Determinants of Outcomes for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Treated in a Community-Based Specialized Versus Non-Specialized Hospital Setting.

The treatment setting influences acute myeloid leukemia (AML) outcomes. Most cancer patients receive care in the community, yet few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of clinical programs outside of academic or National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers. This was a multi-level, case-controlled study of real-world outcomes for initial AML treatment in a community-based network for 1,391 patients with AML between 2011 and 2018.

CAR-T cell therapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma and access in Turkey.

The past decade has seen the development of immunotherapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), beginning with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in the relapsed and refractory setting and culminating in the market approval of chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) and bispecific antibodies (BsAbs). The medical community is evaluating the efficacy and safety of these targeted immunotherapies, most of which currently target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) on the surface of plasma cells. Two anti-BCMA CAR-T products are available for treating relapsed or refractory MM: idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel).

-class transition from bortezomib-based therapy to IRd is an effective approach in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

To compare the effectiveness of -class transition to all-oral ixazomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (IRd) following parenteral bortezomib (V)-based induction versus continued V-based therapy in US oncology clinics. Non-transplant eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) receiving transition to IRd (N = 100; US MM-6), or V-based therapy (N = 111; INSIGHT MM). Following inverse probability of treatment weighting, overall response rate was 73.

In-class transition (iCT) of proteasome inhibitor-based therapy: a community approach to multiple myeloma management.

Long-term proteasome inhibitor (PI) treatment can improve multiple myeloma (MM) outcomes, but this can be difficult to achieve in clinical practice due to toxicity, comorbidities, and the burden of repeated parenteral administration. US MM-6 (NCT03173092) enrolled transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed MM to receive all-oral ixazomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (IRd; ≤39 cycles or until progression or toxicity) following three cycles of bortezomib-based induction. Primary endpoint: 2-year progression-free survival (PFS).

Tolerability and Efficacy of the Anticluster of Differentiation 47 Antibody Magrolimab Combined With Azacitidine in Patients With Previously Untreated AML: Phase Ib Results.

Purpose: Magrolimab is a first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody against cluster of differentiation 47, an antiphagocytic signal used by cancer cells to evade phagocytosis. Azacitidine upregulates prophagocytic signals on AML cells, further increasing phagocytosis when combined with magrolimab. We report final phase Ib data for magrolimab with azacitidine in patients with untreated AML ineligible for intensive chemotherapy (ClinicalTrials.

Magrolimab in Combination With Azacitidine in Patients With Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Final Results of a Phase Ib Study.

Purpose: Magrolimab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks cluster of differentiation 47, a don't-eat-me signal overexpressed on cancer cells. Cluster of differentiation 47 blockade by magrolimab promotes macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of tumor cells and is synergistic with azacitidine, which increases expression of eat-me signals. We report final phase Ib data in patients with untreated higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) treated with magrolimab and azacitidine (ClinicalTrials.

Lenalidomide and Eltrombopag for Treatment of Low- or Intermediate-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Result of a Phase II Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Thrombocytopenia is a serious complication of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with an increased bleeding risk and worse prognosis. Eltrombopag (ELT), a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, can increase platelet counts and reverse anti-megakaryopoietic effects of lenalidomide (LEN) in preclinical studies. We hypothesized ELT would reduce the incidence of thrombocytopenia in MDS.

Pevonedistat plus azacitidine vs azacitidine alone in higher-risk MDS/chronic myelomonocytic leukemia or low-blast-percentage AML.

PANTHER is a global, randomized phase 3 trial of pevonedistat+azacitidine (n = 227) vs azacitidine monotherapy (n = 227) in patients with newly diagnosed higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS; n = 324), higher-risk chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (n = 27), or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 20% to 30% blasts (n = 103). The primary end point was event-free survival (EFS). In the intent-to-treat population, the median EFS was 17.

A Primer on Chimera Associated Receptor T-Cells.

Cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death. Although survival rates have improved with current treatments for hematological malignancies, relapsed and refractory cases have poor prognosis. Immunotherapy against cancer cells offer new hope for curative response in these patients.

Infection risks in multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials from 2015 to 2019.

Background: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) remain at an increased risk of infection due to the disease process, as well as the ensuing treatments.

Methods: We performed a systematic review to evaluate the monthly risk of grade III/IV infection, pneumonia, and neutropenia in patients with myeloma enrolled in randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Results: The risk of grade III or higher infection, pneumonia, and neutropenia persists among all phases of treatment.

