VJHemOnc Podcast

Global perspectives on blood cancers: addressing disparities in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment

Welcome to the first episode of VJHemOnc's Blood Cancer Awareness Month special series! 

This episode focuses on global perspectives of blood cancers and addresses the disparities that exist in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment. First, Lalit Kumar, MD, MBBS, Artemis Hospital, New Delhi, India, discusses challenges that exist in the management of blood cancers in India, and programs that are in place to address these. Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Phoenix, AZ, then goes on to address racial disparities in the treatment of multiple myeloma in America. Amrutha Sridhar, MBBS, University College London Hospitals, London, UK, discusses socioeconomic and racial disparities in myeloma trial recruitment, followed by Brian Koffman, MDCM (retired), MS Ed, CLL Society, Inc., Chula Vista, CA, who shares insights into a survey investigating global disparities in access to treatment and resources for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in low-income countries.

Insights into PV and ET: treating the AYA population, defining goals when treating patients, & more

Polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) characterized by the overproduction of red blood cells and platelets, respectively, due to mutations in hematopoietic stem cells.

In this podcast, experts Andrew Kuykendall, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; Lucia Masarova, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Kristen Pettit, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, share insights into the management of PV and ET. They focus on treating the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population, defining goals when treating patients, and the feasibility of assessing long-term outcomes in clinical trials. Additionally, they emphasize collaborative research approaches and explore the potential for early interventions at the stage of clonal hematopoiesis in AYA patients.

Hemophilia updates from ISTH 2024: ongoing clinical trials, emerging gene therapies & remaining challenges

This week's VJHemOnc podcast brings you updates in hemophilia from the 32nd Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), held in Bangkok, Thailand, and virtually.

You hear from experts Omolade Awodu, MBChB, MD, FMCPath, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, who discusses key hemophilia clinical trials in 2024, Radek Kaczmarek, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, who gives an overview of gene therapies for hemophilia, and Matteo Luciani, MD, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy, who shares insights into the remaining challenges for patients with hemophilia.

Inflammation and immune interventions in MDS: targeting STAT, IRAK4, & more

In myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), chronic inflammation driven by the innate immune system plays a key role in disease progression. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) and Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinase 4 (IRAK4) are critical mediators in this process, where dysregulated signaling leads to aberrant hematopoiesis and the promotion of a pro-inflammatory environment that supports the clonal expansion of malignant cells.

This podcast episode features experts Andrew Wei, MBBS, PhD, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, Aditi Shastri, MD, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, Uwe Platzbecker, MD, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany, and Amer Zeidan, MBBS, Yale University and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT. They discuss the role of inflammation and immune interventions from the 2nd International Workshop on Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (iwMDS) 2024, held in Boston, MA. They focus on the targeting of STAT and IRAK4, the pivotal Phase III STIMULUS-MDS2 trial (NCT04266301) of sabatolimab, and lessons that can be learned from clinical trial failures. 

Updates in the treatment of SCD and thalassemia from EHA 2024: key trial updates, challenges with gene therapies & unmet needs

Today’s VJHemOnc podcast features experts Rabi Hanna, MD, The Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH, Subarna Chakravorty, MBBS, MRCPCH, FRCPath, PhD, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, and Ali Taher, MD, PhD, FRCP, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. They discuss key updates in sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia from the 29th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), held in Madrid, Spain.

 

The experts share key trial updates, including the Phase I/II RUBY trial (NCT04853576) of renizgamglogene autogedtemcel (reni-cel) for SCD, and the Phase III ENERGIZE trial (NCT04770779), investigating the safety and efficacy of mitapivat in non-transfusion-dependent (NTD) alpha- or beta-thalassemia. They also speak on unmet needs and challenges with gene therapies for these patients.

Unmet treatment needs in MF: managing prefibrotic disease & thrombocytopenia, novel agents & endpoints for clinical trials

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) characterized by bone marrow fibrosis, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and splenomegaly, often resulting in anemia and thrombocytopenia. There are many unmet treatment needs that remain in this space. 

This week’s podcast features a discussion from the International Workshop on Myelodysplastic Syndromes & Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (iwMDS 2024) held in Boston, MA. You will hear from Naveen Pemmaraju, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Abdulraheem Yacoub, MD, The University of Kansas, Westwood, KS, Aaron Gerds, MD, MS, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, and Claire Harrison, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, who discuss unmet treatment needs in MF. They focus on the management of prefibrotic MF and thrombocytopenia, novel agents beyond the JAK/STAT pathway, and endpoints for clinical trials. 

The role of BTK inhibitors in MCL, ongoing trials & future outlooks: updates from EHA 2024

The introduction of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors into the treatment landscape for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) has transformed the field and provided patients with a promising therapeutic option. In this podcast, you will hear from leading experts who discuss the value of these agents in MCL, sharing updates from EHA 2024.

Tune in as Manali Kamdar, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO, Tycel Phillips, MD, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, Chan Cheah, MBBS, Linear Clinical Research and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia, and Alexey Danilov, MD, PhD, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, share insights into the impact of BTK inhibitors on patient outcomes, the nuances between covalent and non-covalent BTK inhibitors, and further discuss ongoing trials evaluating these agents.

Novel developments in lower-risk MDS & important practical considerations when treating patients

In today’s VJHemOnc podcast, we will be sharing novel developments in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) and important practical considerations when treating patients.

You will hear from experts Amer Zeidan, MBBS, Yale University and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, Rena Buckstein, MD, FRCPC, Odette Cancer Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, and Andrew Brunner, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. They discuss important considerations for physicians when treating LR-MDS, providing valuable insights into some of the common pitfalls in clinical practice which may lead to suboptimal responses in patients.

Updates on the use of BCMA-targeting bispecific antibodies in R/R multiple myeloma: insights from EHA & ASCO 2024

BCMA-targeting bispecific antibodies treat multiple myeloma by binding to BCMA on malignant plasma cells and directing T-cells to initiate targeted cell killing. This podcast provides updates on the use of BCMA-targeting bispecific antibodies in relapsed/refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma from the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting and the 29th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA).

You will hear from Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, who discusses updated data from the MagnetisMM-3 trial (NCT04649359) of elranatamab and real-world findings from a French compassionate use program using this agent. Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, provides insights into the real-world step-up dosing of teclistamab to mitigate toxicities. Finally, Sundar Jagannath, MD, Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, discusses a matched adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) of the novel bispecific linvoseltamab with teclistamab, and the sequencing of bispecific antibodies with CAR T-cells. 

Updates in the treatment of CLL from EHA 2024: BTK and BCL2 inhibitor combinations, BTK degraders, and more

In today's VJHemOnc podcast, we will be sharing key updates in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Richter’s transformation (RT) from the 29th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Madrid, Spain.

 

You will hear from experts Toby Eyre, MBChB (Hons), DipMedEd, MRCP (UK), FRCPath (UK), MD, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK, and Lydia Scarfò, MD, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University & IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy, who will discuss combinations of BTK and BCL2 inhibitors, the efficacy of BTK degraders in CLL, and the role of epcoritamab in the treatment of RT.