CHICAGO—Screening all patients for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) before initiating chemotherapy for lymphoma is associated with improved clinical outcomes and is economically favorable, according to an analysis presented by researchers at the University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
CHICAGO—Treatments for multiple myeloma have advanced rapidly over the past 15 years as research has fostered an improved understanding of the mechanisms of the disease. These discoveries have been translated into effective drugs, most notably bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide.
CHICAGO—A new regimen of busulfan and melphalan extended eventfree survival over a regimen of carboplatin, etoposide, and melphalan (CEM) in a phase 3 clinical trial of patients with high-risk pediatric neuroblastoma.
The trial was terminated early after the superiority of the busulfan/melphalan myeloablative regimen became evident, said lead investigator Ruth Ladenstein, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, University of Vienna, and St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute, Vienna.
CHICAGO—Decitabine extends overall survival and improves response rates compared with standard therapies in the treatment of older patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), said Xavier G. Thomas, MD, PhD.
The treatment options for older patients with AML are limited. Intensive chemotherapy is generally poorly tolerated in this group, the initial mortality rate is high (exceeding 30% at 8 weeks), the response rate to chemotherapy is poor, and relapse rates are high.
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