Mutations of FLT3 are found in approximately 30 % of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with the internal tandem duplication (ITD) representing the most common type. FLT3-ITDhigh is associated with high leukemia burden and poor prognosis. Quizartinib has been developed as a potent and selective, second-generation type II FLT3 inhibitor.
Patients of an advanced age with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) usually receive chemoimmunotherapy regimens such as bendamustine/rituximab (BR), R-CHOP or bortezomib/rituximab/cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/prednisone (VR-CAP), with BR having become the most commonly used first-line strategy.
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a common indolent form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that accounts for 20-25 % of all new NHL cases in Western countries. Although patients with FL generally respond well to first-line anti-CD20-based chemotherapy regimens, recurrence is common.
The open-label, multicenter, randomized phase III ASPEN trial was set up to assess the efficacy and safety of the potent, selective, irreversible next-generation BTK inhibitor zanubrutinib in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM). Cohort 1 of the study included patients with MYD88-mutated disease (n = 201); here, zanubrutinib was compared to ibrutinib after 1:1 randomization.
The prognosis is still poor for most patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) irrespective of therapeutic advances that have recently been achieved. There is a need for convenient, efficacious, well-tolerated, and readily available treatment options.
Patients with marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) usually show an indolent course of disease, although MZL remains largely incurable, particularly in the relapsed/refractory setting. BTK inhibition offers a potent treatment option in this situation. The single-arm, multicenter, phase II MAGNOLIA study tested the next-generation BTK inhibitor zanubrutinib in patients with relapsed/refractory MZL who had received ≥ 1 CD20-based regimen, demonstrating high response rates and durable disease control.
In fit patients with advanced CLL of favorable genetic risk, chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) consisting of fludarabine/cyclophosphamide/rituximab (FCR) or bendamustine/rituximab (BR) still represents the treatment standard. Another potential strategy, however, is time-limited therapy consisting of obinutuzumab plus venetoclax (GV) with or without a BTK inhibitor.
After 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago, USA, and virtually from 3rd–7th June 2022, featured nearly 250 oral as well as over 2,200 poster presentations. Shortly thereafter, the 27th Congress of the European Hematology Association 2022, held in Vienna, Austria, and virtually, from 9th–12th June 2022, saw leading experts from around the world gather again to further discuss the most exciting updates in the field of hematology with key updates summarized in 200 oral presentations and 1,400 posters.
