Education May Improve Adherence, Quality of Life for Patients With AML

Patients and families can make better healthcare decisions that are consistent with patients’ needs, values, and preferences when they are more informed and educated about the disease, according to study findings that Anne C. Roc, PhD, of PlatformQ Health in Needham, MA, discussed at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 3, 2018.

Medicare for All; New Congressional Priorities; Health Finance Committee

Medicare for All; New Congressional Priorities; Health Finance Committee

With more than 70% of Americans supporting expanded Medicare, the single-payer Medicare for All rallying cry has gained significant support among progressives and moderates alike. A recent editorial report makes the case for its adoption with strong evidence from an economic point of view. During the November 2018 midterm election campaign, many incumbent Republicans—some of whom previously voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act—now promised to uphold sections of the law, including protections for pre-existing conditions as their most important campaign commitment.

Long-Term Lymphoma Survivors Describe Unmet Needs in Cancer Care

Although patients with Hodgkin lymphoma can experience long-term survival, they may face difficulty in coping with treatment-related adverse outcomes. Researchers assessed the needs of lymphoma survivors and their caregivers and identified unmet patient-oriented research needs: quality of life after treatment, messaging and communication between the scientific community and patients, and emotional well-being. Jackelyn B. Payne, MPH, BS, BA, of Stony Brook University in New York, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 2, 2018.

Screening for DDX41 Mutation Can Guide Treatment Decisions for Myeloid Neoplasms

Germline mutations in DDX41 may increase a patient’s lifetime risk of late-onset myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Identification of this germline mutation leads to more timely and appropriate care for patients with myeloid neoplasms, according to a study. Sarah Bannon, MS, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 2, 2018.

Majority of Real-World Patients With DLBCL Are Eligible for CAR T-Cell Therapy

Patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) often experience long-term survival after initial anthracycline-containing therapy; however, relapse leads to poor outcomes. Some patients with relapsed or refractory disease may receive additional chemoimmunotherapy followed by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), but as many as 50% of patients cannot undergo HCT because of lack of response to chemoimmunotherapy or comorbidities. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be an option for those patients, but real-world data on CAR T-cell therapy for DLBCL are limited.

Risk Assessment Tool Predicts Survival in Older Patients Undergoing HCT

Older patients are at increased risk for complications and death following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), and traditional transplant-specific prognostic indices such as the hematopoietic cell transplant comorbidity index (HCT-CI) may not adequately predict survival. Researchers found that routine pretransplant assessments by interdisciplinary clinical providers, including advanced practice providers and nursing staff, may uncover additional geriatric deficits. Richard J. Lin, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 1, 2018.

CBT May Improve Response to Subsequent Treatment in Heavily Pretreated Patients With HL

Patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) after checkpoint blockade therapy (CBT) have limited options. However, researchers found that CBT may impact response to subsequent therapies. Nicole A. Carreau, MD, of New York University Langone Health in New York City, discussed the findings at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 1, 2018.

Genetics Plays a Role in Treatment Response for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

No molecular-informed personalized therapies are currently available for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM); however, cytogenetics and next-generation sequencing (NGS) can identify molecular abnormalities to provide guidance for more targeted therapy. Tarek Assi, MD, of Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus in Villejuif, France, discussed his research team’s findings that tumor genotyping is associated with higher response rates and prolonged duration of therapy at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 1, 2018.

Hematology Training Is Suboptimal for APPs

Advanced practice providers (APPs) may have limited subspecialty training options for hematology, and postgraduate fellowships focused on education in both malignant and nonmalignant hematologic disorders appear to be lacking for APPs. Yi L. Hwa, DNP, of the division of hematology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discussed the findings of a research team’s web-based needs assessment survey that found significant gaps in subspecialty hematology training for APPs at the ASH Annual Meeting on December 1, 2018.

FDA Approves Rituximab-ABBS as Biosimilar to Rituximab for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

FDA Approves Rituximab-ABBS as Biosimilar to Rituximab for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

On November 28, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rituximab-abbs as the first biosimilar to rituximab for patients with CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) to be used as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy.

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