Epoetin Alfa Biosimilar Effectively Treats Anemia
December 4th 2015Researchers show that treatment with epoetin alfa biosimilar effectively reduces the symptoms of chemotherapy-induced anemia. Patients with absolute iron deficiency who also took iron supplements achieved improved response to treatment.
Equations with Both Serum Cystatin C and Creatinine Inaccurately Estimate Glomerular Filtration Rate
Sickle cell disease, as debilitating as it is, is associated with the progressive complication of renal damage – beginning with hyerfiltration in childhood to glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline and chronic renal failure in approximately 12 % of HbSS sickle cell adults.
Thrombocytopenia Can Greatly Impact Quality of Life and Emotional State
December 3rd 2015Do patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (pITP) have worse health-related quality of life? Francesco Rodeghiero, from S. Bortolo Hospital in Italy, and colleagues set out to investigate this overlooked part of the disease.
How to Manage Anticoagulation in Patients with Bleeding Disorders
Patients suffering from the most common hereditary bleeding disorder von Willebrand disease (VWD) also undergoing surgical procedures are recommended specific treatment methods to manage perioperative anticoagulation.
Opioid Prescription Practices May Influence Pain Episodes in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease
December 2nd 2015Thirty-day emergency room readmissions due to acute pain is not uncommon in children with sickle cell disease, and researchers suspect that opioid prescription practices has something to do with it.
Targeted Agent Appears Promising in Inducing Cancer Cell Apoptosis in Chronic Leukemia Model
December 9th 2009Current treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can be damaging to the immune system, leaving patients vulnerable to infections, which is the primary cause of death for many patients with CLL. According to a study presented at the 51st Annual American Society of Hematology Meeting, a new oral agent called 17-DMAG may avoid this problem. Mouse models assessing 17-DMAG showed this agent to be highly selective for CLL cells, while having minimal effect on normal immune cells, suggesting the agent leaves the immune system intact.
Dabigatran versus Warfarin in VTE
December 8th 2009Cancer patients are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), a leading cause of death in patients with cancer. Fixed-dose dabigatran may be a replacement for warfarin in the treatment of VTE, according to results of the large Phase III RE-COVER trial.
PROPEL Study Reinforces Viability of Pralatrexate in Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma; Cost Questioned
December 8th 2009During the 51st ASH Annual Meeting, several new data from the PROPEL trial were released, including updates on the ORR and safety of pralatrexate in patients with PTCL and data on the correlation between baseline methylmalonic acid status and mucositis severity in this population. While the data reinforce pralatrexate as a viable treatment in patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL, some question whether the drug confers enough of a benefit to warrant its $30,000 per month cost.
Data Promising for Oral AP24534 in Refractory CML and Other Hematologic Malignancies
December 8th 2009A multi-target kinase inhibitor, known as AP24534, has shown strong clinical evidence of hematologic, cytogenetic, and molecular anti-cancer activity in heavily pretreated patients with resistant and refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), including in those with the T315I mutation of the target protein, BCR-ABL.
Will Nilotinib Supplant Imatinib as First-line Therapy for CML?
December 8th 2009Even though imatinib (Gleevec) is a highly effective drug for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and the standard of care for newly diagnosed patients, a phase III study presented at a late-breaking news session showed that nilotinib (Tasigna) was superior as first-line therapy. This conclusion was based on rates of molecular and cytogenetic response.
Fludarabine plus Alemtuzumab May Improve Outcomes for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory CLL
December 8th 2009A combination of fludarabine and alemtuzumab (FluCam) was shown to improve outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a single-arm pilot study and in a phase II trial. To validate these observations and assess the efficacy and safety of FluCam versus fludarabine monotherapy as second-line therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory CLL, researchers conducted a phase III, multicenter, open-label, randomized trial, the results of which were released at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting.
