Formaldehyde Exposure May Increase Risk of Blood and Lymphatic Cancers(6/25/2009) Researchers from the National Cancer Institute have reported that industrial workers who are exposed to formaldehyde may be at an increased risk of dying from blood and lymphohematopoietic malignancies, particularly myeloid leukemia but also Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Increasing Body Mass Associated with Increasing Cancer Incidence and Mortality(11/19/2007) Researchers affiliated with the UK Million Women Study have reported that increasing body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of 10 specific types of cancer out of 17 evaluated. The details of this study appeared in an early on-line publication on November 6, 2007 in the British Medical Journal.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Occurs in Over 10% of Patients with Plasma Cell Dyscrasias(8/19/2004) Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have reported that 13.6% of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias have vitamin B12 deficiency. They suggest that “serum vitamin B12 measurements should be part of the initial evaluation and subsequent workups for anemia in patients with plasma cell dyscrasias.” The details of this report appeared in the August 2004 issue of Cancer.
Long-Term Outcomes from Childhood ALL Affected by Irradiation(8/14/2003) Researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have reported that children with ALL who have not received radiation to the brain have normal long-term survival while irradiation is associated with the development of second neoplasms, a slight excess in mortality, and an increased unemployment rate. These findings were published in the August 14, 2003 issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine.
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.
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Improves Survival of Intermediate- and Poor-risk AML(6/17/2009) Researchers from the United States involved in a meta-analysis have reported that allogeneic stem cell transplants in first complete remission improves survival for patients with intermediate- and poor-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The details of this study appeared in the June 10, 2009 issue of the Journal of theAmerican Medical Association.
Zarnestra® Combined with Vepesid® Effective for Elderly with AML(5/6/2009) Researchers from several U.S. medical centers have reported that the combination of Zarnestra® (tipifarnib) and oral Vepesid® (etoposide) produces complete responses in 30% of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) not eligible for intensive induction therapy. The details of this Phase I study were published early online in Blood on December 24, 2008.
Gleevec® 800 mg/day May Improve Cytogenetic and Molecular Responses in CML(9/11/2009) Researchers involved in the multicenter U.S. RIGHT trial have reported that Gleevec® (imatinib) 400 mg twice per day is more effective than the standard 400 mg/day for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (CP). The details of this study were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology early online on August 31, 2009.
Sprycel® Confirmed Superior to High-dose Gleevec® for Gleevec-resistant CML(6/22/2009) Researchers affiliated with the START-R randomized trial have reported that Sprycel® (dasatinib) is more effective than escalated doses of Gleevec® (imatinib) in patients resistant to Gleevec. The details of this study were published early online in Cancer on June 17, 2009.
Obesity Increases Risk of Developing Chronic Myeloid Leukemia(5/29/2009) Researchers from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that obesity and weight gain increase the risk of developing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The details of this case-control study were published in the May, 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.
Early Treatment of Gleevec® Failures with Sprycel® Improves Outcomes in CML(5/27/2009) Researchers from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that Sprycel® (dasatinib) treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have loss of a major cytogentetic response to Gleevec® (imatinib) results in better outcomes than waiting for loss of complete hematalogic remission to institute therapy with Sprycel. The details of this study were published early online on April 28, 2009 in Cancer.
One-third of Patients with CML Receiving Gleevec® Are Noncompliant(5/6/2009) Researchers from Belgium have reported that the compliance rate for Gleevec® (imatinib) in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is much less than expected. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in Blood on April 6, 2009.
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.
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.
Eliminating Preventive Radiation May Benefit Children with ALL(6/30/2009) Researchers from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have reported that children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are treated with effective, risk-adjusted chemotherapy regimens have good outcomes and may safely be able to avoid preventive radiation therapy to the brain. These results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Phase III Trial of Expanded Umbilical Cord Blood (StemEx®) for Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies Announced(6/17/2009) Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Gamida Cell announced that the University of Pittsburgh would be participating in an international multicenter Phase III study of StemEx® for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. There are currently 15 U.S. centers and 11 centers in Europe and Israel participating in this study. This study is classified as a Phase III study but, because it is not randomized, patients will be compared to matched historical controls.