Open-Label Phase II Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study of Romyelocel-L Myeloid Progenitor Cells to Reduce Infection During Induction Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Purpose: Standard cytotoxic induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) results in prolonged neutropenia and risk of infection. Romyelocel-L is a universal, allogeneic myeloid progenitor cell product being studied to reduce infection during induction chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: One hundred sixty-three patients with de novo AML (age ≥ 55 years) receiving induction chemotherapy were randomly assigned on day 0 (d0), of whom 120 were evaluable.

Ublituximab plus ibrutinib versus ibrutinib alone for patients with relapsed or refractory high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (GENUINE): a phase 3, multicentre, open-label, randomised trial.

Background: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and high-risk features have poorer outcomes on ibrutinib than those without high-risk features. The aim of this study was to assess the benefit of adding ublituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, to ibrutinib therapy in this population.

Methods: We did a randomised, phase 3, multicentre study (GENUINE) of patients aged 18 years or older with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia with at least one of 17p deletion, 11q deletion, or TP53 mutation, at 119 clinics in the USA and Israel.

Renal insufficiency in multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized trials from 2005-2019.

Clinical trials may be inconsistent in their enrollment and reporting of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who have renal insufficiency (RI). We performed a systematic review of all MM randomized clinical trials (RCT) from 2005-2019 to evaluate reporting of prevalence, eligibility criteria and outcomes of patients with RI and MM. One-hundred and twenty-three RCTs were included.

pH-Sensitive Nanodrug Carriers for Codelivery of ERK Inhibitor and Gemcitabine Enhance the Inhibition of Tumor Growth in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a metabolic disorder, remains one of the leading cancer mortality sources worldwide. An initial response to treatments, such as gemcitabine (GEM), is often followed by emergent resistance reflecting an urgent need for alternate therapies. The PDAC resistance to GEM could be due to ERK1/2 activity.

Feasibility of Long-term Proteasome Inhibition in Multiple Myeloma by in-class Transition From Bortezomib to Ixazomib.

Background: The ongoing US MM-6 study is investigating in-class transition (iCT) from parenteral bortezomib-based induction to all-oral IRd (ixazomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone) with the aim of increasing proteasome inhibitor (PI)-based treatment adherence and duration while maintaining patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and improving outcomes.

Patients And Methods: US community sites are enrolling non-transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) with no evidence of progressive disease after 3 cycles of bortezomib-based therapy to receive IRd (up to 39 cycles or until progression or toxicity). The patients use mobile or wearable digital devices to collect actigraphy (activity and sleep) data and electronically complete HRQoL, treatment satisfaction and medication adherence questionnaires.

CYR61/CCN1 Regulates dCK and CTGF and Causes Gemcitabine-resistant Phenotype in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) develops extrinsic- and intrinsic-resistant phenotypes to prevent chemotherapies from entering into the cells by promoting desmoplastic reactions (DR) and metabolic malfunctions of the drugs. It is well established that these responses are also associated with pancreatic cancer cells' gemcitabine resistance. However, the mechanism by which these resistant pathways function in the pancreatic cancer cells remains poorly understood.

Positivity Rates in Oropharyngeal and Nonoropharyngeal Head and Neck Cancer in the VA.

The rates of human papillomavirus positivity of the p16 biomarker in veterans were similar to those of patients with oropharyngeal head and neck tumors in the general population, but differed from general population patients with nonoropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Comparison of Bone Marrow Biopsy Specimens Obtained Using a Motorized Device and Manual Biopsy Systems.

Objective: Bone marrow biopsy is an essential component in the diagnosis of hematopoietic disorders. Researchers evaluated the quality of bone marrow biopsy tissue acquired with a motorized bone marrow biopsy device versus a standard manual device based on the following criteria: biopsy length, percentage of aspiration artifact/intrastromal hemorrhage, length of nonhematopoietic bone, and overall quality of the sample.

Methods: Bone marrow biopsies (motorized, = 30; manual, = 120) from two academic medical centers were evaluated by two board-certified hematopathologists.

CC-486 (oral azacitidine) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes with pretreatment thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia is among the strongest predictors of decreased survival for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) across all prognostic risk groups. The safety and efficacy of CC-486 (oral azacitidine) was investigated in early-phase studies; we assessed clinical outcomes among subgroups of MDS patients from these studies, defined by presence or lack of pretreatment thrombocytopenia (≤75 × 10/L platelet count). Patients received CC-486 300 mg once-daily for 14 or 21 days of repeated 28-day cycles.

The MAZ transcription factor is a downstream target of the oncoprotein Cyr61/CCN1 and promotes pancreatic cancer cell invasion via CRAF-ERK signaling.

Myc-associated zinc-finger protein (MAZ) is a transcription factor with dual roles in transcription initiation and termination. Deregulation of MAZ expression is associated with the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the mechanism of action of MAZ in PDAC progression is largely unknown.