VJHemOnc Podcast

EHA 2021: antibody therapies for NHL

Antibody therapies are rapidly transforming the treatment landscape of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Since the development of rituximab as an anti-CD20 antibody, there has been an intense research interest in antibody-based therapeutic approaches. The use of antibody-drug conjugates, monoclonal antibodies, and bispecific antibodies are increasingly being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of NHL, particularly in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and in the relapsed/refractory setting, offering alternative strategies for disease management.

In this podcast, Gilles Salles, MD, PhD, of the Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY, Martin Hutchings, MD, PhD, of the Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, Moshe Yair Levy, MD, of the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, Paolo Caimi, MD, of the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, and Nilanjan Ghosh MD, PhD, of the Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, NC, discuss the latest clinical updates on the use of antibody therapies for the treatment of NHL, as presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress 2021 and the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML), 2021.

EHA 2021: updates on novel agents for AML

A significant number of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are unable to withstand intensive chemotherapy regimens due to older age and the presence of comorbidities, creating an unmet medical need. Recent advances in the understanding of the genomics underlying AML have led to the development of therapies targeting FLT3, IDH1/2 and BCL-2. Between 2017 and 2018 the US FDA approved a total of eight drugs for AML, including glasdegib, venetoclax, ivosidenib, midostaurin and gemtuzumab ozogamicin. Many trials are now reporting longer follow-up data on these drugs as well as on novel combinations and approaches.

In this podcast, Andrew Brunner, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, Mark Levis, MD, PhD, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, Stéphane de Botton, MD, PhD, of the Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris, France, and Andrius Zucenka, MD, of the Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania, share updates on novel therapies for the treatment of AML, as presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2021 congress.

Texas MPN Workshop 2021: updates on JAK inhibitors for MPNs

Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are becoming an increasingly prominent class of drug in the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), in particular for the management of myelofibrosis symptoms. With the FDA approval of ruxolitinib in 2011 followed by the approval of fedratinib in 2019, JAK inhibitors are already established in the myelofibrosis treatment landscape; however, studies investigating novel JAK inhibitors could potentially lead to further approvals. Both pacritinib and momelotinib have demonstrated promising results in the PERSIST-2 trial and the SIMPLIFY-1 and SIMPLIFY-2 trials and continue to be explored in the ongoing MOMENTUM and PACIFICA trials, respectively.

In this podcast, Ruben Mesa, MD, of the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, San Antonio, TX, Aaron Gerds, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, and Abdulraheem Yacoub, MD, MBBS, of The University of Kansas, Westwood, KS, discuss the latest updates on JAK inhibitors for the treatment of MPNs, as presented at the Texas MPN Workshop: Second Annual Meeting and Workshop 2021.

EHA 2021: targeted therapies for ALL

Great progress has been made in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), primarily owing to the development of targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The use of targeted therapies has significantly improved survival outcomes for patients with ALL and has become a mainstay of frontline treatment. Since the FDA approval of blinatumomab, inotuzumab ozogamicin, and tisagenlecleucel, clinical trials have been increasingly investigating combination regimens with these targeted agents with the goal of optimizing their use and reducing the need for cytotoxic therapies.

In today’s podcast, Bijal Shah, MD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, Daniel W. Lee, MD, of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Nicholas Short, MD, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, and Robin Foà, MD, of the Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy, talk on the latest clinical updates on the use of targeted therapies for the treatment of ALL, as presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress 2021.

Texas MPN Workshop 2021: updates on interferons for MPNs

Many clinical trials are currently investigating the potential benefits of interferons in the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), in particular for polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and myelofibrosis. Interferon-alfa was originally explored for MPN treatment many years ago, however it’s frequent dosing and toxicity profile present barriers to widespread use. More recently, ropeginterferon-alfa-2b-vjft reported promising results for patients with polycythemia vera in the PROUD and CONTINUATION-PV clinical trials (NCT01949805; NCT02218047) and is now being reviewed for approval by the FDA, and pegylated-interferon-alfa has also demonstrated efficacy.

In this podcast, we hear from Richard Silver, MD, and Nicole Kucine, MD, MS, both from the Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, who share the latest clinical updates on the use of interferons for the treatment of polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia, as presented at the Texas MPN Workshop: Second Annual Workshop and Meeting in 2021.