Long-term Overall Survival Data Positive for Bexxar in Treatment-Naïve Follicular Lymphoma
December 8th 2009Bexxar (tositumomab and iodine I 131) pairs the targeting ability of a monoclonal antibody and the therapeutic potential of radiation to form a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody regimen able to bind to the target antigen 20 found on normal and cancerous B cells. According to a poster presented by Mark S. Kaminski, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting, 83% of patients with treatment-naïve follicular lymphoma who received Bexxar experienced overall survival of 10 years.
Online Case Database Gathers Clinical and Psychosocial Information for Multiple Myeloma Patients
December 7th 2009There has been a paucity of information on the initial clinical treatment of patients with multiple myeloma and the psychosocial variables that affect their care in community-based practices. To address this issue, Neil Love, MD, Research to Practice, Miami, Florida, and colleagues developed a Web-based tool to rapidly gather reliable, multidimensional information on patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
Conventional CHOEP-R Beats Intensified CHOEP-R in Younger Patients with Aggressive B-Cell NHL
December 7th 2009Treatment with 8 cycles of CHOEP-R (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone, etoposide, rituximab)-14 achieved excellent interim results in young, high-risk patients with previously untreated aggressive B-cell lymphoma, while the comparator arm of intensified CHOEP-R-21 followed by autologous stem cell transplant (“MegaCHOEP-R) was inferior and had greater toxicity.
Melphalan Safer than Thalidomide in Bortezomib-Regimen for Elderly Multiple Myeloma Patients
December 7th 2009In a plenary session at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting, data from a randomized trial in elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM) showed combining bortezomib (Velcade) and prednisone with the alkylating agent melphalan (VMP) is safer than adding thalidomide (VTP), an immunomodulatory drug, and just as effective. Maria-Victoria Mateos, MD, PhD, attending physician in hematology at Hospital Universitario de Salamanca in Spain, presented the results from the two-stage phase III trial conducted by the Spanish Myeloma Group.
JAK2 Inhibitor Improves Quality of Life for Patients with Myelofibrosis
December 6th 2009A phase I/II study presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans, Louisiana, found that INCB018424, an experimental JAK2 inhibitor, demonstrated activity in patients with myelofibrosis. INCB018424 shrank enlarged spleens, helped patients gain weight, reduced pain, and increased patients’ capacity to exercise, all of which significantly improved their quality of life.
Bendamustine Plus Rituximab Bests Current Standard of Care for Indolent Lymphoma
December 6th 2009Bendamustine (Treanda) plus rituximab (Rituxan; B/R) was superior to CHOP plus rituximab (CHOP-R) as first-line therapy of indolent lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma in a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of the German Study Group on Indolent Lymphoma (StiL). At an oral presentation at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting, experts agreed that this study may be practice-changing.
Lenalidomide Demonstrates Effectiveness in Aggressive B-Cell NHL
December 6th 2009Lenalidomide (Revlimid) has promising anti-tumor activity in aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), with a predictable toxicity profile. Results of an international phase II study suggest that lenalidomide should be studied in combination with other regimens in the treatment of the various subtypes of aggressive NHL, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), transformed lymphoma, follicular grade III lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to Thomas E. Witzig, MD, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, who presented results of this study at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting.
Three Studies Find Romiplostim Safe and Effective in Patients with MDS
December 6th 2009Romiplostim is a peptibody protein that increases platelet production by binding to and activating the thrombopoietin receptor. Patients with MDS frequently develop clinically significant thrombocytopenia (CST) or other bleeding problems for which transfusion has long been the only available treatment. Three studies presented at ASH suggest that romiplostim might be a safe, effective method for increasing platelet counts in MDS patients and that further trials are warranted.
Potential Breakthrough Treatment for CML Patients Who Harbor Imatinib-Resistant T315I Mutation
December 5th 2009Omacetaxine (Omapro) achieved durable hematologic and cytogenetic responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who failed treatment with imatinib (Gleevec). All patients in this phase II/III study had developed the T3151 mutation, which confers resistance to imatinib and to the second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) nilotinib (Tasigna) and dasatinib (Sprycel).