Publications by authors named "Nada Hamad"

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted people with cancer. Initial vaccine studies excluded patients with malignancy. Immunocompromised individuals remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, necessitating detailed understanding of vaccine response.

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  • Autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation is a common treatment for conditions like multiple myeloma and lymphomas, and it usually involves freezing the stem cells before transplant.* -
  • A recent systematic review of 19 transplant centers that performed non-cryopreserved PBSC transplants showed that the procedure is feasible and safe, with high stem cell viability and low rates of complications.* -
  • The study found that stem cell viability was over 90% for multiple myeloma and over 75% for lymphomas, with quick engraftment times, and only 1% transplant-related mortality within 100 days.*
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  • Cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) frequently occurs after hematopoietic stem cell transplants, leading to significant health issues and a lower quality of life for affected individuals.
  • The condition can present in varied ways, categorized into nonsclerotic and sclerotic types, with specific challenges noted for patients with skin of color.
  • Effective management requires collaboration between transplant specialists and dermatologists, emphasizing the importance of proper diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing skin care for long-term recovery.
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  • Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) is an effective treatment for multiple myeloma, with real-world data collected from 61,725 patients revealing median overall survival of 90.2 months and median progression-free survival of 36.5 months.* -
  • Cumulative relapse incidence and non-relapse mortality rates at 24 months were found to be 33% and 2.5% respectively, with better outcomes linked to factors like younger age, certain disease subtypes, and high performance status.* -
  • Global variations were observed in patient outcomes based on registry data, influenced by differences in patient characteristics, use of maintenance treatments, and macroeconomic factors, highlighting the safety and effectiveness of AH
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In the context of health care, intersectionality refers to a framework that focuses on the ways in which multiple axes of social inequality intersect and compound at the macro and micro levels to produce a broad range of unequal health outcomes. With the aid of tools such as the wheel of power and privilege, this framework can help identify systemic biases hidden in plain sight in the routine diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic paradigms used in clinical practice. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a high-cost, highly specialized complex procedure that exemplifies the impact of intersectional identities and systemic biases in health care systems, clinical research, and clinical practice.

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  • Researchers examined treatment options for primary CNS lymphoma in adult patients, focusing on five chemotherapy regimens that include high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX).
  • Out of 204 patients in the study, a significant majority (93%) received various combinations of HD-MTX and other drugs, with the MPV/Ara-C regimen showing the best results in progression-free and overall survival rates.
  • The study concluded that using tailored treatment strategies can boost recovery rates, especially for older patients not suited for more aggressive therapies.
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Serious infection is common in patients with multiple myeloma due to immune deficiency from the underlying disease and/or its treatment. Immunoglobulin replacement is one approach to reduce infection risk in these patients. However, few real-world data exist on its use in patients with myeloma.

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  • * Both types of HCT are risky and complicated, but global collaboration among medical professionals has established it as a standard treatment for many serious blood-related illnesses, resulting in improved patient outcomes.
  • * Over 1.5 million HCT procedures were performed from 1957 to 2019, and this number continues to rise globally, supported by registries and international medical societies.
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Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD) is a life-threatening complication which can develop after haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and some antibody-drug conjugates. Several SOS/VOD diagnostic and management guidelines exist, with the most recent and refined being the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation adult and paediatric guidelines. Timely diagnosis and effective management (including the availability of therapeutic options) significantly contribute to improved patient outcomes.

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Background: Listening to patient voices is critical, in terms of how people experience their condition as well as their treatment preferences. This research explored the patient journey, therapy attributes and goals among treatment experienced adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We sought to understand patient experiences, needs and expectations to identify areas for improvement of treatment and care delivery.

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Population-based studies have demonstrated a high risk of second cancers, especially of the skin, among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). We describe age-standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) of second primary malignancies (SPM) in Australian patients with relapsed/refractory CLL treated with at least two lines of therapy, including ibrutinib. From December 2014 to November 2017, 156 patients were identified from 13 sites enrolled in the Australasian Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry, and 111 had follow-up data on rates of SPM.