EHA 2021: real-world data on myeloma, lymphoma and CLL

Real-world data gained through scientific studies is essential in the advancement of treatments for all hematologic malignancies. Historically, pharmaceutical companies have been restricted to randomized clinical trials as their only form of testing a treatment. However, due to technological advancement, there are now ways in which data from real-world treatment settings can be collected by clinical researchers. Real-world data is used to support decision making regarding the usage, overall benefits, and risks associated with specific drugs and therapeutic combinations.

In this podcast, David Miklos, BSc, MD, PhD, of Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Elena Zamagni, MD, PhD, of the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Heinz Ludwig, MD, of the Wilhelminen Cancer Research Institute, Wilhelminenspital, Vienna, Austria, and Andrea Visentin, MD, PhD, of the University of Padua, Padova, Italy, discuss some of the latest real-world data to have been shared in the fields of lymphoma, myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), as presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress 2021.

Novel BTK inhibitors for NHL

Over the past two decades the treatment landscape for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has rapidly evolved, with the development of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors making a particularly significant impact and opening the door to the possibility of chemotherapy-free regimens. In 2013, ibrutinib became the first BTK inhibitor to receive FDA approval for the treatment of follicular lymphoma, followed by approvals for Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia and marginal zone lymphoma in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Since then, the BTK inhibitors acalabrutinib and zanubrutinib have received FDA approval and many trials are exploring novel BTK inhibitors and combinations.

In today’s episode, Thomas Witzig, of the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN, Chan Yoon Cheah, of the Linear Clinical Research and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia, Gilles Salles of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, and Paolo Ghia of Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, talk on the latest data from key clinical trials of BTK inhibitors for the treatment of NHL.

Latest updates on T-cell therapies for non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Research into the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has made great progress within the last decade, with clinical trials such as the TRANSCEND-OUTREACH-007 and ZUMA-12 studies successfully advancing into later phases. Although there are currently various approaches to NHL treatment, primarily employing chemotherapy, steroid medication and allogeneic stem cell transplantation, such approaches are not tolerated by all patients and may not achieve complete remissions, creating an opening for immunotherapies to address these challenges. Given the recent FDA approvals of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies such as idecabtagene vicleucel and lisocabtagene maraleucel, much attention has now turned to the potential of these novel cellular therapies for more effective treatment of NHL.

In this podcast, Jeremy Abramson of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, Sattva Neelapu of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Stephen Schuster of the Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, Barbara Savoldo of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, Max Mamonkin of the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, and Susan Prockop of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discuss the latest clinical updates on T-cell therapies for NHL, highlighting therapies such as lisocabtagene maraleucel and axicabtagene ciloleucel.

Novel CD20/CD3 bispecific antibodies in NHL

Immunotherapies are showing increasingly promising results for the treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and, in particular, bispecific antibodies have demonstrated promising clinical results in heavily pre-treated patients. Several bispecific antibodies have entered the early stages of clinical trials since the approval of the CD19/CD30 bispecific antibody blinatumomab, and recently CD20/CD3 bispecific antibodies have demonstrated encouraging response rates in patients with both aggressive and indolent NHL.

In today’s podcast, Stephen Schuster from the Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, Franck Morschhauser from Lille University Hospital, Lille, France, and Rajat Bannerji from the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, discuss the latest data on CD20/CD3 bispecific antibodies for the treatment of patients with NHL, in particular talking on mosunetuzumab, CD20-TCB and odronextamab, previously known as REGN1979.

Latest updates on CAR-T therapy for lymphoma

At present, four types of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy are FDA approved for specific types of lymphoma: for relapsed or refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma, brexucabtagene autoleucel, for R/R follicular lymphoma, axicabtagene ciloleucel, and for some aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, axicabtagene ciloleucel, tisagenlecleucel and lisocabtagene maraleucel. Despite these approvals, progression of disease and toxicity remain unresolved concerns associated with CAR-T therapy which are currently being investigated. 

In this podcast, Caron Jacobson of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, Stephen Schuster of the Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, Jeremy Abramson of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, Frederick Locke of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, David Miklos of Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Mazyar Shadman of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, and Sonali Smith of the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, discuss the latest updates on CAR-T therapy for the treatment of lymphoma.