Poor adherence to treatment is the biggest predictor in relapse in serious mental illnesses. In this 0.5-CME credit activity, the panel discusses key contributors to the adherence challenge and strategies for improving adherence – including use of newer, better tolerated therapies. Available in video, podcast, and text.

The presence of a prodrome is supported by the increased health care use prior to disease onset and by various biomarkers indicating an inflammatory and axonal degenerative process before any demyelinating event. Further understanding of this prodrome could help identify people at risk of developing MS, and possibly help with early treatment initiation and disability prevention.

Frequent use of prescription meds for sleep carries an increased risk for dementia in White older adults compared with those who rarely or never used them, as described in the January issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The study found no increased risk for dementia for those who took sleep medications “sometimes.”

Twenty-seven (27) children with heavily pretreated neuroblastoma (12 with refractory disease, 14 with relapsed disease, and one with a complete response at the end of first-line therapy) were enrolled in this academic, phase 1-2 clinical trial to test autologous, third-generation GD2-CAR T cells expressing the inducible caspase 9 suicide gene (GD2-CART01). The use of GD2-CART01 in the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma was feasible and safe. Treatment-related toxic effects emerged, and the suicide gene was activated to control side effects. GD2-CART01 may have long-term antitumor activity.

Following participation in this educational activity, hematologists/oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, and other members of the interprofessional team involved in the management of DLBCL patients should be better able to:

Bispecific antibodies are molecules that are designed to engage or bind to two distinct targets, bringing two distinct cells together. The majority of those that have received regulatory approval are T-cell-engaging bispecific antibodies. Blinatumomab (Blincyto) for ALL, teclistamab (Tecvayli) for multiple myeloma, and mosunetuzumab-axgb (Lunsumio) for follicular lymphoma are some examples of FDA-approved treatments. Glofitamab, another bispecific antibody, is currently under FDA Priority Review for the treatment of R/R DLBCL. Another type of immunotherapy is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, but bispecific antibodies provide the same spectrum of side effects with much less toxicity and are showing promise in solid tumors as well.