Haematological Malignancies

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains largely an incurable disease with only a small percentage of patients achieving long-term remission.1 Here, we highlight some of the major studies on MM presented at the American Society of Hematology meeting in December 2021. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and smouldering myeloma The Iceland Screens, Treats, or Prevents Multiple Myeloma (iStopMM) […]

Background on anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy Despite notable advances in the development of new drugs and the improvement of survival rates over the last 20 years, multiple myeloma (MM) persists as an incurable disease and nearly 35,000 new cases are expected in the USA each year.1,2 The emergence of novel immunotherapies treatments has changed the therapeutic landscape […]

Marginal zone lymphoma subtypes Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that accounts for 5.0%–10.0% of NHLs.1 There are three subtypes of MZL: extranodal (including mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue [MALT]), splenic and nodal.1 Extranodal MZL (EMZL) is the most common type of MZL and accounts for about 70% of all cases of MZLs, occuring in […]

B-cell signalling pathways are critical regulators of B-cell development, expansion, and survival and function via various mediators, including Src family kinases (SFKs), spleen tyrosine kinase, Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) (Figure 1).1,2 BTK, a member of the Tec protein tyrosine kinase (TEC) family, is overexpressed in many B-cell leukaemias and lymphomas, and […]

Dr Shaji Kumar, one of our Editors-in-Chief for touchREVIEWS in Oncology & Haematology, discusses his presentation at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition on the final overall survival results from BELLINI, a phase III study of venetoclax or placebo in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Intro: 00:12-00:18 Questions 1. Could […]

Professor Michael Mauro (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, USA) discusses the 48-week update from the ASCEMBL trial, a multicenter, open-label, phase III study of the efficacy and safety of asciminib, a first-in-class STAMP inhibitor, vs Bosutinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase after ≥2 prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors: […]

touchONCOLOGY editorial board member Professor Robin Foà (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) discusses his recent phase II study exploring the benefits, efficacy and safety of tyrosine kinase inhibitors dasatinib–blinatumomab for the treatment of Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults. Questions What is the rationale for the use of dasatinib plus glucocorticoids, followed by blinatumomab, rather […]

The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy provides an overall survival benefit in aggressive lymphomas,1 whereas for indolent lymphoma subtypes this addition has resulted in improvements in progression-free survival.2 For more than two decades, immunotherapy with monoclonal ‘naked’ antibodies targeting CD20 remained the primary representative of this therapeutic modality,3 with a small number of patients receiving anti-CD20 radioimmunotherapy.4 A […]