Report from the 54th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition — Malignant Hematology

Highlights of the latest research

Editors from Journal Watch Oncology and Hematology attended the recent meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Here, Dr. Michael Williams describes the latest findings in malignant hematology.

Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia: Cure Without Chemo?

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) are highly active agents in the treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML). In a phase III, prospective, randomized trial (abstract 6, Italian and German investigators compared the combination of ATO plus ATRA versus a standard chemotherapy-based regimen of ATRA plus idarubicin (AIDA) in 154 newly diagnosed patients with low- and intermediate-risk disease.

Complete-remission rates were similar between ATO/ATRA and A…

Author

Michael E. Williams, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAbbVie; AstraZeneca; Beigene; Janssen; Pharmacyclics

Grant/Research SupportJanssen

Editorial BoardsAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Approval Committee

Michael E. Williams, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAbbVie; AstraZeneca; Beigene; Janssen; Pharmacyclics

Grant/Research SupportJanssen

Editorial BoardsAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Approval Committee