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ORLANDO-Treatments credited with improving 5-year survival rates for patients with childhood Hodgkin’s disease may lead to an increased risk of leukemia, breast cancer, and other neoplasms years later, according to a study by the Late Effects Study Group (LESG) presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting (abstract 3198).
Rituximab (Rituxan), a chimeric human-mouse anti-CD20 antibody, and alemtuzumab (Campath), a humanized rat anti-CD52 antibody, have each shown activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Although patients with small lymphocytic lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (SLL/CLL) have CD20 expression on malignant lymphocytes, response rates with standard rituximab (Rituxan) courses in refractory patients have been low.
There have been significant advances in our understanding of the biology of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and to a lesser extent, in its treatment. Dr. Estey has provided an excellent overview of the current state of the clinical management of the disease. He has described both the standard therapeutic approaches, including allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, as well as the role of investigational therapy. The present state of clinical research in AML is reviewed in some detail in the context of the broad clinical investigation of the disease at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Estey makes a strong argument for the early consideration of investigational therapy, focusing on patients for whom "standard" therapy is demonstrably inadequate.
Therapeutic strategies are evolving for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), as well as for those with relapsed or refractory disease. Clinical and laboratory studies have demonstrated that AML is not a single disease, but a heterogeneous group of diseases with different clinical features and natural histories. There are variable responses to therapy depending on both the biologic characteristics of the disease and the clinical characteristics of the patient. Nevertheless, studies evaluating the outcomes of relatively large numbers of patients with newly diagnosed AML show that the majority still die of their disease.[1-3]
The treatment of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) ranges from palliative care only, to standard therapy, to investigational approaches. Acute myelogenous leukemia is, in fact, several different diseases, and the percentage of clinical responses varies with disease and prognostic subsets.
This phase II study aimed to evaluate the tolerability and activity of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan) in patients with either untreated or relapsed biopsy-proven extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type, with measurable or evaluable disease.
At the 2000 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, we presented the benefits of rituximab (Rituxan) combined with CHOP (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], doxorubicin HCl, vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone), known as R-CHOP, in comparison with CHOP alone for the treatment of elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL).
Rituximab (Rituxan), when combined with CHOP (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], doxorubicin HCl, vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone) chemotherapy (R-CHOP) in the treatment of patients with CD20-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL), significantly prolongs event-free and overall survival (GELA [Groupe d’Etude des Lymphomes de l’Adulte] LNH 98-5 study). Our objective was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of R-CHOP based on the evidence currently available.
ORLANDO-High-dose therapy with stem cell support improves event-free survival in patients with mantle cell lymphoma when performed in first remission, according to results of a European Intergroup study presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (abstract 3572).
Previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an uncommon disorder with a poor prognosis when treated with CHOP-like (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan, Neosar], doxorubicin HCl, vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone) regimens. Typically the complete remission (CR) rate is 20% to 30%, median failure-free survival (FFS) is 10 to 16 months, and median overall survival (OS) is 3 years.
Front-line treatment for previously untreated follicular B-cell lymphoma with the iodine-131-labeled anti-CD20 antibody tositumomab (Bexxar) has been reported to result in a 97% response rate and a 74% complete response rate. Although the median duration of response has not yet been reached with a median follow-up of 2.7 years, concerns have been raised over the tolerability of salvage treatments upon relapse of disease. We have reviewed the clinical course of the 28 patients that have relapsed among the original group of 76 patients treated with tositumomab/iodine-131 tositumomab as front-line therapy.
HOUSTON-The farnesyl transferase inhibitor R115777 (tipifarnib, also known as Zarnestra) produced an overall response rate of 33% in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and decreased splenomegaly in most patients with myelofibrosis, but was not effective in multiple myeloma, reported Deborah Thomas, MD, at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Thomas is assistant professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
ORLANDO-Patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who have a complete cytogenetic response (CCgR) to interferon-alfa have a long survival, and low-risk patients have a projected 10-year survival of more than 80%, Francesca
ORLANDO, Florida-Updated data from two phase II trials show that imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, STI571) continues to improve response rates for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who did not respond to interferon therapy or are in blast crisis. With follow-up of 12 months or more, overall and complete response rates are proving to be durable and toxicities tolerable
HOUSTON-In patients 65 years or younger with untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), adding rituximab (Rituxan) to the hyper-CVAD/methotrexate/cytarabine (Ara-C) regimen produced high complete remission rates and failure-free survival rates equivalent to those reported for hyper-CVAD followed by stem cell transplants.
ORLANDO-Imatinib mesylate (STI-571, Gleevec) is showing excellent results in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in the early chronic phase, scientists reported at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American
ORLANDO, Florida-Two phase I/II studies indicate that combination treatment with imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, also known as STI571) produces a high rate of hematologic response in patients in the chronic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Dose-limiting toxicities were mainly hematologic, and researchers advocate further studies were recommended to establish efficacy and recommended dosing.
MANNHEIM, Germany-Despite encouraging initial responses, patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) frequently become resistant in the advanced, or blast crisis, phase of the disease after initially responding to selective inhibition of the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase by imatinib (Gleevec, also known as STI571).
ORLANDO, Florida-Conventional chemotherapy has limited efficacy against follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), but research reported at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology showed promising results when conventional regimens were combined with the anti-CD20 drug tositumomab/I-131 tositumomab (Bexxar).
ROME-Best outcomes from donor lymphocyte infusion in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) occur when the first dose does not exceed 0.2 × 108 mononuclear cells/kg, Cesare Guglielmi, MD, reported in a presentation at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
A study conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group reported that a short course of chemotherapy followed by radiation significantly improves time to disease progression and minimizes toxicity in patients with early-stage Hodgkin’s disease. The study evaluated whether chemotherapy should be part of the treatment regimen for patients with early-stage Hodgkin’s disease. Earlier studies of other chemotherapy combinations followed by radiation also demonstrated improved progression-free survival rates; however, patients experienced excessive toxicities.
MIAMI BEACH -The Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor PD173955 (PD17) binds to the target ATP binding pocket even more efficiently than STI-571 (imatinib mesylate, Gleevec). It shows 15 to 20 times greater efficacy in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cell lines because it can bind to either open or closed activation loops.
ORLANDO-Use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly changed the prognosis of human immunodeficiency disease (HIV). However, the outcomes of patients with Hodgkin’s disease (HD) in the HIV setting are still poor. According to Michele Spina, MD, this is mainly due to the short duration of complete response.
SAN FRANCISCO-Radiotherapy following chemotherapy does not improve survival in patients with stage III/IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) who have a complete response to chemotherapy. It does, however, improve survival in partial responders, according to results from the phase III EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer) trial 20884. The findings were presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (plenary 3).
