Articles related to CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (CLL)

In this Original Report from the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the authors conducted a phase I trial of autologous CD19 CAR T cells in children and young adults (CAYAs) with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) to discover whether the role for allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (alloHSCT) following CD19-CAR T-cell therapy can improve long-term outcomes.

Published in Blood, this article presents initial findings from a proof-of-concept study led by Martin Wermke, MD, from the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. The UniCAR platform uses targeting molecule TM123 and a single-chain variable fragment that is directed against the CD123 antigen, offering a potential new treatment option for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Published recently in Blood, the University of Guelph study highlights a compound only found in avocados – avocatin B – that inhibits the enzyme VLCAD, which is highly prevalent in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Because the cancer cells rely on this pathway to survive, scientists are hoping to hold human clinical trials to gauge whether avocatin B can be used as a safer, less toxic treatment than traditional chemotherapy.

This Research Article from Blood – available as a PDF – discusses two main points. First, antibody response to BNT162b2 mRNA COVID19 vaccine in CLL patients is markedly impaired and affected by disease activity and treatment. The second point shows that, in patients treated with either Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) or venetoclax ± anti-CD20 antibody, responses are relatively low.

From the pages of Blood Advances comes this Clinical Trials & Observations piece discussing the IDEAL trial. Backed by visual abstracts, tables, and charts supporting the data, the article explores two key points in augmenting chemotherapy efficacy: caloric restriction and using insulin and adiponectin as potential biomarkers of B-ALL chemosensitivity.

The ECOG-ACRIN E1412 study demonstrated a potential clinical benefit of adding lenalidomide to R-CHOP (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) (R2CHOP) in newly diagnosed patients regardless of cell-of-origin (COO) and in patients with activated b-cell-like (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Although the results are not practice changing, they support further studies of lenalidomide and/or novel lenalidomide analogues in frontline therapy of DLBCL.