Articles related to Hematology/Oncology

Bone marrow failure in children and young adults is often suspected to be inherited; however, in many cases, diagnosis remains uncertain. A new study involving 179 patients (from 173 families) found that implementing precision medicine at diagnosis can improve patient management, along with the use of family counseling. This study published in Blood expands the “portrait” of IBMF syndromes and explores some newly recognized disease entities.

Surgery still offers the best chance of cure for patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, for locally advanced or metastatic well-differentiated tumors, medical therapy including theranostics, targeted therapies, and chemotherapy can all play a role. Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology reviews the diagnosis and management of these tumors.

In this series from Blood that tackles four cases studies, the outcomes of AML pediatric patients compared to children with ALL is explored, focusing on the emerging new treatments venetoclax (Venclexta; AbbVie/Genentech), CD33- and CD123-directed CAR T-cell therapy, CD123-directed antibody therapy, and menin inhibitors.

Publication: ASH Clinical NewsOriginal Source: Journal of the National Care InstituteDesign: Assessment of longitudinal changes in memory, attention, and executive function in men and women with lymphoma (n=248; 62.5% male) prior to and six months after initiation of chemotherapy. A group of age- and sex-matched people without cancer was used as a control arm (n=212; 59% male).Results: At baseline, patients with lymphoma self-reported significantly more issues on the FACT-Cog scale (perceived cognitive impairment [PCI] and total scores) compared with sex-matched controls (p<0.05). In addition, patients with lymphoma reported significantly more attentional difficulty (p=0.01) and significantly greater PCI (p<0.03).

Source: MedPage Today (from JAMA Oncology)Design: Analysis was from a previously published prospective cohort study that evaluated the rates of antibody response to Pfizer’s vaccine in 102 cancer patients who were on active treatment compared with 78 healthy controls. A fourth of the patients were undergoing treatment for lung cancer, 26% for gastrointestinal cancers, and 18% for breast cancer.Results: After four months from the second dose of Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, 87% of cancer patients who had been on active treatment continued to produce COVID-19 antibodies.

Review Publication: Hematology AdvisorDesign: At the Annual Meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology, researchers presented a study identifying a higher percentage of patients with germline predisposition syndromes (GPS).Results: Following a review of medical records of patients diagnosed with GPS between 1994 and 2018, the investigators reported that the detection of GPS positively impacted medical care in 91% of cases, including proper selection of a bone marrow donor, selection of drug and conditioning regimens, and genetic counseling.