Leukemia & Lymphoma

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare but deadly cancer. In 2018, approximately 19,500 new cases of AML were estimated to be diagnosed in the United States and more than 10,600 people to die from the disease. Clinical trials data show that up to 70% of adults with AML have disease that completely responds to initial treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, the 3-year survival rate for patients with AML remains poor, at approximately 25%.

Hairy-cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare and indolent hematologic cancer. HCL, which is 4 to 5 times more frequent in men than in women, accounts for 2% of all leukemias. Approximately 1000 new cases of HCL are diagnosed in the United States annually.

In 1944, Jan G. Waldenström, MD, published his observations about a series of patients who presented with anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, hyperviscosity, bleeding, lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate in the bone marrow, and a large serum protein or “macroglobulin.” Today, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, also known as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is classified as a rare, indolent, and heterogeneous type of lymphoma of the lymphatic system

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that is characterized by the production of abnormal myeloblasts, red blood cells, or platelets. AML originates in the bone marrow, but it often spreads into the blood and to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and central nervous system.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer of B-cell lymphocytes and is the most common type of leukemia in adults. More than 20,000 Americans were diagnosed with CLL in 2018.

The discontinuation of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) is considered safe and appropriate in consenting patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) under specific circumstances and with careful molecular monitoring, according to the updated National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) management guideline for CML.

An exploration of the challenges confronting older patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and their healthcare providers.

On October 31, 2017, the FDA granted an accelerated approval for acalabrutinib (Calquence; AstraZeneca), an oral BTK inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with mantle-cell lymphoma who have received at least 1 therapy.

On January 19, 2017, the FDA granted accelerated approval of a new indication for ibrutinib (Imbruvica; Pharmacyclics) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory MZL who require systemic therapy after at least 1 anti-CD20–based therapy.

On August 3, 2017, the FDA granted an accelerated approval for the new combination of daunorubicin and cytarabine liposome (Vyxeos; Jazz Pharmaceuticals), an intravenously infused drug, for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed therapy-related AML or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes.