U.S. military servicemembers diagnosed with lymphoma have superior overall survival compared with their civilian counterparts, according to a recent study.
Changing How Cancer Immunotherapy Is Delivered Could Save VHA Millions
Changing modes of delivery could save the VHA millions annually on the cost of cancer immunotherapy treatments, according to a new analysis.
VA Studies Provide Insight Into Improving Survival in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the third-most-common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality in the U.S. Because of their high rate of smoking and, potentially, military-related exposures, veterans are at greater risk of lung cancer than the general population.
Older VA Patients More Difficult to Treat for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Food and Drug Administration’s approval this spring of polatuzumab vedotin-piiq, marketed as Polivy by Genentech, Inc., for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has special significance for the VA because of its older population of patients....
Lymphoma Most Common Blood Cancer Diagnosed in Servicemembers
SAN ANTONIO – More than 700 active-duty U.S. servicemembers died between 2004 and 2015 of cancer, with lymphoma being the most common hematologic malignancy diagnosed, according to a new study. Researchers from the San Antonio Uniformed Service Health Consortium and...
Rural Residence Affects Clinical Trial Enrollment for Veterans With Blood Cancer
DURHAM, NC – Participation in clinical trials (CTs) remains low among cancer patients in general, but, in veterans, that issue is exacerbated because of the higher percentage of rural residents, according to a new study. “The barrier of rural residence is relevant to...
What Increases Survival Rates in Older Veterans with DLBCL?
The most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and its incidence steadily increases with age, according to recent research.
Better Understanding Leads to New Treatment Options for Follicular Lymphoma
Already a presumptive condition for Vietnam-era veterans exposed to Agent Orange and military personnel who were at Camp Lejeune in the mid-20th century, follicular lymphoma is also one of the presumptive conditions associated with burn put for Gulf War era and post-9/11 veterans under the new PACT Act. Recent advances have provided a greater understanding of the biological changes that precede the development of FL, a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and treatment options are improving.
Understanding Mechanisms Leading to B-Myeloid Lineage Switching in CLL
Lineage-switching is a mechanism that can lead to treatment resistance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and, though it’s a rare occurrence, it can be fatal.
Racial Disparity Found in VA Care When Novel CLL Treatments Introduced
In a new study, researchers said they were surprised when a review of first-line chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment showed racial disparities within the VA healthcare system, which is known for providing equitable care. Black veterans were found to be less likely to receive early novel agents to treat CLL compared to white ones. The situation improved over time, however, and survival rates did not appear to be affected.
New Therapeutic Combinations Show Promise in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Unlike veterans with a variety of types of lymphoma, the expanded list of presumptive conditions for the PACT Act did not include acute myeloid leukemia or other types of leukemia. Because AML occurs primarily in older adults, with an average age at diagnosis of 68, it remains a challenge for clinicians treating veterans receiving care from the VHA. The good news, according to recent studies, is that new combinations of treatment have now come online for older patients.
Sotorasib Results Promising; Targets NSCLC Mutation Linked to Heavy Smoking
HOUSTON—While declines have been noted in recent years, U.S. veterans use tobacco at considerably higher rates than those who have never served in the military. In recent decades that rate has been as high as 30%. The high smoking rate has increased the incidence of...
Immunotherapy Improves Outcomes for Veterans With Advanced NSCLC
DURHAM, NC—Not that long ago, chemotherapy (CT) using multi-agents was considered the standard of care for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. More recently, with the publication of clinical trials, immunotherapy (IO) has been shown to have benefits...
Does Age, Treatment Selection Drive Differences in ALL Outcomes?
Acute lymphoblastic (or lymphocytic) leukemia (ALL) occurs more often in children than in adults and has much better outcomes in youngsters.
Real-World Study Shows Veterans with NSCLC Benefit from Durvalumab
The continuing conundrum of clinical trials is how to assess their applicability to the patients actually seen in practice.
Walter Reed Researchers Tackle Issues with Real-World Data on Multiple Myeloma
Real-world data holds the promise of enabling a better understanding of how medications work in the type of patients typically seen in clinics and hospitals.
Combination Therapy Outperforms ADT Alone in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Studies have shown improved survival in patients who receive either docetaxel or androgen signaling agents (ASIs) such as abiraterone or enzalutamide in combination with androgen deprivation therapy.
VA’s Equal Access Care Mitigates Disparities in HCC Treatment, Outcomes
Rising rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have focused attention on improving all aspects of the malignancy, from new methods of screening, earlier detection, more efficacious treatment, and extended survival. At the same time, the increased number of cases has made differences in access and outcomes more apparent.
Nivolumab Plus Cabozantinib Improves Health-related Quality of Life in RCC
At the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago a new analysis of data from the CheckMate 9ER trial was presented.
VA Demonstrates Success in Remote Treatment of Aggressive Cancers
Initially, the TeleOncology service managed oral therapies and watchful waiting and surveillance of veterans with cancer, but it has expanded to offer remote supervision for intravenous cancer treatments.
VA Spent Millions on HPV-Related Cancer But No Vaccination Promotion
Vaccinations for Veterans, Servicemembers Half of Civilian Rate ST. LOUIS—Eligible active-duty servicemembers and veterans have dramatically lower rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, placing them at much greater risk of related cancers, according to a new...
Risk Score Measures NSCLC Surgery Quality
The VALCAN-O score, which uses a data set from the VHA, was developed for patients diagnosed with resectable early-stage nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Walter Reed, NIAID Scientists Help Develop Monoclonal Antibodies That Might Block Epstein-Barr Virus Infection; EBV Linked to MS Development
Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) have developed a panel of investigational monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target two key proteins—gH and gL—on the surface of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Large VA Study Finds Lower Prostate Cancer Screening Rates Associated With Subsequent Increases in Metastatic Cancer
Aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among male veterans. When diagnosed at an early stage, prostate cancer is highly curable.
Achieving Treatment-Free Remission in CML: Best Approaches, Best Candidates
In less than two decades, the advent of targeted therapies transformed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) from a death sentence with a five-year survival rate of just 22% to a chronic condition with five-year survival exceeding 90%.
VA Frailty Index Associated With Survival in AML Patients
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a particularly aggressive blood cancer that is most successfully treated with intensive chemotherapy. As the average age at diagnosis is 68, patients diagnosed with the disease are often too frail to withstand potentially curative treatment with induction regimens.
New BTK Inhibitor Extends Progression-Free Survival in CLL
A late-breaking presentation at the 64th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in New Orleans on Dec. 13 demonstrated that zanubrutinib outperformed ibrutinib in terms of both objective response rate and progression-free survival for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
Is It Time to Rethink Stem Cell Transplantation in Young Patients With MM?
BETHESDA, MD—Multiple myeloma (MM) is primarily a disease of the elderly, with an average age at diagnosis of 68. Still, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) do develop the blood disease and represent about 5% of all new cases. Because MM is so uncommon in younger age...
The Role of Cardiac Screening for CLL Patients on Ibrutinib
Ibrutinib transformed treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) when introduced in 2014. While it continues to be widely used, the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor is associated with a significant risk of cardiac adverse events, particularly cardiac arrhythmias.
Improving a Risk Model for VTE in Lung Cancer Patients Receiving ICI
The St. Louis VA investigators and colleagues at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Institute in Seattle sought to identify specific risk factors that predispose patients to ICI-associated VTE and could be used to stratify outpatients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for thromboprophylaxis.