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  • Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common type of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, making up about one-third of all NHL cases, and is considered incurable despite advancements in treatment over the past decade.
  • Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) might be curative for some patients, while chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) shows promising response rates in relapsed/refractory cases, but more research is needed for definitive conclusions on its curative potential.
  • The American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) developed 15 consensus statements to provide guidance on the use of HCT and cellular therapies in managing FL,
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  • - The study analyzed how different types of donors affect outcomes of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with myelofibrosis, finding that the use of haploidentical donors rose significantly from 3% in 2013 to 19% in 2019.
  • - Among 1,032 patients with chronic-phase myelofibrosis, matched sibling donor HCTs showed better overall survival in the first three months compared to haploidentical and matched unrelated donor HCTs, with notably lower rates of graft failure.
  • - While matched sibling donors had superior early outcomes, there were no significant differences in long-term survival or disease-free survival among the different donor types, suggesting hap
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Marginal zone lymphomas (MZLs) are a rare, indolent group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas with different diagnostic, genetic and clinical features and therapeutic implications. The most common is extranodal MZL of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, followed by splenic MZL and nodal MZL. Patients with MZL generally have good outcomes with long survival rates but frequently have a relapsing/remitting course requiring several lines of therapy.

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Promoting access to and excellence in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) by collecting and disseminating data on global HCT activities is one of the principal activities of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, a non-governmental organization in working relations with the World Health Organization. HCT activities are recorded annually by member societies, national registries and individual centers including indication, donor type (allogeneic/autologous), donor match and stem cell source (bone marrow/peripheral blood stem cells/cord blood). In 2018, 1,768 HCT teams in 89 countries (6 World Health Organization regions) reported 93,105 (48,680 autologous and 44,425 allogeneic) HCT.

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Polatuzumab vedotin (Pola) is an approved therapy in combination with rituximab and bendamustine for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (RR-DLBCL) based on positive results of the landmark phase II randomised G029365 trial. However, trial results for many approved novel therapies in RR-DLBCL have not been replicated in routine care cohorts, as RR-DLBCL patient populations are heterogeneous and trial eligibility is increasingly restrictive. We evaluated outcomes from pola ± bendamustine and rituximab in patients with RR-DLBCL enrolled in a compassionate access program with no alternative treatment options identified via the Australasian Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry according to their eligibility for the original phase II published study.

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  • The paper discusses the importance of addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in healthcare guidelines to ensure high-quality care during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on biological and social determinants of health (BSDH).
  • A review of 115 peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials revealed that BSDH characteristics were often poorly reported, with geographical location being the only consistently reported factor.
  • The study concludes that improving the consideration of EDI issues is essential for developing effective healthcare guidelines that meet diverse community needs.
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Purpose: Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare cancer, and large international cooperative efforts are needed to evaluate the significance of clinical risk factors and immunoarchitectural patterns (IAPs) for all stages of pediatric and adult patients with NLPHL.

Methods: Thirty-eight institutions participated in the Global nLPHL One Working Group retrospective study of NLPHL cases from 1992 to 2021. We measured progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), transformation rate, and lymphoma-specific death rate.

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Infection and lymphopenia are established bendamustine-related complications. The relationship between lymphopenia severity and infection risk, and the role of antimicrobial prophylaxis, is not well described. This multicentre retrospective study analysed infection characteristics and antimicrobial prophylaxis in 302 bendamustine-treated indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

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As hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapy expand to new indications and international access improves, the volume of HCT performed annually continues to rise. Parallel improvements in HCT techniques and supportive care entails more patients surviving long-term, creating further emphasis on survivorship needs. Survivors are at risk for developing late complications secondary to pre-, peri- and post-transplant exposures and other underlying risk-factors.

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As hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular therapy expand to new indications and international access improves, the number of HCTs performed annually continues to rise. Parallel improvements in HCT techniques and supportive care entails more patients surviving long term, creating further emphasis on survivorship needs. Survivors are at risk for developing late complications secondary to pretransplantation, peritransplantation, and post-transplantation exposures and other underlying risk factors.

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  • Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) are effective in treating patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), but there's limited data on those who can't participate in clinical trials.
  • In a study of 44 MCL patients treated with ibrutinib, 41% were ineligible for prior trials due to various reasons, particularly concerning their health status.
  • The findings show that while the median progression-free survival was 13.7 months and overall survival was 15.6 months, those excluded from trials had worse outcomes, indicating a need for broader eligibility criteria in future studies.
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