Publications by authors named "Andrew Wei"

BMT CTN 1506 ("MORPHO"; NCT02997202) was a randomized phase 3 study of gilteritinib compared to placebo as maintenance therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A key secondary endpoint was to determine the impact on survival of pre- and/or post-HCT measurable residual disease (MRD), as determined using a highly sensitive assay for FLT3-ITD mutations. Generally, gilteritinib maintenance therapy was associated with improved relapse-free survival (RFS) for participants with detectable peri-HCT MRD, whereas no benefit was evident for those lacking detectable MRD.

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Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) arising from a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) is more aggressive and less responsive to therapies compared to de novo AML. Olutasidenib, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of mutated IDH1 (mIDH1), showed encouraging and durable responses in a phase 1/2 study of adults with post-MPN mIDH1 AML. Patients received olutasidenib 150 mg BID monotherapy or in combination with azacitidine.

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Endothelial cells are integral components of all vasculature within complex organisms. As they line the blood vessel wall, endothelial cells are constantly exposed to a variety of molecular factors and shear force that can induce cellular damage and stress. However, how endothelial cells are removed or eliminate unwanted cellular contents, remains unclear.

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  • The WHO and International Consensus Classification 2022 aim to improve diagnosis and treatment decisions for myelodysplastic syndromes, but disparities in their implementation exist.
  • A panel of experts used a data-driven method and the Delphi consensus process to align the two classifications, focusing on genomic features to create harmonized labels for distinct clusters.
  • Key findings identified nine genomic clusters, with the most significant linked to biallelic TP53 inactivation, and highlighted the inadequacy of traditional morphological assessments in capturing the complexity of these diseases.
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  • Myelodysplastic neoplasms/syndromes (MDS) are a diverse set of diseases marked by ineffective blood cell production.
  • Recent classification systems by the World Health Organization and the International Consensus have provided more detailed categorizations of MDS based on morphology and genetics.
  • A comprehensive and systematic approach is essential for the accurate diagnosis and classification of MDS, as outlined by the International Consortium for MDS (icMDS).
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  • Despite its benefits, the azacitidine-venetoclax combination (AZA-VEN) can also cause severe myelosuppression and a heightened risk of infections compared to azacitidine alone.
  • Effective management strategies include prevention of tumor lysis syndrome, minimizing infection risks, ensuring adequate recovery time between treatment cycles, and adjusting treatment duration based on blood count recovery to optimize patient care.
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Pretransplant detection of KMT2Ar measurable residual disease ≥0.001% by quantitative polymerase chain reaction was associated with significantly inferior posttransplant survival (2-year relapse-free survival 17% vs 59%; P = .001) and increased 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse (75% vs 25%, P = .

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  • The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) previously created genetic risk classifications using data from younger adults who underwent intensive chemotherapy.
  • New research has emerged analyzing patients who receive less-intensive therapies, highlighting the need for tailored classifications.
  • This has led to a proposal for a new ELN genetic risk classification specifically designed for patients undergoing these alternative treatment options.
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  • The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) classification systems for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are based on chemotherapy responses and may not effectively predict outcomes for older patients receiving venetoclax-azacitidine.
  • A pooled analysis from the phase 3 VIALE-A trial revealed that most patients were classified with adverse-risk AML, yet these classifications did not correlate well with survival outcomes for those treated with venetoclax-azacitidine.
  • New molecular signatures based on mutations in TP53, FLT3-ITD, NRAS, and KRAS identified three distinct patient benefit groups, each with significantly different median overall survival times.
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TP53-mutant blood cancers remain a clinical challenge. BH3-mimetic drugs inhibit BCL-2 pro-survival proteins, inducing cancer cell apoptosis. Despite acting downstream of p53, functional p53 is required for maximal cancer cell killing by BH3-mimetics through an unknown mechanism.

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Olutasidenib, a potent, selective, oral, mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (mIDH1) inhibitor, is FDA-approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here we report efficacy and safety of olutasidenib in 18 patients with m AML who were relapsed (10), refractory (6) or had complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi; 2) to a venetoclax combination. Of the 16 patients who were R/R, 4 (25%) achieved complete remission (CR), one (6.

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  • There is a growing interest in using historical patient data as synthetic controls for evaluating new drugs, but real-world outcomes often don't match those from clinical trials due to a lack of detailed cancer treatment data.
  • The Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group's National Blood Cancer Registry (ALLG NBCR) provides comprehensive information on various factors influencing treatment outcomes, allowing for a comparison of 942 AML patients to clinical trial data for five specific drugs.
  • The analysis reveals significant differences in treatment approaches and outcomes between real-world patients and clinical trial participants, indicating that while some results may align, discrepancies must be considered for accurately assessing the effectiveness of new therapies across different populations.
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Purpose: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) improves outcomes for patients with AML harboring an internal tandem duplication mutation of () AML. These patients are routinely treated with a FLT3 inhibitor after HCT, but there is limited evidence to support this. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized trial of post-HCT maintenance with the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib (ClinicalTrials.

