News and Treatment Updates
Here's where you'll find a regularly updated, broad range of articles written by the AAMDSIF team, allied health organizations and news organizations. By staying well-informed, patients and families are practicing a form of self-support that will help them be more effective self-advocates when engaging with health care providers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Maintaining Mental Health
Originally Published: 03/16/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people and communities. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Information follows about how to cope with mental health and stress and anxiety during this time:
(Links follow)
Coronavirus Update: FDA and FTC Warn Seven Companies Selling Fraudulent Products that Claim to Treat or Prevent COVID-19
Originally Published: 03/09/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued warning letters to seven companies for selling fraudulent COVID-19 products. These products are unapproved drugs that pose significant risks to patient health and violate federal law. The FDA and FTC are taking this action as part of their response in protecting Americans during the global COVID-19 outbreak. The warning letters are the first to be issued by the FDA for unapproved products intended to prevent or treat “Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019” (COVID-19).
“The FDA considers the sale and...
Outline Images PDF Share Favorites Permissions More NEWS End-of-Life Care for Patients with Blood Cancers Proves Complicated
Originally Published: 03/05/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Hospice is the gold standard of care for patients near the end of life. But patients with blood cancers too often are unable to reap the benefits of that comforting option because of obstacles confronting those suffering from or treating hematologic malignancies.
“Overwhelmingly, the literature has shown that patients with blood cancers are more likely to die in the hospital than in hospice,” said Oreofe Odejide, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and hematologic oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “So in that way they experience different care—a...
Expanded Choices Emerge for Myelofibrosis Following Ruxolitinib Therapy
Originally Published: 02/28/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Ruben Mesa, MD
Newly approved and investigational agents are joining ruxolitinib (Jakafi) for the treatment of myelofibrosis (MF) and may provide options for patients who progress or become intolerant to frontline JAK inhibitors.
At the 24th Annual International Congress on Hematologic Malignancies, hosted by Physicians’ Education Resource®, LLC, Ruben Mesa, MD, who is director of the UT San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, presented available and emerging therapy options for patients who require additional MF therapy following ruxolitinib.
(continued)
Ivosidenib induces deep durable remissions in patients with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia
Originally Published: 02/13/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Key Points
In patients with newly diagnosed mIDH1 AML (median age, 76 years), ivosidenib monotherapy achieved median overall survival of 12.6 months.
The CR/CRh rate was 42.4%; mutation clearance in 64% patients with CR/CRh suggests that ivosidenib alters the biology of mIDH1 AML.
(continued at link)
Genomic context and TP53 allele frequency define clinical outcomes in TP53-mutated myelodysplastic syndromes
Originally Published: 02/06/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Abstract
TP53 mutations are associated with adverse outcomes and shorter response to hypomethylating agents (HMAs) in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Limited data have evaluated the impact of the type, number, and patterns of TP53 mutations in response outcomes and prognosis of MDS. We evaluated the clinicopathologic characteristics, outcomes, and response to therapy of 261 patients with MDS and TP53 mutations. Median age was 68 years (range, 18-80 years). A total of 217 patients (83%) had a complex karyotype. TP53 mutations were detected at a median variant allele frequency (VAF) of 0.39 (...
OncLive Peer Exchange: Diagnosis of Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Originally Published: 01/29/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
The panel provides perspective on the diagnosis of MDS, or Myelodysplastic Syndromes. They discuss recent innovation, including next-gen testing to enhance the efficacy of treatments. Watch these experts here!
Luspatercept in Patients with Lower-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Originally Published: 01/09/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Patients with anemia and lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes in whom erythropoiesis-stimulating agent therapy is not effective generally become dependent on red-cell transfusions. Luspatercept, a recombinant fusion protein that binds transforming growth factor β superfamily ligands to reduce SMAD2 and SMAD3 signaling, showed promising results in a phase 2 study.
(continued)
Iron Chelation Therapy May Improve Overall Survival in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Originally Published: 01/02/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Iron chelation therapy may reduce mortality and leukemia transformation risk among patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to a meta-analysis published in Clinical and Experimental Medicine.
Anemia is a common issue among patients with MDS. Red blood cell transfusion can be used to treat anemia in these patients but can also lead to iron overload, which is exacerbated by unrestrained intestinal iron uptake. Iron chelation therapy is sometimes administered to patients with MDS when iron overload occurs, but there is debate as to whether this is a sufficiently safe and...
AML Research Efforts in Full Swing After Decades of Stagnation
Originally Published: 12/27/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
After decades of few advances and stagnant treatment approaches, which mainly comprised 7+3 chemotherapy, the acute myeloid leukemia (AML) paradigm now has several agents approved, and plenty of ongoing trials are exploring other novel therapies alone and in combination, according to Melissa L. Larson, MD.
Several of these research efforts are focused on targeting molecular drivers of disease, such as FLT3 and IDH1/2 mutations.