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Working with Lawmakers to Address the Unique Needs of Cancer Patients

As the coronavirus continues its spread, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has a vital role to play in ensuring our government takes every step necessary to protect cancer patients. With that in mind, we’re sharing with our community what LLS has been doing to make sure the unique needs of blood cancer patients are being heard by the government at this unprecedented time.

#ASH16 (Blog 1): Is the Best Yet to Come in Immunotherapy?

This is the first of a series of blogs covering the 58th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego (#ASH16) conference over the next few days. Check back for more news from the meeting.

Interferon alfa-2b

Interferons are substances naturally produced by cells in the body to help fight infections and tumors. They may also be synthetic versions of these substances.

Interferon alfa-2b is FDA approved to treat people who have hairy cell leukemia, polycythemia vera and aggressive follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Obinutuzumab

Obinutuzumab is FDA-approved 

Enasidenib

Enasidenib (Idhifa®) is FDA approved for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 (IDH2) mutation. The drug is approved for use with a companion diagnostic, the RealTime IDH2 Assay, which is used to detect specific mutations in the IDH2 gene in patients with AML.


 

Daunorubicin and cytarabine

Daunorubicin and cytarabine is a liposomal combination of daunorubicin, an anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor, and cytarabine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, that is indicated for the treatment of newly-diagnosed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) in adults and pediatric patients 1 year and older.

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Researchers Share Key Career Advice with LLS College Club Members

I recently had the privilege of moderating an LLS on Campus Researcher Panel attended by LLS college club members from nearly 30 universities across the country. These clubs bring together students interested in pursuing health-related careers and provide opportunities to hear from scientists working to better understand and treat blood cancers.  

Precision Medicine and Immunotherapy @ ASCO16

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (#ASCO16) annual meeting featured several significant oral scientific presentations on the blood cancers over the weekend here in Chicago.

Split screen showing four survivors: Joan, Stephanie, Stacey, Katie

3 Things You Might Like to Know About Being Newly Diagnosed

A cancer diagnosis is a pivotal moment in a person’s lifetime.  

From that point forward, it’s a part of who you are. It shapes how you think about the world—through the lens of your diagnosis and what’s important to you. 

Harnessing METTL3 inhibition in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia driven by the t(1;22) fusion involving a member of the m6A writer complex

I want to understand how the t(1;22) translocation that involves a member of the m6A writer complex drives acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL). To identify culprit genes and pathways I will use multi-omics, including RNA, eCLIP, and TimeLapse Seq and proteomics. I will dissect the RBM15-MKL specific effects of a novel METTL3 inhibitor in primary murine and human AMKL in vitro and in vivo. My ultimate goal is to cure this rare infant leukemia by harnessing METTL3 inhibition.

Nilotinib

Nilotinib is FDA approved for the treatment of

  • Adult and pediatric patients greater than or equal to 1 year of age with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase.
  • Adult patients with chronic phase (CP) and accelerated phase (AP) Ph+ CML resistant to or intolerant to prior therapy that included imatinib.
  • Pediatric patients greater than or equal to 1 year of age with Ph+ CML-CP resistant or intolerant to prior tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.

Clofarabine

Clofarabine is FDA approved to treat children and young adults (1- 21 years old) with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia after at least two prior regimens.

Moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk

Moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk is FDA approved for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory hairy cell leukemia (HCL) who have received at least two prior systemic therapies, including treatment with a purine nucleoside analog.

Zanubrutinib

Zanubrutinib is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with:

10 Self-Care Tips to Cope with Isolation and Stress

Whether you are self-quarantining or practicing social distancing, we all are adjusting to a new normal amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. As a patient or survivor, you might be experiencing feelings of isolation, uncertainty and anxiety. As a caregiver, you might be feeling overwhelmed with navigating your loved one’s care while looking after your own needs. And as a family member, you might be feeling unsure of how you can help. This is understandable, and you are not alone.

Another Advance for AML

The steady pace of progress in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), still one of the most deadly blood cancers, continued with today’s U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s second approval of a drug called ivosidenib (Tibsovo) that works for patients with a specific subtype of AML.