Follicular lymphoma is a disease that affects 2.7 per 100,000 individuals each year, with a five-year survival rate of 89.7%. It is the most common subtype of indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; about 22% of newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases are follicular lymphoma. The development of novel therapies offers new treatment options for patients living with follicular lymphoma. In this interview, Dr. Loretta J. Nastoupil, MD, Section Chief of New Drug Development in the Department of Lymphoma/...

Among patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), those with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive disease experience a higher rate of relapse and poorer chances of long-term survival. According to results of the phase 3 INO-VATE trial recently published in Cancer, inotuzumab ozogamicin, a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody, achieved high rates of response, remission, and progression-free survival in patients with this disease. In this interview with i3 Health, Hag...

Myelofibrosis, a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by bone marrow fibrosis, cytopenias, and extramedullary hematopoiesis, is a very challenging disease to treat, with patients experiencing progressive symptoms that can negatively impact their quality of life. In this excerpt of the transcript from their nursing continuing professional development (NCPD)-approved activity, Nursing Management of Myelofibrosis: Controlling Symptoms and Optimizing Patient Quality of Life, Alice Lynn, ANP, an...

Myeloproliferative neoplasms, including myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and essential thrombocytopenia, affect approximately 13,000, 134,000, and 148,000 individuals in the United States, respectively. Due to difficulties in identifying the disease, low disease prevalence, a complicated symptom profile, differences in patient and provider perspectives regarding symptom burden and treatment goals, and a lack of effective and tolerable therapies, there is confusion over the optimal approach to t...

With the opioid crisis claiming so many lives, physicians need to be especially careful prescribing these drugs. However, for many patients with cancer who are in a lot of pain, opioids can be a necessary part of treatment. So how can physicians determine predictors and frequency of opioid abuse in this population? A study now published in JAMA Oncology found that marital status, higher levels of pain, high scores on the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP), and morphine...

The FDA has approved pralsetinib (GAVRETOTM, Blueprint Medicines Corporation) for adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) that requires systemic therapy and for patients with RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy and whose disease is refractory to radioactive iodine therapy. The approval was based on ARROW (NCT03037385), an open label, multi-cohort phase 1/2 clinical trial led by f...

Patients who undergo baseline lung cancer screening are less likely to adhere to screening recommendations compared with the screening rates of patients who participate in randomized clinical trials, according to a meta-analysis now published in JAMA Network Open. Undergoing regular cancer screening has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer mortality. Data from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey found that approximately 70% of eligible women underwent breast cancer screening within the ...

Measurable residual disease correlates with disease-free survival and overall survival data for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to results of a meta-analysis published today in JAMA Oncology. This finding supports the continued use of measurable residual disease as a surrogate end point in clinical trials. The investigators, led by first author Nicholas Short, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Leukemia at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houst...

The FDA has now granted full approval to venetoclax (Venclexta®, AbbVie Inc. and Genentech Inc.) in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) for patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are at least 75 years of age or who have comorbidities that prevent them from receiving intensive induction chemotherapy. Previously, this venetoclax combination therapy was granted accelerated approval in 2018 for use in this same patient population. The ...

While radiation therapy is an effective treatment for patients with early-stage favorable Hodgkin lymphoma, it also poses a risk of long-term toxicity to the surrounding organs and tissue. In a study recently published in JAMA Network Open, a team of researchers led by first author Chelsea Pinnix, MD, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center, found that combined modality therapy consisting of ABVD (doxorubicin/bleomycin/vinblastine/dacarbazine) and contemporary radiation therapy (RT) demonstrated effic...

According to the results of a new study, combined modality therapy consisting of ABVD (doxorubicin/bleomycin/vinblastine/dacarbazine) followed by contemporary radiation therapy (RT) was effective and safe in patients with early-stage favorable Hodgkin lymphoma, with low radiation doses delivered to at-risk organs. "While maximal efficacy is demonstrated with combined modality therapy, RT is often omitted in fear of late adverse effects," write the investigators, led by first author Chelsea C. Pi...

The FDA has granted accelerated approval to pralsetinib (GavretoTM, Blueprint Medicines Corporation), an oral selective RET kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with metastatic RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as detected by the OncomineTM Dx Target (ODxT) Test (Life Technologies Corporation), which has also been approved as a companion diagnostic. RET alterations are implicated in 1% to 2% of NSCLC cases, as well as in a number of other cancer types. The pralsetin...

According to a recent study, led by Vivek Subbiah, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, dabrafenib in combination with trametinib is an effective treatment option for patients with BRAFV600E -mutated biliary tract cancer (BTC). In an interview with i3 Health, Dr. Subbiah shares insights on the significance of these study results and unmet needs and future treatment in this patient population. What are the most challenging aspects of treating patients with BRAFV600E -mutated ...

For patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma (MM), a new treatment has just been recently FDA approved: belantamab mafodotin-blmf (BLENREP®, GlaxoSmithKline). In an interview with i3 Health, Hans C. Lee, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, speaks about the significance of this approval and what the future may look like on treating these patients. What are the most challenging aspects of treating patients with R/R MM? Hans C. Lee, MD: While there have been...

Patients with cancer are at substantially increased risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and resulting pulmonary embolism. Together, these two forms of venous thromboembolism constitute the second leading cause of death for patients with known malignancies. The standard of care for DVT is anticoagulation, yet many patients with cancer and DVT are unable to receive anticoagulation because of the bleeding risk that it poses. In a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a team of investi...

Many older patients with breast cancer have significant comorbidities, increasing the challenges of treatment. These challenges are compounded by the fact that elderly patients with multiple comorbidities are frequently excluded from participating in clinical trials, resulting in a lack of treatment data for this population. Nina Tamirisa, MD, and colleagues recently published a study in JAMA Oncology reporting that in older patients with multiple comorbidities and estrogen receptor–positive, no...

Intravenous administration of chemotherapy is the conventional method of delivery. However, several issues arise with this method, including insufficient drug penetration into the tumor tissue. Intratumoral injections of immunotherapies directly into the tumor have been a possible solution to this problem, and, according to a recent study, results of which are published in JAMA Network Open, this technique has been found to be a viable option for a variety of histological conditions and target o...

The FDA has now granted accelerated approval to brexucabtagene autoleucel (TecartusTM, Kite Pharma, formerly known as KTE-X19) for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Brexucabtagene autoleucel, a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, is the first CAR T-cell therapy approved for this rare type of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Efficacy was evaluated in the multicenter, open-label phase 2 ZUMA-2 trial (NCT02601313), which enrolled 7...

A new study finds that for patients with cancer and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), placement of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter reduces the risk of pulmonary embolism. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) poses a substantial problem for patients with cancer: it occurs four to seven times more frequently in this population, and it is the second overall leading cause of death for patients with known malignancies. Pulmonary embolism is a potentially deadly condition that can develop as a result of VTE, and...

In older patients with multiple comorbidities and estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, node-positive breast cancer, chemotherapy improves survival, according to a study published today in JAMA Oncology. "Breast cancer risk and the incidence of comorbidities increase with age. Treatment of elderly patients with significant comorbidities is challenging," write the investigators, led by first author Nina Tamirisa, MD, Assistant Professor of Breast Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderso...