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Atlanta, GA—Dutch investigators found that rituximab (Rituxan) maintenance in the second-line treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) was cost-effective, as reported at the 2012 American Society of Hematology meeting.
[ Read More ]Atlanta, GA—Ruxolitinib (Jakafi) alleviates symptoms such as fever, headache, weight loss, and fatigue, and reduces spleen size in patients with myelofibrosis. This finding, by the French Intergroup of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (FIM), confirms those from the COMFORT-I and COMFORT-II trials, in which significant reductions in spleen volume were observed with ruxolitinib at weeks 24 and 48.
[ Read More ]Atlanta, GA—Many patients with multiple myeloma succumb to infection before they have a chance to benefit from cancer therapy, according to a new study from Sweden.
More than 20% of patients died of infection within a year of myeloma diagnosis. Patients had heightened susceptibility to bacterial and viral pathogens, reported Cecilie Blimark, MD, a consultant hematologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden, at the 2012 American Society of Hematology meeting.
[ Read More ]Boston, MA—Researchers believe they are closing in on a better way to identify breast cancers that are particularly dangerous and therefore require more aggressive therapy.
High levels of the proliferation marker Ki-67 in axillary lymph node metastases from a primary breast tumor are associated with reduced survival, according to a study presented at the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s 2012 meeting.
[ Read More ]Boston, MA—Researchers believe they are closing in on a better way to identify breast cancers that are particularly dangerous and therefore require more aggressive therapy.
High levels of the proliferation marker Ki-67 in axillary lymph node metastases from a primary breast tumor are associated with reduced survival, according to a study presented at the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s 2012 meeting.
[ Read More ]For the prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), rivaroxaban (Xarelto) appears to be more cost-effective than warfarin (Coumadin), an independent analysis undertaken by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed.
[ Read More ]Atlanta, GA—Support for the oral immunomodulatory agent pomalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma took a giant step forward when new data from the phase 3 MM-003 trial showed a survival advantage in patients with advanced disease.
The data were reported at the 2012 American Society of Hematology meeting by Meletios Dimopoulos, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Clinical Therapeutics at Alexandra Hospital in Athens, Greece.
[ Read More ]Atlanta, GA—Promising preliminary results for oprozomib (ONX 0912), an orally available structural analogue of carfilzomib (Kyprolis), were presented at the 2012 American Society of Hematology meeting. Oprozomib is being studied in hematologic malignancies, primarily in patients with multiple myeloma, and in solid tumors.
Phase 1b Trial in Hematologic Malignancies
Atlanta, GA—MLN9708, an investigational oral proteasome inhibitor, produced impressive results in a phase 1/2 clinical trial of treatment-naïve patients with multiple myeloma that was featured in a press briefing at the 2012 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting.
Used in combination with lenalidomide, MLN9708 achieved an overall response rate exceeding 90%, and complete responses were seen in 25% of patients, reported Shaji K. Kumar, MD, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
[ Read More ]A study using real-world data for patients with tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) showed that treatment with rasburicase (Elitek) was associated with significantly greater reductions in uric acid, length of hospital stay, and total hospitalization costs per patient compared with allopurinol (Zyloprim).
TLS, which is a consequence of either tumor treatment or spontaneous tumor death, is an oncologic emergency. TLS can lead to renal failure, seizures, severe muscle weakness, tetany, cardiac arrhythmias, and death. The treatment options for TLS include allopurinol and rasburicase.
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