In this section of the BJH, we provide a snapshot of pivotal studies published in recent issues of the most important international journals focusing on haematology. Importantly, the selection of the studies discussed here was made by Dr. Vanessa van Hende (VITAZ and member of the BJH editorial board), based on the added value of the studies in daily clinical practice.
In the CLL2-BAAG study, triple therapy with obinutuzumab, acalabrutinib, and venetoclax after an optional debulking with bendamustine resulted in 76% of the patients reaching undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) in peripheral blood. However, as the trial did not reach its prespecified activity threshold, this triple regimen requires further evaluation in larger clinical trials to define its value as compared with double treatment… Read more
The phase III CADENZA study compared sutimlimab vs. placebo in patients with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) without a history of recent blood transfusion. In this setting, sutimlimab reduced haemolysis, anaemia, and fatigue, and was generally well tolerated. These data show that targeting the classical complement pathway at C1s represents a new, effective therapeutic approach for CAD management… Read more
Immunochemotherapy is still the frontline gold standard for patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). The RELEVANCE trial showed that lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent, plus rituximab (R2) provided similar efficacy to rituximab plus chemotherapy (R-chemo) in patients with advanced-stage, previously untreated FL. After six years of follow-up, R2 continued to show comparable, durable efficacy and safety vs. R-chemo, providing an acceptable chemo-free alternative in this setting… Read more
Until now, the antibody responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (NHL/CLL) were incompletely characterised. This study shows that antibody binding and neutralisation against SARS-CoV-2 in NHL/CLL patients who received two mRNA vaccine doses are substantially lower than those in healthy vaccinees. Importantly, anti-CD20-directed therapy one year before vaccination and number of circulating B-cells strongly predicted vaccine response… Read more
The Myeloma XI trial investigated the impact of post-autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT) minimal residual disease (MRD) status on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) outcomes for myeloma patients. MRD negativity post-ASCT was associated with significantly longer PFS and OS, irrespective of the molecular risk status and the use of maintenance therapy. Serial MRD measurements might help to identify low-risk patients requiring only a limited period of maintenance… Read more
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