Attendance at professional conferences is an important component of career development, because conferences are a major forum for presenting new research, interacting with colleagues and networking. An extensive literature documents differences in the professional experiences of women and men, including experiences at professional conferences. We hypothesized that women are less likely than men to ask questions at conferences, thus forgoing opportunities for professional development. To address this issue, we analyzed the question-asking behavior of women and men at the 2019 Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology. In all, 112 sessions (55% of those eligible) were randomly chosen for coding, yielding data on 577 presentations. Although approximately 50% of moderators and speakers were women, the proportion of questions asked by women was significantly lower compared with the estimated proportion of women attending the conference (23% vs 39%; P < .0001). Women were more likely to ask questions if another woman asked the first question or if the session topic was red cells. These results suggest that although women are represented equally as moderators and speakers, they are less likely to engage in the postpresentation discourse by asking questions. Encouraging women to speak up in professional situations and providing training on question-asking skills can help address this gender gap that potentially contributes to disparities in professional visibility and career advancement for women in hematology.
View details for DOI 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002714
View details for PubMedID 33166404
Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL), atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML), and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms, unclassifiable (MDS/MPN-U) are a group of rare, heterogeneous myeloid disorders. There is strong morphologic resemblance amongst these distinct diagnostic entities as well as lack of specific molecular markers and limited understanding of disease pathogenesis, which has made diagnosis challenging in certain cases. The treatment has remained empirical, resulting in dismal outcomes. We, therefore, performed whole exome and RNA-sequencing of these rare hematologic malignancies and present the most complete survey of the genomic landscape of these diseases to date. We observed a diversity of combinatorial mutational patterns that generally do not cluster within any one diagnosis. Gene expression analysis reveals enrichment, but not co-segregation of clinical and genetic disease features with transcriptional clusters. In conclusion, these group of diseases represent a continuum of related diseases rather than discrete diagnostic entities.
View details for DOI 10.1182/blood.2019000611
View details for PubMedID 31366621
PURPOSE: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer face significant challenges with regard to fatigue, reduced physical activity, and social isolation, which may negatively impact quality of life. This study investigated whether the use of digital wearable technology (Fitbits, along with synced iPads) can affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in AYA aged patients with cancer.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study that offered Fitbits and iPads to all AYA patients aged 15 to 29 at an academic medical center at the time of cancer diagnosis. Patients completed the Short Form Health Survey developed by RAND (RAND-36) assessing eight dimensions of HRQOL on entering the study and at the time of their 6-month follow-up or the end of treatment, whichever occurred first. At the time of follow-up, patients also completed a questionnaire that assessed user experience, including frequency of wearable device use, enjoyment, challenges, and participation, in online communities.RESULTS: Thirty-three patients participated in the study. Most patients reported enjoying the digital technology and using the devices to track multiple aspects of their health (85%). Most also reported a subjective increase in physical activity (79%). After the intervention, participants demonstrated significant improvements across all eight dimensions of HRQOL measured by the RAND-36 (p<0.00 to 0.01).CONCLUSION: Distributing wearable technology at the time of diagnosis may provide an avenue for improving HRQOL in adolescents and young adults with cancer.
View details for PubMedID 29924668
View details for DOI 10.1089/jayao.2018.0022
View details for Web of Science ID 000436028600001
This phase 1 study investigated the safety of the anthracycline amrubicin combined with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. A standard 3 + 3 design was used. Patients received intravenous amrubicin 40-80 mg/m2 on day one, lenalidomide 15 mg orally on days 1-14, and dexamethasone 40 mg orally weekly on 21 day cycles. 14 patients were enrolled, and completed a median of three cycles. The maximum tolerated dose was not reached. One patient experienced dose limiting toxicity of dizziness and diarrhea. The most frequent non-hematologic toxicity was infection (79%). Serious adverse events included cord compression and sepsis. Three patients (21%) had a partial response or better, and seven (50%) had stable disease. The median duration of response was 4.4 months, and the median progression-free survival was 3 months. Amrubicin combined with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, was safe and demonstrated clinical activity in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01355705.
