Bone Marrow Transplantation News

A majority of patients with cancer and their caregivers lack sufficient knowledge about advances in diagnostic and treatment options, according to results of a survey released by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Letermovir was highly effective in a phase 3 trial at preventing infection with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, in patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation who were CMV–seropositive at the time of transplant. Additionally, the drug was well-tolerated overall, with side effects comparable to placebo.

The FDA granted fast track designation to CMD-003 for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease associated with the oncogenic Epstein Barr virus, according to the agent’s manufacturer.

Due to advances in diagnostic methods and the development of preventive or pre-emptive strategies, the incidence of cytomegalovirus disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT, has fallen to 8% to 10% in the past decade. Yet, while the incidence of cytomegalovirus disease in HSCT recipients has improved, the indirect effects of cytomegalovirus still cause significant morbidity and mortality, and virus reactivation remains a risk factor for poor posttransplant outcomes.

Nearly one-third of nonelderly Americans recently diagnosed with cancer change their prescription drug use for financial reasons, according to an analysis published in Cancer.

This calendar year could be a pivotal one for oncology and hematology research, drug approvals and clinical trial results.

Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, director of the Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Jerome Lipper Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, took over as president of ASH in January.

Enrollment of adolescents in oncology trials remains significantly lower than that of children.

The use of metaphors for explaining randomization could ease the difficulty in recruiting patients to participate in randomized clinical trials, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

HLA–identical sibling transplantation showed promising long-term survival for children and adults with sickle cell disease, according to an international retrospective study.