Publications by authors named "Issa G"

In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with TP53 aberrations, dissecting the interaction amongst patient, disease and treatment factors are important for therapeutic decisions and prognostication. This retrospective analysis included patients with newly diagnosed MDS (>5% blasts) and AML with TP53 mutation(s) treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center. We factored patient age, TP53 aberration burden, therapy intensity and use of venetoclax in the AML subgroup, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to interrogate outcomes.

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The prognostic impact of measurable residual disease (MRD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is unequivocal; however, the optimal timepoint for achieving undetectable MRD is unclear. We retrospectively studied patients with newly diagnosed (ND) AML who achieved remission with frontline intensive chemotherapy and had MRD assessed by flow cytometry after induction (TP1) and after cycles 2 or 3 (TP2). Cases were grouped into MRD Neg/Neg, Pos/Neg or Pos/Pos at TP1 and TP2, respectively.

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Acute arterial hypertension within the critical care context may necessitate the administration of intravenous antihypertensive agents. Nicardipine and urapidil are notable for their application in intensive care units. Nonetheless, dihydropyridine calcium channel inhibitors (DCCIs) such as nicardipine are implicated in the impairment of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, potentially disrupting oxygenation.

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Cladribine-based combination chemotherapy has demonstrated promising efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML), prompting its increased utilization in the frontline; in pediatrics, it has been typically reserved for relapsed or refractory cases. While fludarabine has been used more commonly as a purine analog in intensive regimens, cladribine may be an important alternative. We performed a retrospective study at MD Anderson Cancer Center from January 2015 to July 2023, which included patients aged 1-21 years with refractory or relapsed AML who received cladribine outside of a transplant conditioning.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effects of discontinuing ponatinib, a third-generation TKI, in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP), focusing on treatment-free remission outcomes.
  • Researchers reviewed data from 361 patients who attempted stopping TKIs and identified 11 who discontinued ponatinib specifically, with a median follow-up of 60.3 months.
  • Results showed that around 53% of patients maintained a state of no relapse (MRFS) for 60 months after stopping ponatinib, particularly those who had sustained MR4.5 for over 2 years before discontinuation.
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Background: All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) combinations have produced excellent outcomes in patients with standard-risk acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Herein, the authors update their long-term results with the regimen of ATO-ATRA and gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) in standard-risk and high-risk APL.

Methods: This was a phase 2 trial of patients with newly diagnosed APL.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study, called KOMET-001, was conducted in multiple countries and involved dose-escalation and validation phases, with patients in specific molecular subtypes receiving varying doses of ziftomenib over 28-day cycles.
  • * Results indicated that 83 patients were treated with ziftomenib from September 2019 to August 2022, and the findings are crucial for determining the drug's safety and effectiveness for future phases of clinical testing.
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Optimal frontline use of active agents in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) is prudent to improve outcomes. We report the long-term follow-up of the phase 2 trial of HyperCVAD with nelarabine and pegylated asparaginase (Original cohort). In the latest protocol iteration venetoclax was added to the induction/consolidation regimen (Venetoclax cohort).

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Background: Advanced phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive myeloid disease-consisting of chronic myeloid leukaemia in the myeloid blast phase and in the accelerated phase, and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute myeloid leukaemia-is associated with poor outcomes. Although previous studies have suggested the benefit of chemotherapy and BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor combinations, the optimal regimen is uncertain and prospective studies for this rare group of diseases are scant. Preclinical and retrospective clinical data suggest possible synergy between the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax and BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

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Article Synopsis
  • Advances in understanding the molecular pathobiology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have led to the development of twelve new targeted therapies approved since 2017, including various inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates.
  • These therapies, such as venetoclax and FLT3 inhibitors, aim to treat specific AML subsets and improve patient outcomes through precision medicine.
  • Successful treatment of AML requires specialized expertise, access to diverse therapies, and a strong supportive care system, alongside ongoing research into new treatment options and combinations.
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Twenty adults with newly diagnosed (ND) or relapsed/refractory (RR) Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), or chronic myeloid leukemia in lymphoid blast phase (CML-LBP), were treated with mini-hyperCVD, ponatinib, and blinatumomab. Complete molecular response was achieved in 78% of ND patients, while CR/CRi was achieved in 100% of RR and CML-LBP. The 3-year overall survival rate was 76% (95% CI, 47%-90%).

