American Society of Hematology 2010

Enoxaparin Equals Aspirin for Preventing VTE in Myeloma

ORLANDO – Enoxaparin and aspirin were equally effective at preventing thrombotic events in young, newly diagnosed myeloma patients who were treated with a lenalidomide-based regimen in a randomized trial. [Read more.]

Rituximab Improves Survival in CD20+ B-Lineage ALL

ORLANDO – Patients with CD20-positive B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia who received rituximab plus intensive chemotherapy had more durable remissions and better overall survival than did similar patients who received only chemotherapy, investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

No Increased Cancer Risk Seen in Stem Cell, Marrow Donors

ORLANDO – Donors of bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells can rest assured that their generous acts are unlikely to have any lingering negative consequences to their own health, investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Liposomal Cytarabine-Daunorubicin Improves AML Remission Rates

ORLANDO – A novel liposomal combination of cytarabine plus daunorubicin produced higher complete remission rates than did the standard "7+3" cytarabine-daunorubicin induction regimen in older patients with untreated acute myeloid leukemia, reported investigators at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Young Adult AML Patients Fare Better on Children's Protocol

ORLANDO – Ten-year overall survival and event-free survival were significantly higher in adolescents and young adults with acute myeloid leukemia who were treated with a pediatric regimen vs. an adult regimen, based on data from 517 patients aged 16-21 years. [Read more.]

Romidepsin Induces Complete Response in Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

ORLANDO – The histone deacetylase inhibitor romidepsin showed significant single-agent activity in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma, investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Alemtuzumab Reduces Minimal Residual Disease in CLL Patients

ORLANDO – Alemtuzumab treatment for 6 weeks following chemotherapy eliminated detectable levels of minimal residual disease in 83% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients in a phase II study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

R-ACVBP Gives Survival Edge Over R-CHOP in Patients With DLBCL

ORLANDO – Rituximab that was added to the ACVBP regimen was associated with significantly improved overall survival, compared with rituximab added to the CHOP regimen, in patients younger than age 60 with diffuse, large B-cell lymphoma, based on results of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

First-Line Dasatinib, Nilotinib Sustain Edge Over Imatinib

ORLANDO – Second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors dasatinib and nilotinib maintained their separate advantages over imatinib in updates of pivotal phase III trials that won them first-line indications in chronic myeloid leukemia. [Read more.]

VRD Plus Lenalidomide Maintenance Yields Good Results in Myeloma

ORLANDO – For patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, an intensive chemotherapy regimen with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for induction followed by transplant and consolidation with the same regimen plus lenalidomide maintenance produced high rates of very good partial responses or better, with no major peripheral neuropathies, French investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Novel Bosutinib Shows Mixed Results in Frontline CML

ORLANDO – Despite missing its primary end point for complete cytogenetic response, a phase III trial suggests that the novel agent bosutinib has comparable efficacy to other drugs that were approved for first-line use in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. [Read more.]

Thrombosis Risk Rises in Women With Myeloproliferative Disorders

ORLANDO – Thrombosis was significantly more prevalent in women, compared with men, in a review of data from 270 adults with JAK2 V617-F–positive myeloproliferative disorder, according to a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Horse Beats Rabbit in Antithymocyte Globulin Race

ORLANDO – What might Aesop have written about a race between a horse and a rabbit? Researchers from the National Institutes of Health found that the horse outran the rabbit when it came to the successful use of antithymocyte globulin as a first-line treatment for patients with severe aplastic anemia. [Read more.]

Bortezomib-Based Regimens Help Older Patients With Multiple Myeloma

ORLANDO – Each of three bortezomib-based regimens was active as first-line therapy in elderly patients with multiple myeloma, and subsequent maintenance with bortezomib resulted in increases of very good partial responses or better in each trial arm, reported investigators from the phase IIIb UPFRONT study at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Ara-C Prolongs Time to Treatment Failure in Mantle Cell Lymphoma

ORLANDO – Younger patients with mantle cell lymphoma had significantly higher complete response rates after induction and better time to treatment failure after transplant with an experimental regimen adding high-dose cytarabine and R-DHAP to their treatment. [Read more.]

Double Cord Blood Transplant Better Than Single in Acute Leukemia

ORLANDO – A large retrospective analysis of adult patients with acute leukemia suggests that double-unit transplantation of cord blood from two unrelated donors may be better than single-unit transplants despite more graft-vs.-host disease among the double-unit recipients. [Read more.]

BEACOPP Plus ABVD Called 'New Standard' for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

ORLANDO – An aggressive approach to treating early unfavorable Hodgkin’s lymphoma that combines the BEACOPP regimen at an escalated dose with the ABVD regimen and involved-field radiotherapy results in better tumor control than did ABVD and radiation alone, investigators have reported. [Read more.]

Hydroxyurea Cuts Hospitalization, Transfusion in Children with Sickle Cell

ORLANDO – Hydroxyurea therapy was associated with an overall cumulative survival rate of 70% in children aged 3 to 18 years with sickle cell disease. [Read more.]

Imatinib Plus Bone Marrow Transplant Boost Survival in Ph+ ALL

ORLANDO – Adding imatinib to standard therapy for Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia significantly improves overall, event-free, and relapse-free survival, investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

FLVCR Function New Target in Fight Against Malaria

ORLANDO – Stopping the cycle by which the Plasmodium parasite spreads from people to mosquitoes and back to people could be the key to controlling malaria, according to scientists who have developed what may be a strategy for doing just that. [Read more.]

Nilotinib Improves CML Outcomes at 3 Years

ORLANDO – Patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia who took 400 mg of nilotinib twice daily had an overall survival rate of 97% after 3 years, investigators reported Dec. 6 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. [Read more.]

Scoring System Predicts Recurrent VTE Risk in Cancer Patients

ORLANDO – Among patients with cancer-associated thrombosis, women and those with lung cancer or a history of at least one venous thromboembolic event are at significantly increased risk for recurrent emboli and may require prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin or more aggressive anticoagulation, investigators have reported. [Read more.]

Brentuximab Induced Complete Remission in Refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma

ORLANDO – Brentuximab vedotin, an investigational agent, was associated with complete remission in 34% of patients whose Hodgkin’s lymphoma recurred after autologous stem cell transplantation, according to the results of a phase II trial involving 102 patients. [Read more.]

Novel CML Drug Active After Failures of Imatinib, Dasatinib, and Nilotinib ORLANDO – The novel oral drug ponatinib may provide a much-needed therapeutic option for patients who develop resistance to at least two approved therapies for Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, a study has shown. [Read more.]

Apixaban Tops Enoxaparin for VTE Prevention After Joint Replacement

ORLANDO – Oral apixaban reduced the incidence of major venous thromboembolism after joint replacement surgery by approximately half compared with enoxaparin, with no increased risk of bleeding, investigators have reported. [Read more.]

Study Shows Rivaroxaban Valid for VTE Prophylaxis

ORLANDO – The investigational oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban was not inferior to a combination of the low-molecular-weight heparin enoxaparin and a vitamin K antagonist for reducing risk of recurrent deep venous thromboembolism for up to 1 year, reported investigators with the EINSTEIN Acute DVT study. [Read more.]