Hematologic Oncology | Specialty

The OncLive Hematology Oncology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on various hematologic malignancies, including leukemias, lymphomas, myeloproliferative neoplasms, multiple myeloma, and much more. This section features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on unmet needs, treatment advances, and ongoing research in hematologic cancers.

Addition of BET Inhibitor to Ruxolitinib Reduces Spleen Volume, Improves Symptoms in Myelofibrosis

December 11th 2019

The addition of CP-0610 to ruxolitinib (Jakafi) in JAK inhibitor-naïve patients with myelofibrosis induced splenic and symptomatic responses as early as 12 weeks.

Tisagenlecleucel Demonstrates Real-World Clinical Benefit in DLBCL

December 10th 2019

The CAR T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) showed similar real-world efficacy and safety findings to that of the JULIET trial in the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Navitoclax Overcomes Ruxolitinib Resistance for Myelofibrosis

December 10th 2019

Navitoclax plus ruxolitinib (Jakafi) showed clinically meaningful spleen responses and improvements in symptoms for patients with primary or secondary myelofibrosis, following the development of resistance to frontline ruxolitinib.

Identification of Prognostic Constellations of Driver Mutations in AML and MDS

December 10th 2019

Ilaria Iacobucci, PhD, staff scientist, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, discusses the use of integrated transcriptomic and genomic sequencing in identifying prognostic constellations of driver mutations in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.

Dr. Brown on Blinatumomab Versus Chemotherapy as Post-Reinduction Therapy in B-ALL

December 10th 2019

Patrick Brown, MD, chair of NCCN Guidelines for Adult and Pediatric ALL, and director of the Pediatric Leukemia Program at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the results of the randomized phase III Children’s Oncology Group Study AALL1331 trial of blinatumomab (Blincyto) versus chemotherapy as post-reinduction therapy in high- and intermediate-risk children and young adults with B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia in first relapse.

Maintenance CC-486 Improves Survival for Older Patients With AML

December 10th 2019

Maintenance treatment with CC-486, an oral formulation of azacitidine, extended median overall survival by 9.9 months compared with placebo for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first remission.

Blinatumomab as Post-Reinduction Therapy Improves Survival in Pediatric and AYA B-ALL

December 10th 2019

Blinatumomab (Blincyto) as post-reinduction consolidation therapy before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation improved disease-free survival and overall survival by approximately 20% compared with intensive chemotherapy in pediatric and adolescent and young adult patients with high- or intermediate-risk of first relapse of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Enasidenib Plus Azacitidine Significantly Improves Responses in Newly Diagnosed IDH2-Mutated AML

December 10th 2019

Enasidenib significantly improves complete remission and overall response when combined with azacitidine compared with azacitidine alone in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia with IDH2 mutations.

CPI-0610 Shows Strong Efficacy Signals for Advanced Myelofibrosis

December 10th 2019

CPI-0610 showed promising spleen volume responses and a meaningful reduction in total symptom score as monotherapy and in combination with ruxolitinib (Jakafi) for patients with refractory or intolerant advanced myelofibrosis.

Patients with B-Cell Malignancies Experience Stable Disease on Vecabrutinib Therapy

December 10th 2019

Vecabrutinib, a reversible, noncovalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, exhibited evidence of clinical activity in adults with B-cell malignancies without producing any grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events.

Liso-Cel Continues to Show Promise in Relapsed/Refractory CLL/SLL

December 9th 2019

The CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel showed promising clinical activity and manageable toxicity in heavily pretreated patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma, all of whom had progressed on ibrutinib.

Initial Higher-Dose Duvelisib Improves Responses in Relapsed/Refractory PTCL

December 9th 2019

Patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma who received a higher initial dose of duvelisib at 75 mg BID had a higher overall response rate of 62% than those who received 25 mg BID.

LOXO-305 Is Highly Effective in Heavily Pretreated B-cell Malignancies

December 9th 2019

More than half of patients with heavily pretreated B-cell malignancies responded to the noncovalent BTK inhibitor LOXO-305, including those with resistance or intolerance to other BTK inhibitors or BCL2 inhibitors.

Lenalidomide Plus Obinutuzumab Achieves 100% ORR in Rituximab-Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

December 9th 2019

The combination of lenalidomide (Revlimid) and obinutuzumab (Gazyva) elicited a 100% overall response rate in patients with relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma that was refractory to rituximab (Rituxan).

Lenalidomide/Rituximab PFS Benefit Maintained in Elderly Subgroup With Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

December 9th 2019

The combination of lenalidomide (Revlimid) and rituximab showed a 34% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with rituximab plus placebo in patients ≥70 years old with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, although it was not found to be statistically significant.

Novel Antibody Elicits Complete Remissions in NHL After CAR Relapses

December 8th 2019

Mosunetuzumab, a novel bispecific antibody, generated durable responses in patients with highly refractory non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including complete remissions in 22.2% of those who had previously received chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Fate Touts Novel Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapy

December 7th 2019

An investigational new drug application for the therapy, which is labeled FT596, was approved in September 2019 and human trials are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2020.

FDA Waives ODAC Review of Luspatercept in MDS

December 7th 2019

The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will not be reviewing an sBLA for luspatercept-aamt for use as a treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Challenges Remain Amid Rapid Advances in AML

December 6th 2019

Eytan M. Stein, MD, discusses the introduction of novel agents, the relevancy of chemotherapy, and assessing minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia.

Novel Therapies Show Significant Activity in Relapsed/Refractory ALL

December 5th 2019

Jae H. Park, MD, discusses how emerging agents across several treatment modalities are demonstrating great potential in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.