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Article Synopsis
  • Aberrant expression of HOX and MEIS1 family genes in certain leukemias disrupts normal blood cell differentiation and contributes to leukemia development.
  • Menin inhibitors can target the interaction between KMT2A and menin, reducing the abnormal expression of key factors and promoting differentiation in these leukemias.
  • A collaborative effort among pediatric and adult specialists aims to advance menin inhibitors in treatment, offering a comprehensive overview of clinical trials and advocating for inclusive trial designs for youth.
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Myelodysplastic syndrome, or myelodysplastic neoplasms, are a rare finding in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) patients. More literature is needed to highlight trends of survival or treatment resistance in subpopulations to improve treatment. Here we report a single center retrospective analysis of pediatric and AYA patients from 2000 to 2022 including molecular and cytogenetic data.

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Patients with leukemia experience profound immunosuppression both from their underlying disease as well as chemotherapeutic treatment. Little is known about the prevalence and clinical presentation of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in this patient population. We identified six cases of NTM infection from 29,743 leukemia patients who had acid-fast bacilli (AFB) cultures.

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Purpose: Revumenib, an oral, small molecule inhibitor of the menin-lysine methyltransferase 2A (KMT2A) interaction, showed promising efficacy and safety in a phase I study of heavily pretreated patients with -rearranged () acute leukemia. Here, we evaluated the activity of revumenib in individuals with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute leukemia.

Methods: AUGMENT-101 is a phase I/II, open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study of revumenib conducted across 22 clinical sites in five countries (ClinicalTrials.

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JCO In this analysis, we update our experience with the chemotherapy-free regimen of blinatumomab and ponatinib in 60 patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive ALL. At a median follow-up of 24 months, the complete molecular response rate by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was 83% (67% at the end of course one), and the rate of measurable residual disease negativity by next-generation clono-sequencing was 98% (45% at the end of course one). Only two patients underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

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Article Synopsis
  • Cytogenomic characterization is essential for diagnosing and treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and this study evaluated the effectiveness of optical genome mapping (OGM) among 159 AML patients.
  • OGM demonstrated over 99% sensitivity in detecting clinically relevant cytogenetic abnormalities, and it revealed additional genetic alterations in nearly half of the patients studied, including new fusion genes and chromosomal rearrangements.
  • The findings suggest that OGM could significantly improve AML classification and risk assessment, influencing treatment decisions and trial eligibility, especially by identifying diagnostic information that traditional methods may miss.
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An increasing number of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapeutics have been developed, not as cytotoxic therapies, but rather as targeted agents able to restore the aberrant and leukemogenic "block" in normal differentiation. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) are classic examples of differentiating agents for treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL); newer therapies functioning through differentiation include isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 and 2 inhibitors, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitors, and menin inhibitors. The terminal differentiation of leukemic blasts via differentiating agent therapy can lead to a constellation of signs and symptoms, originally referred to as "retinoic acid syndrome" and now termed "differentiation syndrome" (DS), characterized predominantly by systemic inflammatory response system (SIRS)-like features of dyspnea, pulmonary infiltrates, pleural and pericardial effusions, unexplained fevers, hypotension, edema, and renal insufficiency.

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Introduction: NPM1-mutated (NPM1) myeloid neoplasms (MNs) with <20% bone marrow (BM) blasts (NPM1 MNs<20) are uncommon, and their classification remains inconsistent.

Methods: The clinicopathologic features of 54 patients with NPM1 MNs <20 were evaluated and compared with wild-type NPM1 MNs <20 and NPM1 MNs≥20, respectively.

Results: NPM1 MNs had similar features regardless of blast percentage, except for higher IDH2 (29% vs 7%, p = .

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study included 201 patients receiving asciminib and 204 receiving investigator-selected TKIs, with results showing a higher major molecular response at week 48 for asciminib (67.7%) versus TKIs (49.0%), highlighting its potential advantages.
  • * Asciminib also outperformed imatinib specifically, achieving a major molecular response in 69.3% of patients, compared to 40.2% with imatinib, suggesting it may be
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Background: An inflammatory bone marrow microenvironment contributes to acquired bone marrow failure syndromes. CK0801, an allogeneic T regulatory (Treg) cell therapy product, can potentially interrupt this continuous loop of inflammation and restore hematopoiesis.

Methods: In this phase 1 dose-escalation study of CK0801 Treg cells, we enrolled patients with bone marrow failure syndromes with suboptimal response to their prior therapy to determine the safety and efficacy of this treatment for bone marrow failure syndromes.

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Background: Ponatinib is a third-generation BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with robust activity in Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemias. Herein, we report the long-term follow-up of the phase 2 trial of ponatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.

Methods: Patients received ponatinib 30 to 45 mg/day.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Out of 55 patients, only 16% achieved a significant positive response to treatment, with a median survival of just 14 months and a 5-year survival rate of 19%, varying by disease phase.
  • * The findings suggest that despite available treatments, the prognosis for these patients is poor; future strategies might include third-generation therapies and allogeneic stem cell transplantation to improve outcomes.
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