Pre-emptive therapeutic decisions based on measurable residual disease status in acute myeloid leukemia: ready for prime time?

The use of measurable residual disease (MRD) as a biomarker for prognostication, risk stratification, and therapeutic decision-making in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is gaining prominence. MRD monitoring for NPM1-mutated and core-binding factor AML using PCR techniques is well-established for assessing disease after intensive chemotherapy. AML with persistent FLT3-ITD MRD post-intensive chemotherapy and pre-allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (pre-allo-HCT) is associated with an increased risk of relapse and lower survival.

Impact of Chemotherapy Educational Videos for Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Patient education in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has become increasingly complex with the introduction of new treatments and chemotherapy regimens. Video education presents an opportunity to supplement traditional patient education and address some of the gaps associated with standard methods. This single-center study sought to assess the potential impact of supplemental video education on patients receiving induction chemotherapy for AML.

Incidence and risk factors for bacterial infection using bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (RVd) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), but the real-world risk using modern induction regimens such as bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (RVd) is not well described. We performed a retrospective single-center cohort study to identify infections and risk factors in patients treated with first-line RVd from January 2014 to January 2020 and collected demographic and clinical data. Of 144 patients treated with RVd for NDMM, 21 patients (14.

Utility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal screening in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Background: Current literature has demonstrated the utility of the MRSA nasal screen as a de-escalation tool to decrease unnecessary anti-MRSA antibiotic therapy. However, data on the applicability of this test in patients with hematologic malignancy is lacking.

Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with or without a history of hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT), with pneumonia and MRSA nasal screening with respiratory cultures obtained.

Incorporating preauthorization into antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist workflow reduces and gastrointestinal panel testing.

Objective: To evaluate whether incorporating mandatory prior authorization for Clostridioides difficile testing into antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist workflow could reduce testing in patients with alternative etiologies for diarrhea.

Design: Single center, quasi-experimental before-and-after study.

Setting: Tertiary-care, academic medical center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Contemporary treatment options for a classical disease: Advanced Hodgkin lymphoma.

Advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a rare lymphoid disease characterized by the presence of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells. Each year, cHL accounts for 0.5% of all new cancer diagnoses and about 80% are diagnosed with advanced stage disease.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Breakthrough Invasive Mold Infections in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Receiving Remission Induction Chemotherapy.

Background: Despite fungal prophylaxis, invasive mold infections (IMIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving remission induction chemotherapy. The choice of antifungal prophylaxis agent remains controversial, especially in the era of novel targeted therapies. We conducted a retrospective case-control study to determine the incidence of fungal infections and to identify risk factors associated with IMI.

Pegasparaginase silent inactivation during therapy for NK/T cell lymphoma.

Natural Killer/T cell (NK/T cell) lymphoma is a rare, yet aggressive T cell lymphoma, which often displays resistance to traditional chemotherapies. Asparagainse (ASNase), through its unique mechanism of action, has become a vital component in the treatment of NK/T cell lymphoma. However, because ASNase is of bacterial origin, antibody formation can render the therapy ineffective, even in the absence of clinical hypersensitivity, which has been coined 'silent inactivation.

Predictors for requiring re-induction chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia patients with residual disease on day 14 bone marrow assessment.

Purpose: Day 14 bone marrow (BM) biopsies following standard induction in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a suboptimal ability to predict complete remission (CR). The decision to administer re-induction chemotherapy with residual disease on day 14 is variable and lacks clear guidance.

Methods: We retrospectively compared clinical and laboratory characteristics of adult patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated AML who underwent 3+7 induction chemotherapy from January 2004 until February 2017.