Leukemia

Chemoimmunotherapy with chlor­ambucil plus obinutuzumab or bendamustine plus rituximab is standard frontline treatment for older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, chemoimmunotherapy is associated with toxic effects, and the risk increases with age.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease that is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of undifferentiated myeloid progenitors. While these leukemic blasts accumulate in the bone marrow and peripheral blood, impairment of normal hematopoiesis may lead to a reduction in the number of differentiated myeloid cells (granulocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, erythrocytes, megakaryocytes). Associated symptoms and consequences include anemia, bleeding, and an increased risk for infection.

Atlanta, GA—A recent analysis of US administrative claims data showed that stem-cell transplantation (SCT) is associated with increased healthcare resource utilization and costs compared with matched controls. According to data presented at 2017 ASH, patients who underwent SCT had, on average, >$114,000 increase in healthcare costs compared with age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched patients with multiple myeloma who did not undergo SCT.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare but deadly cancer. Approximately 21,400 new cases of AML were diagnosed in 2017 in the United States, and nearly 10,600 people died from the disease. Approximately 60% to 70% of adults with AML respond to initial treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, the 5-year survival rate for patients with AML remains poor at approximately 27%.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects the white blood cells (lymphocytes). In 2017, 5970 new patients were estimated to be diagnosed with ALL and 1440 individuals to die from this disease. ALL is diagnosed most often in children, adolescents, and young adults, with a median age of 15 years at diagnosis.

Atlanta, GA—Venetoclax (Venclexta) plus rituximab (Rituxan) achieved superior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with standard-of-care bendamustine (Treanda/Bendeka) plus rituximab in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). PFS improved by 81% and OS by 52% with venetoclax plus rituximab, and the depth of response was impressive—complete response and complete response with incomplete platelet recovery was 26.8%, and minimal residual disease negativity in peripheral blood was 83.5%.

Atlanta, GA—More than 90% of patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) achieved objective responses with the new Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor acalabrutinib (Calquence), updated data from an ongoing study showed. In most cases, the responses were durable, reported John C. Byrd, MD, Director, Division of Hematology, the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, at ASH 2017.

Atlanta, GA—The past few years have witnessed significant progress in the treatment of several hematologic malignancies, and truly paradigm-changing therapies have recently emerged in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). At ASH 2017, Crystal L. Mackall, MD, Co-Director, Immunology & Immunotherapy of Cancer Program, Stanford University, CA, discussed the FDA approvals of 2 important treatments for patients with B-cell precursor ALL.