Hematology Times
Lymphoma & Myeloma 2009
Data suggests myeloma stem cell does exist
Carol Ann Huff, MD
Even after decades of research, clinicians continue to debate the existence of the cancer stem cell. A speaker at Lymphoma & Myeloma 2009 argued that these cells do exist, particularly in multiple myeloma. Carol Ann Huff, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, reported results of a murine study she and her colleagues conducted, which supports the existence of stem cells in multiple myeloma. ... [Read Article] CHOP: When is it the best frontline therapy?
Steven Horwitz, MD
When asked about the best frontline strategy for treating peripheral T-cell lymphoma, Steven Horwitz, MD, responded that it is more a “state of asking questions than having concrete answers.” At the 2009 Lymphoma and Myeloma International Congress on Hematologic Malignancies in New York, Dr Horwitz discussed the use of CHOP first in most, but not all types of PTCL. ... [Read Article] Speaker likens new drug development in lymphoma to car industry
Bruce D. Cheson, MD
Current therapies cure 60% to 70% of patients with large-cell lymphoma, which means 30% to 40% are not being cured. And patients with incurable indolent and mantle cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma experience repeated relapses. New drugs are definitely needed to treat these patients. But do we need as many agents as are being developed? Bruce D. Cheson, MD, provided his perspective on new drug development in lymphoma at the Lymphoma & Myeloma 2009 meeting held recently in New York City. ... [Read Article] Revised guidelines should be used in all clinical trials of MM
S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD
Some say a single set of guidelines for a certain disease is the only way to ensure the comparison of results across clinical trials is truly accurate. A presenter at Lymphoma & Myeloma 2009 attempted to make this exact point. S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said there should be one set of guidelines that is specific to trials of multiple myeloma. So he and his colleagues at the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) formed a consensus panel to create one. ... [Read Article] Should MCL be treated aggressively?
Andre Goy, MD
Though aggressive therapy has been shown to improve progression-free survival (PFS) in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), some in the medical community say that is not enough to advocate its widespread use. Peter Martin, MD, told the audience at Lymphoma & Myeloma 2009 that prolonged PFS is not the same as prolonged overall survival, and therefore, aggressive treatment should be avoided in most MCL patients. In an opposing presentation, Andre Goy, MD, argued that a majority of patients with MCL should receive aggressive therapy. ... [Read Article] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
