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Reflections from the #ASH19 Meeting
As the 61st Annual ASH (American Society of Hematology) Meeting and Exhibition winds down here in Orlando, here are some thoughts on where things stand in the world of blood cancers.
A phase 1b/2 study targeting apoptotic and signaling pathways in T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia
T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive leukemia with limited treatment options after first-line chemotherapy. Our preclinical work in animal models of T-ALL demonstrated the activity of a novel-novel combination treatment strategy, which includes LP-118 (activator of suicide pathways within leukemic cells) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (inhibiting growth-promoting LCK and ACK1 signaling pathways).Understanding Mutations to Treat MDS
Benjamin Ebert is researching what genetic mutations cause myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of disorders in which the bone marrow fails to produce sufficient blood cells, and how that information can be used to determine prognosis and therapy. MDS frequently progresses to an acute leukemia.
Blood Cancer Discovery Helping Cardiovascular Patients
An exciting scientific discovery, originally found through blood cancer research, makes headlines when researchers uncover new implications for cardiovascular disease.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is laser-focused on finding cures for patients with blood cancers. But did you know that the research we support has far greater reach? In fact, many of the therapeutic advances that occurred first in blood cancer are now helping patients with other types of cancers and serious diseases.
Rituximab
is FDA approved for the treatment of:
A Cancer Survivor Gives Back
When I meet newly diagnosed cancer patients and their caregivers, a familiar look greets me. I have seen this look countless times. In waiting rooms, during a weekly support lunch for patients and caregivers, and on my own mother’s face.
It is a look of fear, confusion and doubt. It is a look that expresses the need for survival at all costs, yet without any assurance of success. It is a look that I can still see when I look in the mirror.
That look is often replaced almost immediately after I say: “Hi, my name is Ron. I am a leukemia and stem-cell transplant survivor.”
Clinical Trials: Why They Matter and How to Make Them More Accessible
Cancer treatments can be lifesaving. As an organization, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has invested more than $1.7 billion in blood cancer research since its inception in 1949—all with the hope that this research leads to scientific breakthroughs that improve and save lives.
But to make sure this research leads to safe and innovative treatments, we have to thoroughly test it.
A Source of Hope: Understanding Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants
Imagine a community filled with families, friends, and healthcare professionals united to transform the meaning of living with blood cancer. This diverse group of people—including researchers, doctors, care partners, and healthcare teams—are bound together by hope, resilience, and a shared goal: to overcome the challenges and live longer better lives.
Ibrutinib
Ibrutinib has been FDA-approved to treat:
- Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
- Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) with 17p deletion.
- Patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM).
- Adult and pediatric patients age 1 year and older with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy.
Interferon alfa-2a
Interferons are substances naturally produced by cells in the body to help fight infections and tumors. They may also be synthetic versions of these substances. Interferon alfa-2a is FDA approved to treat people who have hairy cell leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia who are minimally pretreated (within 1 year of diagnosis). It may cause a temporary loss of hair. After treatment has ended, normal hair growth should return.
Midostaurin
Rydapt is FDA approved for the treatment of adult patients with:
- Newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that is FLT3 mutation positive as detected by an FDA-approved test, in combination with standard cytarabine and daunorubicin induction and cytarabine consolidation.
Limitations of Use:
RYDAPT is not indicated as a single-agent induction therapy for the treatment of patients with AML. - Aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM), systemic mastocytosis with associated hematological neoplasm (SM-AHN), or mast cell leukemia (MCL).
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 'TEST' THE LIMITS OF PHILANTHROPY
For the second year in a row, high school students across the country are redefining what it means to be philanthropic in today’s youth culture. Through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) newest innovation in fundraising, Students of the Year, more than 600 motivated high school students raised significant funds for LLS’s cutting-edge cancer research and patient services.
A Special Delivery for Mom with Cancer
On April 8, 2016, I was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I was 23 weeks pregnant. For almost five years, my husband, Allan, and I battled unexplained infertility. After three failed fertility treatments, we finally found ourselves pregnant the “au natural” way!
Investigating the dependency for protein synthesis in Venetoclax/Azacitidine-resistant acute myeloid leukemia
Relapsed and/or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) display resistance to Venetoclax and Azacitidine (Ven/Aza) with approximately one third of patients demonstrating upregulated protein synthesis. This proposal will investigate the mechanism(s) underlying the dependence of Ven/Aza-resistant AML on protein synthesis as well as the functional consequences of targeting this pathway. Successful completion of these studies will provide novel insights into Ven/Aza resistance mechanisms.Precision Targeting of Hairy Cell Leukemia using Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells
Though effective treatments in hairy cell leukemia and variant (HCLv) exist, they are associated with profound immunosuppression; thus, more targeted, non-toxic therapies are warranted. In order to specifically target leukemic cells while sparing most normal B cells, we will develop a novel chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy against the IGHV-4-34 B-cell receptor that is found in a significant subset of HCL and associates with poor prognosis.Improving BTK Inhibitor Therapy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Through Rational Combination Strategies
Ibrutinib is a targeted oral treatment for CLL that is safe and highly effective, however it must be given indefinitely which leads to chronic side effects and allows resistance to develop. We are conducting two clinical trials that add a second drug to ibrutinib to eliminate the remaining leukemia or ibrutinib-resistant leukemia cells. If these trials are successful, people taking CLL with or without resistance may be able to stop treatment in remission after taking an ibrutinib combination.Therapeutic targeting of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia using an AKR1C3-activated prodrug
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy that is exceptionally difficult to cure after relapse. We have previously shown that T-ALL expresses high levels of the enzyme AKR1C3, leading to clinical trials of AKR1C3-activated prodrugs. This project will focus on identifying the determinants of responses to AKR1C3-activated prodrugs in T-ALL and optimizing the use of a second generation AKR1C3-activated prodrug, SN36008, in T-ALL patient-derived xenografts.
What’s Next in Blood Cancer: Looking Ahead to 2023
The most important blood cancer scientific meeting, the American Society of Hematology (ASH), is held every December.
People with CLL are living longer than ever before, and cures are on the horizon
People with the most common type of blood cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), are living longer than ever before without their disease progressing. While cures for CLL patients are still rare, survival rates have improved steadily over the last 50 years, with nearly 90 percent of people diagnosed with CLL today surviving at least five years, and most for many years longer.