News and Treatment Updates
Here's where you'll find a regularly updated, broad range of articles written by the AAMDSIF team, allied health organizations and news organizations. By staying well-informed, patients and families are practicing a form of self-support that will help them be more effective self-advocates when engaging with health care providers.
mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Sparks Strong Antibody Response in Patients With AML and MDS
Originally Published: 11/30/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
The mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe and Effective for Most Patients with Cancer
For most patients with cancer, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. This article explains the results of the first study that evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines in patients with solid cancers, such as lung, breast, or prostate cancer.
November 2021 – Lung Cancer
Laura Morgan
The recent death of Colin L. Powell in October 2021 from COVID-19 complications led to a flurry of questions and misinformation. Although he received 2 shots of an mRNA vaccine, people ignored the...
FDA Approves First Treatment for Common Type of Post-Transplant Infection that is Resistant to Other Drugs
Originally Published: 11/23/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
For Immediate Release:
November 23, 2021
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Livtencity (maribavir) as the first drug for treating adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older and weighing at least 35 kilograms) with post-transplant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/disease that does not respond (with or without genetic mutations that cause resistance) to available antiviral treatment for CMV. Livtencity works by preventing the activity of human cytomegalovirus enzyme pUL97, thus blocking virus replication.
(Please follow the link to the complete article.)
Cost-effectiveness analysis of oral azacitidine maintenance therapy in acute myeloid leukemia
Originally Published: 11/18/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
TO THE EDITOR:
Maintenance therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after induction and consolidation chemotherapy has been studied for more than 2 decades.1 No randomized trial had shown an overall survival (OS) benefit compared with observation until the recent QUAZAR AML-001 trial of oral azacitidine.2
The QUAZAR AML-001 trial randomized 472 patients with transplant-ineligible AML ≥ 55 years of age, who were in complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete count recovery after induction and/or consolidation therapy, to maintenance therapy with oral azacitidine or placebo.2 Oral...
Blood and marrow transplants (BMT) help people with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
Originally Published: 11/10/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
Not enough people have access to life-saving transplant
Although BMT is the only known cure for MDS, many people aren’t aware of BMT or think that they’re too old to have one because of its side effects.
Using smaller doses of therapy with BMT have made it safer. Now a new study of 400 older adults, aged 50 to 75, suggests that this type of BMT, along with a matched donor, helps people with advanced MDS live longer with a similar quality of life.
(Please follow link above for complete article)
MDS Update Q3 2021
Originally Published: 10/29/2021
Article Source: MDS Update
Comparison Between 5-Azacytidine Treatment and Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplantation in Elderly Patients With Advanced MDS According to Donor Availability (VidazaAllo Study)
Originally Published: 10/20/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
PURPOSE
In contrast to 5-azacytidine (5-aza), allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) represents a curative treatment strategy for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), but therapy-related mortality (TRM) limits its broader use in elderly patients with MDS. The present prospective multicenter study compared HSCT following 5-aza pretreatment with continuous 5-aza treatment in patients with higher-risk MDS age 55-70 years.
METHODS
One hundred ninety patients with a median age of 63 years were enrolled. Patients received 4-6 cycles of 5-aza followed by HLA-compatible HSCT after...
Hematologic complications of immune checkpoint inhibitors
Originally Published: 10/05/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a class of anti-neoplastic therapies that unleash immune cells to kill malignant cells. There are currently 7 medications FDA-approved for the treatment of 14 solid tumors and 2 hematological malignancies. These medications commonly cause immune-related adverse effects due to overactive T lymphocytes, autoantibody production, and/or cytokine dysregulation. Hematological toxicities are rare and of uncertain mechanism, and therefore management is often based on experiences with familiar conditions involving these perturbed immune responses, such as autoimmune...
Scientists discover novel therapeutic strategy for FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia
Originally Published: 09/27/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
A new type of targeting chaperon protein HSP70 inhibitor QL47 was recently discovered by a team led by Prof. LIU Qingsong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to treat FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Their findings have been published on Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.
What we are seeking is a new therapeutic strategy which imperative for FLT3-ITD-positive AML." - Hu Chen, Study's Lead Author
Approximately, 25% of AMLs carry FLT3-ITD (internal tandem duplication) oncogenic mutations, and FLT3 kinase inhibitors have...
AML Management: Feel Better With Food and Physical Activity
Originally Published: 09/24/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
If you’re receiving treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it probably feels like a lot of things are outside your control. But there are many small choices you can make each day — doable steps that can help you feel better inside and out.
“It’s important to have achievable nutrition and exercise goals to support your physical and mental health,” says cancer specialist Hetty Carraway, MD, MBA. In other words: Eating well and getting physical exercise will help you stay strong both in body and mind.
AML nutrition
When you’re undergoing cancer treatment, you need to keep up your...
VIALE-A Trial: Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Originally Published: 09/24/2021
Article Source: External Web Content
(Partial video transcript; please use link to view video or complete transcript)
Daniel Pollyea, MD, MS: The VIALE-A trial was a landmark confirmatory study mandated by the FDA for full approval of venetoclax. It was a randomized study that enrolled newly diagnosed patients with AML [acute myeloid leukemia] who were older or unfit for intensive chemotherapy. It randomly assigned them to receive azacitidine alone, which has been the standard of care in the United States for this population, or venetoclax plus azacitidine. The results were very clear. Based on all the relevant end points,...