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Estimates published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians project that more than 2 million people in the United States will receive a new cancer diagnosis in 2024. Of them, [...]

•CNS involvement is uncommon in HGBL NOS but highly prognostic for future CNS recurrence.•CNS recurrence was higher in patients with HGBL with blood or marrow involvement, CD5 expression, non–GCB cell of origin, and “DEL” phenotype.

Frequently patients with cancer ask about alterations in their lifestyle, taking vitamins or supplements, or other treatments or practices that will improve their outcome following a cancer diagnosis. Complementary and [...]

As the use of the electronic medical record (EMR) has greatly expanded over the past couple of decades, it has (partially) improved communication among health care professionals and allowed data [...]

The year 2023 has been an important one, with many discoveries of new therapies for diverse types of malignancies. There are also some big-picture topics in hematology/oncology that have some [...]

A standard of care and optimal duration of therapy have not been established for patients with multiply relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate epcoritamab, a novel CD3 × CD20 bispecific antibody, in the third-line and later setting of follicular lymphoma.

Treating and caring for patients with cancer can require a complex team of medical professionals who work together toward a common goal. This type of approach emerged in the 1980s [...]

ZUMA-1 safety management cohort 6 investigated the impact of prophylactic corticosteroids and earlier corticosteroids and/or tocilizumab on the incidence and severity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events (NEs) following axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (R/R LBCL). Prior analyses of cohort 6 with limited follow-up demonstrated no Grade ≥3 CRS, a low rate of NEs, and high response rates, without negatively impacting axi-cel pharmacokinetics. Herein, long-term outcomes of cohort 6 (N= 40) are reported (median follow-up, 26.9 months). Since the 1-year analysis (Oluwole, et al.Blood. 2022;138[suppl 1]:2832), no new CRS was reported. Two new NEs occurred in two patients (Grade 2 dementia unrelated to axi-cel; Grade 5 axi-cel–related leukoencephalopathy). Six new infections and eight deaths (five progressive disease; one leukoencephalopathy; two COVID-19) occurred. Objective and complete response rates remained at 95% and 80%, respectively. Median duration of response and progression-free survival were reached at 25.9 and 26.8 months, respectively. Median overall survival has not yet been reached. Eighteen patients (45%) remained in ongoing response at data cutoff. With ≥2 years of follow-up, prophylactic corticosteroids and earlier corticosteroids and/or tocilizumab continued to demonstrate CRS improvement without compromising efficacy outcomes, which remained high and durable.

Hodgkin lymphoma is a highly curable malignancy, with an excellent prognosis. However, around 10% to 25% of patients will have primary refractory or relapsed disease, despite using riskadapted strategies. The standard of care for patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma has been cytoreduction using salvage chemotherapy, followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Studies have shown that AHSCT produces a durable response rate of 50%, and that patients achieve a complete response with salvage chemotherapy. The outcomes for patients who do not respond to salvage chemotherapy or relapse after an AHSCT have been poor, with a median survival of 25 months. However, with the approval of novel agents over the last decade, the outcomes for patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma have improved significantly. In this article, we present a case of a patient with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma who responded to salvage chemotherapy incorporating brentuximab vedotin, a novel agent., Case Presentation A 21-year-old woman presented in 2006 with a persistent nonproductive cough and exertional shortness of breath. Further workup of her cough revealed a mediastinal and right hilar mass. [...]

With 1 in 3 individuals receiving a cancer diagnosis sometime during their lifetime, we all are likely to experience cancer ourselves or to have a relative or close friend with [...]

The fourth annual LEAD Conference for women in hematology/oncology was held October 7 and 8, 2022. LEAD stands for Leadership, Empowerment, and Development. Unlike conferences that usually center on diseases [...]

•BT does not have a significant influence on response rates, progression-free survival, and overall survival for patients who receive axi-cel.•BT with radiation results in similar outcomes as nonradiation-based BT.

•Patients with blastoid and pleomorphic variant MCL have suboptimal outcomes.•Receipt of auto-HCT, MIPI score, and complete response to induction were associated with PFS; auto-HCT was not associated with OS.