View details for PubMedID 29802551
Outcomes of relapsed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have improved over time with the introduction of new therapies as well as better supportive care. However, there is still a need for easy-to-use and accurate prognostic tools for patients in first relapse. Whether complete response (CR) with incomplete count recovery (CRh) can be grouped with CR in relapsed ALL trials has not been formally studied. We analyzed 106 ALL patients at first relapse who were treated at three academic centers and achieved CR/CRh. White blood cell count at initial diagnosis and receiving hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) were independent predictors of overall survival after relapse, while minimal residual disease (MRD) positivity and performance of HCT were predictors of relapse free survival (RFS). Patients who achieved MRD negativity and underwent HCT had the best outcomes. Our results suggest that MRD is a more powerful predictor of outcome than CRh.
View details for PubMedID 28693363
Pralatrexate inhibits folic acid metabolism, and preclinical studies have shown that it is cytotoxic to multiple myeloma cells. This phase 1 study investigated the safety and efficacy of pralatrexate in combination with bortezomib in adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. A standard 3 + 3 design was used. Patients received intravenous pralatrexate at doses ranging from 10 to 30 mg/m(2) and intravenous bortezomib at a dose of 1·3 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 4-week cycle. Eleven patients were enrolled and completed a median of two cycles. The maximum tolerated dose was 20 mg/m(2) . Two patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity of mucositis. The most frequent non-haematological toxicities were fatigue (55%) and mucositis (45%). There were three serious adverse events in three patients: rash, sepsis and hypotension. One patient (9%) had a very good partial response, 1 (9%) had a partial response, 1 (9%) had minimal response and two (18%) had progressive disease. The median duration of response was 4 months, the median time to next treatment was 3·4 months and the median time to progression was 4 months. Pralatrexate, in combination with bortezomib, was generally safe and demonstrated modest activity in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01114282.
View details for DOI 10.1111/bjh.13946
View details for PubMedID 27040320
The survival of patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is poor. We performed a retrospective analysis of 40 patients treated with five days of mitoxantrone 8mg/m(2)/day, etoposide 100mg/m(2)/day, and cytarabine 1000mg/m(2)/day (MEC). The complete remission rate was 30% and median remission duration was 11.2 months. Median overall survival was 6.5 months. In univariate analysis, patients in first relapse had improved overall survival compared to ≥second relapse (p=0.02). Thirty-day mortality rate was 7.5%. In relapsed or refractory ALL, MEC demonstrated moderate activity, but did not improve survival compared to published salvage chemotherapy regimens.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.leukres.2014.09.018
View details for Web of Science ID 000345614400011
The survival of patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is poor. We performed a retrospective analysis of 40 patients treated with five days of mitoxantrone 8mg/m(2)/day, etoposide 100mg/m(2)/day, and cytarabine 1000mg/m(2)/day (MEC). The complete remission rate was 30% and median remission duration was 11.2 months. Median overall survival was 6.5 months. In univariate analysis, patients in first relapse had improved overall survival compared to ≥second relapse (p=0.02). Thirty-day mortality rate was 7.5%. In relapsed or refractory ALL, MEC demonstrated moderate activity, but did not improve survival compared to published salvage chemotherapy regimens.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.leukres.2014.09.018
View details for PubMedID 25449689
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare, life-threatening inflammatory disorder characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and activation of histiocytes with phagocytosis of normal hematopoietic cells. A 41-year-old woman, 19 weeks pregnant with twins, and a history of Still's disease, presented with rash, fever, and headache. Laboratory studies revealed transaminitis, hyperbilirubinemia, and eventually severe neutropenia as well as elevations in ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, and C-reactive protein. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed HLH. She declined standard HLH-treatment but responded well to high-dose corticosteroids. Her blood counts remained stable following corticosteroid taper, and she delivered healthy twin girls at 30-week gestation. Few cases of HLH during pregnancy have been reported. In some cases, the condition has proved fatal. Therefore recognizing signs and symptoms of HLH is essential to avoid treatment delay. In our case, high-dose corticosteroids alone were a safe and effective therapy for the mother and fetuses resulting in long-term disease control.
View details for DOI 10.1179/1607845412Y.0000000007
View details for Web of Science ID 000311490800004
View details for PubMedID 23168071
Latest information on COVID-19
