VJHemOnc Podcast

CAR T-cells and bispecific antibodies in the treatment of NHL: updates from iwNHL 2024

Today's podcast features discussions from the 21st International Workshop on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (iwNHL) which took place in Nice, France. You will hear updates on the use of CAR T-cell therapy in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) from experts Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC, Stephen Schuster, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, and Jason Westin, MD, FACP, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. They discuss where CAR-T fits into the treatment landscape, managing toxicities, and the potential of allogeneic CAR-T products. 

You will also hear from Stephen Ansell, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Marion Subklewe, MD, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany, Martin Hutchings, MD, PhD, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Krish Patel, MD, Swedish Cancer Institute, Seattle, WA, who share insights into the use of bispecific antibodies in the treatment of NHL. Their discussion focuses on comparisons between CAR-T and bispecifics and the unique challenges of using bispecific antibodies, including mitigating toxicities. They also mention exciting combination approaches with antibody-drug conjugates and co-stimulatory agents.

Prolonging remission in AML: current approaches & future outlooks

Today's podcast features a discussion with leading experts Harry Erba, MD, PhD, Duke University, Durham, NC, Farhad Ravandi, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, and Thomas Cluzeau, MD, PhD, Central University Hospital of Nice, Nice, France, on strategies to prolong remission in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They focus on the roles of intensive chemotherapy, allogeneic stem cell transplantation, and maintenance therapies. Key topics include optimizing initial therapy to achieve deeper remissions, the benefits of using measurable residual disease (MRD) assays to tailor post-remission treatments, and exploring new maintenance options such as targeted agents.

A focus on the use of artificial intelligence to personalize blood cancer care

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

This episode focuses on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in personalizing blood cancer care. Carsten Niemann, MD, PhD, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, discusses the value of AI in hematological oncology and how it is currently used in the clinic. He then shares details of a treatment infection model for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that has been deployed in his institution. Gareth Morgan, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPath, NYU Langone, New York City, NY, delves into the role of AI in the classification of multiple myeloma and the prediction of patients who will need transplantation. He also touches on the use of AI to better understand genomic data.

A focus on pediatric leukemias: trials, treatments, & challenges

Welcome to the third episode of VJHemOnc’s Blood Cancer Awareness Month special series! 

The focus of this episode is pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). You will hear from Michele Redell, MD, Texas Children’s Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, who shares insights into the Pediatric Acute Leukemia (PedAL) Screening Trial and challenges that remain in the treatment of AML. Mark Litzow, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, discusses a study investigating drug responses in children compared to adults. Christina Peters, MD, St. Anna Children’s Hospital, Vienna, Austria, speaks on the FORUM trial (NCT01949129) and CAR-T therapy for pediatric patients. 

A focus on the psychosocial impacts of living with blood cancer

Welcome to the second episode of VJHemOnc’s Blood Cancer Awareness Month special series! 

Today's episode focuses on the psychosocial impacts of living with blood cancer. First, you will hear from Lorna Warwick, BA, Lymphoma Coalition, Toronto, Canada, who shares the work of the Lymphoma Coalition Global Patient Survey. Next, you will hear insights from Surabhi Chaturvedi, MBACP, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, who is a senior psychotherapist in hematological oncology. Finally, Charlie Craddock, CBE, FRCP, FRCPath, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, will discuss the psychosocial impacts of transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). 

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.