Burnout and the related morale injury it causes are characterized by physical and/or emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased effectiveness. Burnout is all too common in physicians and is estimated to [...]

Avariety of scientific discoveries, clinical trial results, and information about malignant and nonmalignant hematologic disorders emerged at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) held last December. [...]

•HGBL-NOS is a highly heterogeneous category; PFS (55% at 2 years) did not significantly differ between R-CHOP and intensified regimens.•A dual-expressor (MYC and BCL2) immunophenotype and TP53alterations, but not MYCalterations, were significantly associated with worse PFS.

An increasing number of exciting new oral medications are being discovered for the treatment of various types of malignancies, including breast cancer, lung cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and multiple myeloma, [...]

With continuing improvement in early detection, screening, and treatments for different types of malignancies, the number of cancer survivors is increasing steadily. This as well as the aging of the [...]

As the voice of cancer care clinicians and the patients they serve, ASCO has taken steps to elevate awareness about biosimilar products and their use in oncology. In 2018, ASCO released its Statement on Biosimilars in Oncology which was subsequently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncologyto serve as an educational tool which highlighted and provided guidance on several topical areas surrounding biosimilars. At the time of its publication, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved eight biosimilar products for use in the United States, including one product for use as a supportive care agent in the cancer setting and two products for use in the treatment for cancer. This number has risen dramatically (40 approvals), with a total of 22 cancer or cancer-related biosimilar products approved since 2015. Recently, the FDA also approved the four interchangeable biosimilar products for diabetes, certain inflammatory diseases, and certain ophthalmic diseases. Given the current market dynamics and the regulatory landscape, this ASCO manuscript now seeks to propose several policy recommendations across the scope of value, interchangeability, clinician barriers, and patient education and access. This policy statement is intended to guide ASCO's future activities and strategies and serves to affirm our commitment to providing education to the oncology community on the use of biosimilars in the cancer setting.

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) was founded in 1936 by the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. Initially, testing after training provided lifelong certification. However, [...]

The 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition (ASH 2021) took place in December in Atlanta, Georgia, and included an in-person event as well as a virtual platform. [...]

We are coming up on almost 2 years of treating our immunocompromised patients in hematology/oncology while trying to keep them safe from COVID-19 infections. At the same time, new treatments [...]

The LEAD 2021 conference recently brought together leaders in hematology-oncology for a daylong virtual event focusing on essential career development, networking, oral abstract presentations, and awards. What makes this conference [...]

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, hematology/oncology physicians who specialize in the care of patients with cancer reported high levels of symptoms consistent with burnout, including frustration (78%), emotional exhaustion [...]

Telehealth as a method of health care delivery has taken on greater significance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for its ability to increase access to care for [...]

A landmark study published in 2007 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) predicted a major shortfall of medical oncologists by the year 2020. (1) This study, which was [...]

With the introduction of large-scale molecular profiling methods and high-throughput sequencing technologies, the genomic features of most lymphoid neoplasms have been characterized at an unprecedented scale. Although the principles for the classification and diagnosis of these disorders, founded on a multidimensional definition of disease entities, have been consolidated over the past 25 years, novel genomic data have markedly enhanced our understanding of lymphomagenesis and enriched the description of disease entities at the molecular level. Yet, the current diagnosis of lymphoid tumors is largely based on morphological assessment and immunophenotyping, with only few entities being defined by genomic criteria. This paper, which accompanies the International Consensus Classification of mature lymphoid neoplasms, will address how established assays and newly developed technologies for molecular testing already complement clinical diagnoses and provide a novel lens on disease classification. More specifically, their contributions to diagnosis refinement, risk stratification, and therapy prediction will be considered for the main categories of lymphoid neoplasms. The potential of whole-genome sequencing, circulating tumor DNA analyses, single-cell analyses, and epigenetic profiling will be discussed because these will likely become important future tools for implementing precision medicine approaches in clinical decision making for patients with lymphoid malignancies.

