63rd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2021)

Second-line tisagenlecleucel renders no EFS benefit in aggressive B-cell lymphoma

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20220125180001

The anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment tisagenlecleucel did not improve event-free survival (EFS) compared with standard care in patients refractory or who had progressed following first-line therapy for aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, results of the phase III BELINDA trial showed.

DVT risk not raised after COVID-19 vaccination

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20220119180001

There is no apparent increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a study presented at ASH 2021.

Non-O blood type linked to higher VTE risk in cancer patients

VTE in cancer patients: Does blood type matter?

Pearl Toh, 20220118143500

Non-O blood type appears to be a risk factor for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE), particularly in patients who have cancer types with low to intermediate thrombotic risk, according to data from the Cancer and Thrombosis Study (CATS) presented at ASH 2021.

Long-term givosiran use shows sustained clinical benefit in patients with AHP

Elaine Soliven, 20220115000000

Long-term treatment with givosiran showed continued reduction in the composite annualized attack rate (AAR) of porphyria among patients with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP), according to the ENVISION* open-label extension (OLE) study presented at ASH 2021.

Pola-R-CHP triumphs over R-CHOP in improving PFS in DLBCL

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20220114180001

The combination of polatuzumab vedotin with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (pola-R-CHP) demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) over the standard-of-care (SoC) regimen of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to results of the phase III POLARIX study.

One-time beti-cel gene therapy potentially curative for TDT

Elvira Manzano, 20220113000000

One-time gene therapy in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) results in near-normal or normal haemoglobin levels and transfusion independence, suggesting its curative potential, a long follow-up study has shown.

IVO-AZA combo therapy boosts OS in IDH1-mutated AML

Elvira Manzano, 20220111000000

The combination of ivosidenib and azacitidine (IVO-AZA) improves event-free and overall survival (OS) vs AZA alone in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) bearing somatic mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), the AGILE trial has shown.

Fitusiran prophylaxis trumps standard care in preventing bleeds in haemophilia

Novel siRNA therapy prevents bleeding in haemophilia

Pearl Toh, 20220108130100

Prophylactic use of the investigational antithrombin siRNA fitusiran significantly reduces bleeding events in people with severe haemophilia compared with on-demand treatment with clotting factor concentrates, according to the phase III ATLAS-A/B trial presented at ASH 2021.

Vitamin D deficiency tied to increased pain-related hospitalizations in children with SCD

Elaine Soliven, 20220108000000

Low vitamin D levels were associated with an increased incidence of pain events leading to hospital admission among children with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a study presented at ASH 2021.

Prior stroke may influence ischaemic stroke risk in cancer patients

Roshini Claire Anthony, 20220107180001

Prior history of ischaemic stroke appears to affect the risk of ischaemic stroke in patients newly diagnosed with cancer, according to a study from Canada presented at ASH 2021.