Early T-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children Has Poor Prognosis(2/18/2009) Researchers from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and researchers from Italy have reported that they have identified a subset of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), called ETP-ALL, which connotes an extremely poor prognosis. The details of this study appeared in the February 2009 issue of Lancet Oncology.
Arzerra™ Approved for Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia(11/2/2009) The targeted therapy Arzerra™ (ofatumumab) has been granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that is refractory to Fludara® (fludarabine) and Campath® (alemtuzumab).
Final Results Published of Randomized Trial of Treanda® Versus Chlorambucil for Initial Treatment of CLL(9/28/2009) European researchers have published the final results of the randomized clinical trial showing a higher response rate and improved progression-free survival for Treanda® (bendamustine) compared with chlorambucil for the initial treatment of patients with Binet Stage B and C chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These results were published in the September 10, 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Preliminary results of this study were presented at the 2007 and 2008 meetings of the American Society of Hematology.
Subcutaneous Campath Effective in Refractory CLL(9/16/2009) Researchers from Germany have reported that, because of “efficacy, convenience, improved adverse effect profile and cost savings”, Campath® (alemtuzumab) given subcutaneously should be the treatment of choice for Fludara® (fludarabine)-refractory patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The details of this study appeared early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on August 20, 2009.
Rituxan®, Fludara®, Cytoxan®, and Novantrone® Highly Active in CLL(9/10/2009) Researchers from Spain have reported that the combination of Rituxan® (rituximab), Fludara® (fludarabine), Cytoxan® (cyclophosphamide), and Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) is highly active in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on August 24, 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Ofatumumab Effective in CLL Patients Failing Rituxan®(6/2/2009) Researchers involved in an international Phase II study have reported that ofatumumab, an anti-CD20 antibody, is effective in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have previously received Rituxan® (rituximab). The details of this study were reported at the 2009 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on May 30, in Orlando, Florida.
Phase III Trial of Expanded Umbilical Cord Blood (StemEx®) for Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies Announced(6/17/2009) Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Gamida Cell announced that the University of Pittsburgh would be participating in an international multicenter Phase III study of StemEx® for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. There are currently 15 U.S. centers and 11 centers in Europe and Israel participating in this study. This study is classified as a Phase III study but, because it is not randomized, patients will be compared to matched historical controls.
Guidelines Published for the Treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia(10/8/2008) Researchers affiliated with the European LeukemiaNet have published guidelines for the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). These guidelines were published in an early online manuscript in Blood on September 23, 2008.
Tamibarotene Receives Orphan Drug Designation(11/5/2007) The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Innovive Pharmaceuticals, Inc. orphan drug designation for their agent tamibarotene for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The indication of the designation is for the treatment of APL that has relapsed or is refractory to all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide.
Atovaquone Effective Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia in Children(4/10/2007) Researchers from St Jude Children’s Research Center have reported that atovaquone (Mepron®, Malarone®) is effective prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii in children with leukemia. The details of this study appeared in the April 15, 2007 issue of Cancer.
Single-Agent Arsenic Trioxide Very Effective for Treatment of APL(3/27/2006) Researchers from India have reported that single-agent arsenic trioxide (ATO), without ATRA (all-trans retinoic acid) and combination chemotherapy, results in an event-free survival of 75% in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The details of this phase II study were reported in the April 1, 2006 issue of Blood.
Increased Risk of Second Malignancies in Hairy Cell Leukemia(2/15/2007) Researchers from the National Cancer Institute have reported that patients with hairy cell leukemia have an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and thyroid cancer.
High Response Rate of Hairy Cell Leukemia to Rituximab (Rituxan®)(11/26/2003) Researchers from the MD Anderson Cancer Center have reported an 80% overall response rate following Rituxan® treatment for patients with hairy cell leukemia who have failed previous therapy. The results of this phase II clinical trial appeared in the December 2003 issue of
Blood.
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