Hematologic Malignancies

Less Intense Therapy May Be As Effective as Standard Care in Early-stage Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Reduced-intensity therapy may be just as effective but less toxic than a more intense regimen for patients with early-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma, German researchers report.
 
Fertility Preservation Technique May Be Harmful for Women with Leukemia
Reimplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue, a technique that has been used successfully in women with lymphoma or solid tumors, may cause disease recurrence in women with leukemia, a new study indicates.
 
Less Intense Induction Regimen Safe and Effective for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
Reduced-intensity induction therapy with a bortezomib-based regimen followed by maintenance is safe and effective for older patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, a new study suggests.
 
The study by Maria-Victoria Mateos, MD, of University Hospital of Salamanca, Spain, and her colleagues, which was published online in The Lancet Oncology, showed that major responses to induction therapy were achieved in similar percentages of patients but serious toxicity was significantly reduced with less frequent dosing.
 
Adding Rituximab to Chemotherapy Increases Survival in CLL
Adding the monoclonal antibody rituximab to chemotherapy signicantly increases both progression-free and overall survival in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the German Lymphocytic Leukemia Study Group reports.
 
Some CML Patients Can Safely Discontinue Imatinib, Study Suggests
Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have maintained complete molecular remission (CMR) for at least 2 years can safely discontinue imatinib therapy, French researchers report.
 
FDA Approves Dasatinib as First-line Treatment for Chronic-phase CML
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved dasatinib (Sprycel, Bristol-Myers Squibb) 100 mg once daily for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase.
 
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Cancer Progression and Death in CLL Patients
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have insufficient levels of vitamin D at the time of diagnosis are at greater risk of cancer progression and death than patients with adequate levels, Mayo Clinic researchers have found.
 
For Multiple Myeloma Patients at High Risk for Infection, Chemotherapy without High-dose Dexamethasone Can Help
Avoiding intermittent high-dose dexamethasone (HD) when administering the vincristine/doxorubicin/dexamethasone (VAD) regimen can reduce the risk for bacterial infection in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), suggest the results of a Japanese study published in the January issue of the International Journal of Hematology.