Gleevec® Improves Outcomes of Children and Adolescents with Ph+ ALL (10/12/2009)
Researchers affiliated with Children’s Oncology Group (COG) have reported that the addition of long-term daily Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) to high-dose chemotherapy improves event-free survival (EFS) in children and adolescents with Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The details of this study were published online on October 8, 2009.

Dose of Daunorubicin Remains Important for Treating Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Younger and Older Adults (9/25/2009)
Two studies in the September 24, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine confirm the importance of daunorubicin dose intensity for optimal treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Recent Results of Treating Childhood ALL Presented by Dutch Investigators (9/15/2009)
Researchers from the Netherlands have presented recent results of treating childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that show continued improvement in outcomes with less toxicity. Details of this study appeared early online in Lancet Oncology on September 10, 2009.

Stem Cell Transplants Effective for Secondary Leukemia in Breast Cancer Survivors (7/15/2009)
Researchers from the City of Hope National Medical Center have reported that hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is effective therapy for women with acute leukemia or myelodysplasia following adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Annals of Oncology on June 29, 2009.

Nexavar® Confirmed Effective for FLT3-ITD-positive AML (7/8/2009)
Researchers from Germany have reported that Nexavar® (sorafenib) is an active agent for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patients with internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations in the Fms-like tyrosine-3 (FLT3) gene. The details of this study appeared in the June 25, 2009 issue of Blood.