Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

Ibrutinib continues to show unprecedented results in patients with mantle cell lymphoma

An international study of ibrutinib in people with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) continues to show unprecedented and durable results with few side effects.

15 Dec 2012

Iclusig gets FDA approval for two rare blood and bone marrow diseases

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Iclusig (ponatinib) to treat adults with chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL), two rare blood and bone marrow diseases.

15 Dec 2012

FDA grants accelerated approval to ARIAD’s Iclusig for treatment of CML, Ph+ ALL

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that following a priority review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval of Iclusig (ponatinib) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic, accelerated or blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is resistant or intolerant to prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy or Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) that is resistant or intolerant to prior TKI therapy.

14 Dec 2012

High-risk leukemia patients respond to novel drug

A third of adult leukemia patients given the novel drug quizartinib during a phase II study have achieved a composite response of either complete remission, or remission with incomplete platelet recovery or incomplete hematologic recovery, report US researchers.

14 Dec 2012

Biological factors, cell behaviour drive tumour growth contributing to therapy failure and relapse

Cancer scientists led by Dr. John Dick at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have found a way to follow single tumour cells and observe their growth over time. By using special immune-deficient mice to propagate human colorectal cancer, they found that genetic mutations, regarded by many as the chief suspect driving cancer growth, are only one piece of the puzzle. The team discovered that biological factors and cell behaviour - not only genes - drive tumour growth, contributing to therapy failure and relapse.

14 Dec 2012

Scientists discover FAIM molecule as potential biomarker for bone marrow cancer

Singapore scientists have identified FAIM, a molecule that typically prevents cell death, as a potential biomarker to identify an incurable form of cancer in the bone marrow.

14 Dec 2012

Doctors should use different therapies when treating older and younger patients with CLL

Doctors should use different therapies when treating older and younger patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a new study led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James).

13 Dec 2012

TKI-resistant human leukemia stem cells are the source of genomic instability

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from Temple University School of Medicine, has found that a source of mounting genomic chaos, or instability, common to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) may lie in a pool of leukemia stem cells that are immune to treatment with potent targeted anticancer drugs.

12 Dec 2012

Inotuzumab ozogamicin selectively destroys malignant cells responsible for ALL in weekly dosing

A potent chemotherapy agent wrapped within a monoclonal antibody selectively destroys the malignant cells responsible for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in either weekly or monthly dosing, researchers report at the 54th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.

12 Dec 2012

Final data from Aeterna Zentaris’ perifosine plus sorafenib Phase 2 study on lymphomas

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that final Phase 2 data demonstrated that the combination of perifosine, its oral AKT inhibitor, and sorafenib, was well tolerated by heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory lymphomas.

12 Dec 2012

Astellas, Ambit announce results from quizartinib Phase 2 study on acute myeloid leukemia

Astellas Pharma Inc. and Ambit Biosciences Corporation announced today that the results from a completed Phase 2 study with the investigational FLT3 inhibitor, quizartinib (AC220), as an oral monotherapy treatment regimen in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

11 Dec 2012

Studies examine current treatment standards for patients with clotting disorders

Studies presented today at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) examine current treatment standards for patients with clotting disorders in an effort to improve outcomes.

11 Dec 2012

Study finds high serum galectin-1 levels in Hodgkin lymphoma patients

Blood levels of an immunity-related protein, galectin-1, in patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma reflected the extent of their cancer and correlated with other predictors of outcome, scientists reported at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

11 Dec 2012

Ibrutinib highly active and well tolerated in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Updated results from a Phase Ib/II clinical trial indicates that a novel therapeutic agent for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is highly active and well tolerated in patients who have relapsed and are resistant to other therapy.

11 Dec 2012

Tacrolimus plus sirolimus not better than standard regimen in preventing GVHD

An experimental drug combination for preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was not significantly better than the standard regimen on key endpoints, according to a report of a phase 3 trial at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

11 Dec 2012

Combination of ibrutinib and rituximab shows promise against chronic lymphocytic leukemia

A two-prong approach combining ibrutinib and rituximab (Rituxin) to treat aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) produced profound responses with minor side effects in a Phase 2 clinical trial at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2012

Research unveils key gaps in continuity of care for sickle cell patients

Research unveiling key gaps in continuity of care for sickle cell patients transitioning from pediatric to adult care will be presented this week during the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

11 Dec 2012

Weill Cornell research team develops new experimental drug therapy to target DLBCL

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer. The most chemotherapy resistant form of DLBCL, called activated B-cell - DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL), remains a major therapeutic challenge.

11 Dec 2012

Quizartinib shows promise against acute myeloid leukemia in Phase II trial

A new drug for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) marked by a specific type of genetic mutation has shown surprising promise in a Phase II clinical trial.

11 Dec 2012

Intensified chemotherapy can reduce risk of relapse in pediatric patients with B-ALL

Young patients with an aggressive form of leukemia who are likely to relapse after chemotherapy treatment can significantly reduce those odds by receiving additional courses of chemotherapy, suggest the findings of a clinical trial led by investigators at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston.

11 Dec 2012

Leukemia News and Research

Further Reading

Ibrutinib continues to show unprecedented results in patients with mantle cell lymphoma

Iclusig gets FDA approval for two rare blood and bone marrow diseases

FDA grants accelerated approval to ARIAD’s Iclusig for treatment of CML, Ph+ ALL

High-risk leukemia patients respond to novel drug

Biological factors, cell behaviour drive tumour growth contributing to therapy failure and relapse

Scientists discover FAIM molecule as potential biomarker for bone marrow cancer

Doctors should use different therapies when treating older and younger patients with CLL

TKI-resistant human leukemia stem cells are the source of genomic instability

Inotuzumab ozogamicin selectively destroys malignant cells responsible for ALL in weekly dosing

Final data from Aeterna Zentaris’ perifosine plus sorafenib Phase 2 study on lymphomas

Astellas, Ambit announce results from quizartinib Phase 2 study on acute myeloid leukemia

Studies examine current treatment standards for patients with clotting disorders

Study finds high serum galectin-1 levels in Hodgkin lymphoma patients

Ibrutinib highly active and well tolerated in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Tacrolimus plus sirolimus not better than standard regimen in preventing GVHD

Combination of ibrutinib and rituximab shows promise against chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Research unveils key gaps in continuity of care for sickle cell patients

Weill Cornell research team develops new experimental drug therapy to target DLBCL

Quizartinib shows promise against acute myeloid leukemia in Phase II trial

Intensified chemotherapy can reduce risk of relapse in pediatric patients with B-ALL

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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