Since the publication of the Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplasms in 1994, subsequent updates of the classification of lymphoid neoplasms have been generated through iterative international efforts to achieve broad consensus among hematopathologists, geneticists, molecular scientists, and clinicians. Significant progress has recently been made in the characterization of malignancies of the immune system, with many new insights provided by genomic studies. They have led to this proposal. We have followed the same process that was successfully used for the third and fourth editions of the World Health Organization Classification of Hematologic Neoplasms. The definition, recommended studies, and criteria for the diagnosis of many entities have been extensively refined. Some categories considered provisional have now been upgraded to definite entities. Terminology for some diseases has been revised to adapt nomenclature to the current knowledge of their biology, but these modifications have been restricted to well-justified situations. Major findings from recent genomic studies have impacted the conceptual framework and diagnostic criteria for many disease entities. These changes will have an impact on optimal clinical management. The conclusions of this work are summarized in this report as the proposed International Consensus Classification of mature lymphoid, histiocytic, and dendritic cell tumors.

For the outcome of clinical trials to have validity, participants should represent the patients that will be using the medical products, though this is often not the case. Racial and [...]

Anyone who has run a marathon knows that while the first 25 miles are no fun, it is the last 1.2 miles when you have to double down and drag [...]

Despite the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a very exciting virtual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting & Exposition took place in early December 2020. The conference featured presentations [...]

Real-world evidence (RWE) is generated from real-world data, which can be obtained from observational data outside of the clinical research setting, and could include electronic medical records (EMRs), claims and [...]

During the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many health care facilities needed to focus on screening for and treating patients with known or suspected COVID-19. This resulted [...]

Now that the world has been dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for several months, we have learned so much. Some of the modifications we have made have [...]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting every aspect of medical care worldwide. Our patients with an oncologic diagnosis are among the most vulnerable populations. In addition, oncology patients [...]

Background and Methods. The diffuse large cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that are potentially curable. To identify important predictors of clinical outcome, the authors evaluated the clinical and pathologic features of 114 patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who were uniformly staged and treated with curative intent. The authors were particularly interested in determining whether any pathologic features added to the ability of the clinical features to predict patient survival. Results. Several clinical and pathologic features were found to be associated with survival by univariate analysis. However, multivariate analysis disclosed that only the stage of disease and the symptom status were significantly associated with survival. Low stage and lack of B symptoms were favorable indicators of overall survival and failure-free survival. Conclusions. The authors suggest that the evaluation of pathologic features in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has little prognostic utility and recommend that the pathology evaluation be limited to features that are useful for diagnostic purposes. Cancer 1993; 71:3130-7.

Background. Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), although the most common T-cell lymphoma in adults, is relatively rare in childhood, and only small series have been reported. Methods/Results. Twenty-two cases of PTCL were studied that occurred in patients 18 months to 20 years of age. Nine were seen when the condition was diagnosed, and the other 13 were referred after they had relapses. The stage at diagnosis was I or II (45%), III (41%), and IV (14%). Patients with Stage IV disease were younger than those with Stage I or II disease (2.5 versus 14.8 years, P = 0.04). Twelve patients had extranodal disease when the diagnosis was made; the skin was the most common site. Ten tumors were classified as diffuse large cell type; five, as diffuse anaplastic large cell type; and s*even, as diffuse mixed cell type. Twenty of the 21 tumors tested were CD30 (Ki-1 or Ber-H2) antigen positive. Of the nine patients seen when the diagnosis was made and treated by the authors, three had a relapse (median, 12 months), a 2-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate of 61%. For the total group, the RFS was longer for patients older than 12 years of age compared with those who were younger (20 versus 12 months, P = 0.05). Overall, six patients remained in their first complete remission. Sixteen patients had a relapse, and 13 of these underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Six of these remained in complete remission (median, 18 months after BMT). Overall, only 6 of 22 patients died (median survival, > 60 months). Conclusion. It was concluded that aggressive therapy, including BMT for relapses, can provide prolonged disease control in most children with PTCL. Cancer 1993; 71:257-63.

