VJHemOnc Podcast

Sickle cell disease management: navigating the transition from pediatric to adult care, managing VOCs, & more

In this podcast episode, leading experts provide valuable insight into the management of sickle cell disease (SCD). First, Samah Babiker, MBBS, MRCP-UK, FRCPath, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, London, UK, and Payal Desai, MD, Levine Cancer Institute & Wake Forest School of Medicine, Charlotte, NC, discuss the challenges associated with the transition from pediatric to adult care and how to support patients through this period. Following this, Enrico Novelli, MD, MS, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, shares insight into the management of vaso-occlusive crises, and Subarna Chakravorty, MBBS, FRCPath, MRCPCH, PhD, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, comments on whether MRI brain assessment should be routinely performed in all patients with SCD.

Accelerated- and blast-phase MPNs: diagnosis, management, and current challenges

This episode of the VJHemOnc podcast focuses on accelerated and blast-phase myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN-AP/BP), offering insights into their diagnosis and management from leading experts.

First, in an interview with Anand Patel, MD, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, you will hear about the diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic strategies being explored for patients with MPN-AP/BP. Dr Patel will also comment on the role and timing of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) in this patient population.

Following this, experts Adam Mead, MA, BM, BCh, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK, Charlotte Brierley, MA, BM BCh, MRCP, DPhil, FRCPath, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK, and Juan Carlos Hernández-Boluda, MD, PhD, Hospital Clinic of Valencia, Valencia, Spain, will discuss the challenges of managing MPN-AP/BP, highlighting the need for biomarkers to identify patients at risk of aggressive disease progression. 

The value and utility of MRD in the management of adults with newly-diagnosed AML

This podcast features experts Mark Levis, MD, PhD, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, Sanam Loghavi, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, and Eunice Wang, MD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, who debate the value and utility of measurable residual disease (MRD) in the management of adults with newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The discussion explores current limitations of MRD assays, the challenges of standardization, and the importance of integrating multiple modalities. This took place at the 7th International Workshop on Acute Leukemias (iwAL 2025), held in Washington, DC.

Updates from iwHRMM: targeted and immune-related therapies and mechanisms of resistance

This episode of the VJHemOnc Podcast features discussions from the 2nd International Workshop on High-Risk Multiple Myeloma (iwHRMM 2025), held in Charleston, SC. First, you will hear from Ross Firestone, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, Nisha Joseph, MD, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, and Ajai Chari, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, who provide insight into immuno- and targeted therapies in HRMM. This is followed by Peter Voorhees, MD, Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, NC, and Holly Lee, MD, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, who discuss resistance to these therapies, highlighting the mechanisms of resistance and potential strategies to overcome them.

Advances in immunotherapy for NHL: updates from iwNHL 2025

This podcast features discussions from the 22nd International Workshop on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (iwNHL), which took place in Cambridge, MA. The discussions focus on immunotherapy and novel combinations being explored for the treatment of NHL. Featuring experts Martin Hutchings, MD, PhD, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, Elizabeth Budde, MD, PhD, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, Lorenzo Falchi, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, and Sameh Gaballa, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, who share insights into bispecific antibodies and other immunotherapeutics in early lines of treatment. This is followed by Laurie Sehn, MD, MPH, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada, Juan Alderuccio, MD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, and Gilles Salles, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, who delve deeper into antibody-based combinations.

Reviewing recent guideline updates on the risk stratification and treatment of AML

In this episode of the VJHemOnc Podcast, we are joined by Shai Shimony, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, and Richard Stone, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, to discuss recent guideline updates on the risk stratification and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The experts discuss differences in the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Consensus Classification (ICC) definitions, the recent European Leukemia Network (ELN) updates to risk stratification, incorporating measurable residual disease (MRD) into therapeutic decision-making, and biomarkers or stratification approaches on the horizon.

The management of CLL in resource-limited settings: guideline development and ongoing projects

VJHemOnc recently attended the International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (XXI iwCLL 2025) in Krakow, Poland, where there was a session focused on the management of CLL in resource-limited settings. Today's podcast episode highlights discussions from this session. First, you will hear from Mazyar Shadman, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, who discusses the development of resource-restricted recommendations for CLL. This is followed by Anna Schuh, MD, PhD, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Andrielle Yost, MPA, The Max Foundation, Seattle, WA, and Catherina Scheepers, The Max Foundation, Gauteng, South Africa, who share ongoing projects by iwCLL and The Max Foundation to improve access to treatment and patient outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Finally, Brian Koffman, MDCM (retired), CLL Society, Inc., Chula Vista, CA, discusses the six principles for excellence that healthcare professionals and patient advocacy organizations should be aware of when caring for patients with CLL. 

The multi-disciplinary team in CAR-T therapy: insights from a nurse, a neurologist, and a palliative care specialist

This episode of our Blood Cancer Awareness Month series explores the role of the multi-disciplinary team in caring for patients with blood cancer undergoing CAR T-cell therapy.

The discussion features insights from Ty Simpson, BN, MNP, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia, who is a CAR-T nurse practitioner, and Frederick Vonberg, MD, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, who is a neurologist with a primary research interest in the neurotoxic effects of CAR T-cell therapy. This is followed by Angela Halley, MBBS, BSc, MSc, FRCP, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK, who is a consultant in palliative medicine with an interest in developing early integrated palliative care in hematology, including patients undergoing CAR-T treatment and stem cell transplant.

Understanding financial and time toxicity in cancer care: advice for community oncologists

Welcome to the next episode in our Blood Cancer Awareness Month series. In this podcast, Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, discusses financial and time toxicities in cancer care, explaining how out-of-pocket costs and the time spent receiving treatment impair patients' lives. Dr Banerjee shares insights from his own clinical experience, with a focus on patients with multiple myeloma. 

Listener Q&A special: expert insights on CLL, myeloma, and lymphoma

Welcome to the first episode of our Blood Cancer Awareness Month special on VJHemOnc. In this podcast, leading experts answer your most pressing questions on blood cancers. Barbara Eichhorst, MD, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany, discusses chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), followed by Rakesh Popat, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, University College London Hospitals, London, UK, who addresses key questions on myeloma. Finally, Anna Sureda, MD, PhD, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Duran I Reynals Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, shares insights on lymphoma.