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  • A phase II study investigated the combined treatment of venetoclax and low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) experiencing first measurable residual disease (MRD) or oligoblastic relapse.
  • The study enrolled 48 adults, primarily older patients with a history of intensive chemotherapy, and assessed their response to the treatment over several cycles, with notable differences in side effects based on relapse type.
  • Results showed that the combination was not only well tolerated but also led to significant remission rates, with many patients achieving either MRD negativity or complete remission, indicating the treatment's potential effectiveness.
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Introduction: Azacitidine (AZA) is an approved frontline therapy for higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (HR-MDS); however, poor survival denotes unmet needs to increase depth/duration of response (DOR).

Methods: This retrospective study with patient chart review evaluated AZA effectiveness in 382 treatment-naive patients with HR-MDS from a US electronic health record (EHR)-derived database. Responses were assessed using International Working Group (IWG) 2006 criteria; real-world equivalents were derived from EHRs.

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Molecular failure in NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) inevitably progresses to frank relapse if untreated. Recently published small case series show that venetoclax combined with low-dose cytarabine or azacitidine can reduce or eliminate measurable residual disease (MRD). Here, we report on an international multicenter cohort of 79 patients treated for molecular failure with venetoclax combinations and report an overall molecular response (≥1-log reduction in MRD) in 66 patients (84%) and MRD negativity in 56 (71%).

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The safety and efficacy of sabatolimab, a novel immunotherapy targeting T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3 (TIM-3), was assessed in combination with hypomethylating agents (HMAs) in patients with HMA-naive revised International Prognostic System Score (IPSS-R) high- or very high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (HR/vHR-MDS) or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Sabatolimab + HMA had a safety profile similar to that reported for HMA alone and demonstrated durable clinical responses in patients with HR/vHR-MDS. These results support the ongoing evaluation of sabatolimab-based combination therapy in MDS, CMML, and acute myeloid leukemia.

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In the phase 3 QUAZAR AML-001 trial (NCT01757535) of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in remission following intensive chemotherapy (IC) and ineligible for haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), oral azacitidine (Oral-AZA) maintenance significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) versus placebo. The impact of subsequent treatment following maintenance has not been evaluated. In this post hoc analysis, OS was estimated for patients who received subsequent AML therapy, and by regimen received (IC or lower-intensity therapy).

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  • The study investigated the effectiveness and optimal dosage of cusatuzumab, an anti-CD70 antibody, combined with azacitidine for treating acute myeloid leukaemia in patients not eligible for intensive chemotherapy.
  • Conducted across 40 hospitals in seven countries, the randomized trial assigned 103 adult patients to receive either 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg doses of cusatuzumab alongside azacitidine in 28-day cycles, aiming to evaluate complete remission rates.
  • Although 55% of patients experienced significant treatment results, the study was halted after part one due to changes in the treatment landscape that made continuing with further phases impractical.
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  • - The International Consortium for MDS has updated guidelines on classification, prognostication, and response assessment for myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (MDS), focusing on recent changes in the WHO and ICC classifications.
  • - The report compares traditional risk assessment tools with newer molecular approaches, addressing the limitations of existing criteria in measuring treatment effectiveness.
  • - Emphasizing patient-centered care, the review highlights the importance of quality-of-life assessments and presents how the latest IWG response criteria improve the evaluation of therapeutic outcomes.
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With the availability of effective targeted agents, significant changes have occurred in the management of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over the past several years, particularly for those considered unfit for intensive chemotherapy. While testing for measurable residual disease (MRD) is now routinely performed in patients treated with intensive chemotherapy to refine prognosis and, possibly, inform treatment decision-making, its value in the context of lower-intensity regimens is unclear. As such regimens have gained in popularity and can be associated with higher response rates, the need to better define the role of MRD assessment and the appropriate time points and assays used for this purpose has increased.

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High-dose cytarabine (HDAC) is conventionally delivered on days 1, 3 and 5 (HDAC-135) as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) post-remission therapy. Limited data is available on alternative HDAC schedules such as HDAC-123 (given consecutively for 3 days). We retrospectively compared the tolerability and efficacy of HDAC-135 and HDAC-123 delivered in sequential cohorts of adult AML patients.

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