Hodgkin's disease is often curable with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and cure may even be possible after the failure of an initial chemotherapy regimen. However, a poor prognosis awaits patients with early relapse after complete remission; those who do not achieve remission with chemotherapy; and those who do not achieve remission even after more than one chemotherapy regimen. Autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT), a procedure in which previously removed and stored bone marrow is reinfused into a patient after extremely high doses of chemotherapy are given, is successful for treating many malignancies, but is often withheld until late in the course of Hodgkin's disease. To determine the optimal time for ABMT in relapsed Hodgkin's disease, 70 patients were studied who underwent this procedure after chemotherapy treatment with high-dose cyclophosphamide, carmustine, and etoposide. All patients had been treated with at least one previous chemotherapy regimen, and 29 had been treated with 3 or more. Forty percent of the patients had received radiotherapy as part of their initial treatment. Results showed that 59 percent of the patients who underwent ABMT achieved a complete remission; 11 percent responded partially; 19 percent did not respond; and 11 percent died. The 4-year disease-free survival was approximately 27 percent, and 4-year survival was approximately 47 percent. Patients treated earlier in the course of the disease fared significantly better than those in whom several chemotherapy regimens failed. High-dose chemotherapy plus ABMT appears more effective than salvage chemotherapy (another regimen begun after failure) for patients with relapsed Hodgkin's disease. This treatment should be carried out as soon as possible after relapse. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

This phase 1-2 study evaluated brentuximab vedotin (BV) combined with nivolumab (Nivo) as first salvage therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). In parts 1 and 2, patients received staggered dosing of BV and Nivo in cycle 1, followed by same-day dosing in cycles 2 to 4. In part 3, both study drugs were dosed, same day, for all 4 cycles. At end of study treatment, patients could undergo autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) per investigator discretion. The objective response rate (ORR; N = 91) was 85%, with 67% achieving a complete response (CR). At a median follow-up of 34.3 months, the estimated progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 3 years was 77% (95% confidence interval [CI], 65% to 86%) and 91% (95% CI, 79% to 96%) for patients undergoing ASCT directly after study treatment. Overall survival at 3 years was 93% (95% CI, 85% to 97%). The most common adverse events (AEs) prior to ASCT were nausea (52%) and infusion-related reactions (43%), all grade 1 or 2. A total of 16 patients (18%) had immune-related AEs that required systemic corticosteroid treatment. Peripheral blood immune signatures were consistent with an activated T-cell response. Median gene expression of CD30 in tumors was higher in patients who responded compared with those who did not. Longer-term follow-up of BV and Nivo as a first salvage regimen shows durable efficacy and impressive PFS, especially in patients who proceeded directly to transplant, without additional toxicity concerns. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02572167.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a unique subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) with distinct clinicopathologic features and poor prognosis. We performed a subset analysis of 282 patients with AITL enrolled between 2006 and 2018 in the international prospective T-cell Project (NCT01142674). The primary and secondary end points were 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively. We analyzed the prognostic impact of clinical covariates and progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) and developed a novel prognostic score. The median age was 64 years, and 90% of patients had advanced-stage disease. Eighty-one percent received anthracycline-based regimens, and 13% underwent consolidative autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in first complete remission (CR1). Five-year OS and PFS estimates were 44% and 32%, respectively, with improved outcomes for patients who underwent ASCT in CR1. In multivariate analysis, age ≥60 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status >2, elevated C-reactive protein, and elevated β2 microglobulin were associated with inferior outcomes. A novel prognostic score (AITL score) combining these factors defined low-, intermediate-, and high-risk subgroups with 5-year OS estimates of 63%, 54%, and 21%, respectively, with greater discriminant power than established prognostic indices. Finally, POD24 was a powerful prognostic factor with 5-year OS of 63% for patients without POD24 compared with only 6% for patients with POD24 (P < .0001). These data will require validation in a prospective cohort of homogeneously treated patients. Optimal treatment of AITL continues to be an unmet need, and novel therapeutic approaches are required.