Published on July 22, 2018July 20, 2018 by HT Staff

Vials of drug
Photo by Bill Branson

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the leukocyte growth factor Nivestym™ (filgrastim-aafi), a biosimilar to Neupogen (filgrastim). Nivestym is approved to treat patients with nonmyeloid malignancies who are receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy or undergoing bone marrow transplant, acute myeloid leukemia patients receiving induction or consolidation chemotherapy,... [Read Article]

Diabetics have higher risk of hematologic, other cancers

Published on July 20, 2018July 20, 2018 by HT Staff

Cancer patient receiving chemotherapy
Photo by Rhoda Baer

A review of data from more than 19 million people indicates that diabetes significantly raises a person’s risk of developing cancer. When researchers compared patients with diabetes and without, both male and female diabetics had an increased risk of leukemias and lymphomas as well as certain solid... [Read Article]

Study suggests dasatinib could treat AML, JMML

Published on July 18, 2018July 18, 2018 by HT Staff

New research suggests dasatinib could treat certain patients with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The study showed that TNK2 inhibition has a negative effect on PTPN11-mutant leukemias. PTPN11-mutant JMML and AML cells were sensitive to treatment with dasatinib, which inhibits TNK2. Dasatinib also induced hematologic... [Read Article]

Explaining enasidenib resistance in AML

Published on July 17, 2018July 17, 2018 by HT Staff

Enasidenib (IDHIFA®)
Photo from Business Wire

New research helps explain enasidenib resistance among patients with IDH2-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Researchers found that leukemic cells stop responding to enasidenib when IDH2 clones develop additional mutations. This may mean that enasidenib will have to be combined with other drugs to prevent AML relapse, the researchers said.... [Read Article]