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.

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.

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).

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.