Two agents may show promise in CIT

Two second-generation thrombopoetic growth factors have shown promise in the treatment of thrombocytopenia, and an expert postulates the best is yet to come. Romiplostim and eltrombopag have demonstrated unparalleled efficacy in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), according to David J. Kuter, MD, DPhil, of Harvard Medical School. And he predicts the drugs will fare at least as well in the ongoing studies of patients with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT). ... [Read Article]

Prevention key to management of tumor lysis syndrome

Myron Czuczman, MD

Prevention is the single best way to manage tumor lysis syndrome, an expert told the audience at the recent NCCN 4th Annual Congress on Hematologic Malignancies. “Remember one word: prevention,” said Myron S. Czuczman, MD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute. “If you can prevent it, it’s a lot easier than having to treat it.” ... [Read Article]

AML management as a paradigm for all cancers

B. Douglas Smith, MD

ODAC’s recent rejection of 2 new leukemia drugs intended for patients over the age of 60 years has only fueled the need for more clinical trials and better management strategies for the elderly. B. Douglas Smith, MD, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, discussed ways to improve treatment for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the NCCN 4th Annual Congress on Hematologic Malignancies.

  ... [Read Article]

Speaker favors FCR as frontline choice for CLL

The treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has improved dramatically in recent times, but questions still remain about whether to treat asymptomatic patients and what is the best front-line regimen for most of them. Susan O’Brien, MD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, provided some insights on these issues at the NCCN 4th Annual Congress on Hematologic Malignancies held September 11-12 in New York City. ... [Read Article]

The ins and outs of the new WHO classification

Nancy Lee Harris, MD

The latest update of the WHO Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues has been available for about a year. Its first and second printings have sold out, and its third printing has just become available. However, clinicians still find it daunting, confusing, and a real challenge. Nancy Lee Harris, MD, of Harvard Medical School in Boston and an editor of the latest version, highlighted what’s new in the 4th edition and clarified some of the implications for practice. ... [Read Article]