Newly Diagnosed Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients May Benefit from Sprycel/Chemotherapy Combination (07/28/2010)
The initial report of a Phase II study evaluating Sprycel® (dasatinib) combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) indicates that 94% of patients achieve a complete remission. These findings were recently published in the journal Blood.

Cell Phone Towers and Childhood Cancer Risk (07/01/2010)
Recent findings indicate that children who are exposed to radiofrequency fields from cell phone towers before birth do not have an increased risk of early childhood cancer. This study was published in the British Medical Journal.

Mylotarg Withdrawn from Market in United States (06/23/2010)
Mylotarg® (gemtuzumab ozogamicin), a drug used for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), will be withdrawn from the U.S. market following a recent clinical trial that raised new concerns about safety and failed to demonstrate clinical benefit.

Tasigna Approved for Initial Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (06/22/2010)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approval of Tasigna® (nilotinib) to include the initial treatment of patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.

Sprycel May Be More Effective than Gleevec for Initial Treatment of CML (06/07/2010)
In the initial treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Sprycel® (dasatinib) produces higher response rates than Gleevec® (imatinib). These results were presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

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Newly Diagnosed Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients May Benefit from Sprycel/Chemotherapy Combination (07/28/2010)
The initial report of a Phase II study evaluating Sprycel® (dasatinib) combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) indicates that 94% of patients achieve a complete remission. These findings were recently published in the journal Blood.

Study Evaluates Anthracycline-related Heart Problems in Childhood Cancer Survivors (05/28/2010)
Children with particular variants of drug-metabolizing genes may be more likely than other children to develop heart problems after low doses of anthracycline chemotherapy. The results of this study will be presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Survivors of Some Childhood Cancers May Face Cognitive Impairment (05/18/2010)
Survivors of non-central nervous system (CNS) childhood cancers reported a statistically and clinically significantly higher rate of neurocognitive impairment than their cancer-free siblings, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Study Evaluates Long-term Efficacy of Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant Versus Bone Marrow Transplant (04/29/2010)
For leukemia patients who undergo allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 10-year results indicate that bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) produce similar rates of overall and leukemia-free survival. These results were recently published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

Eliminating Preventive Radiation May Benefit Children with ALL (06/26/2009)
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are treated with effective, risk-adjusted chemotherapy regimens have good outcomes and may safely be able to avoid preventive radiation therapy to the brain. These results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Mylotarg Withdrawn from Market in United States (06/23/2010)
Mylotarg® (gemtuzumab ozogamicin), a drug used for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), will be withdrawn from the U.S. market following a recent clinical trial that raised new concerns about safety and failed to demonstrate clinical benefit.

Survivors of Some Childhood Cancers May Face Cognitive Impairment (05/18/2010)
Survivors of non-central nervous system (CNS) childhood cancers reported a statistically and clinically significantly higher rate of neurocognitive impairment than their cancer-free siblings, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Drinking During Pregnancy May Increase Leukemia Risk in Child (05/13/2010)
According to the results of a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy may increase the risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the offspring.

Study Evaluates Long-term Efficacy of Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant Versus Bone Marrow Transplant (04/29/2010)
For leukemia patients who undergo allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 10-year results indicate that bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) produce similar rates of overall and leukemia-free survival. These results were recently published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

Mylotarg Effective for Older Intermediate-risk AML Patients (04/07/2010)
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have reported that single-agent Mylotarg® (gemtuzumab ozogamicin) resulted in a complete remission (CR) rate of 30% in patients 70 years or older with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The details of this study were recently published in the journal Cancer.

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Arsenic Trioxide Effective as Single Agent in Newly Diagnosed APL (03/31/2006)
According to an article recently published in the journal Blood, the agent arsenic trioxide, when used as a single agent, provides impressive outcomes among patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Elderly with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Achieve Long-Term Survival with Treatment (08/19/2004)
According to results published in a recent advanced online article in the journal Blood, long-term cancer-free survival can be achieved with treatment consisting of an anthracycline and ATRA for elderly patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

ATRA Plus Trisenox®: A Promising Treatment for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (12/17/2003)
According to results presented at the 2003 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, the combination of all trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (Trisenox®) improves cancer-free survival compared with either agent alone in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Intensified Induction Therapy May Reduce Relapses in APL (03/05/2002)
According to results recently presented at the 43 ^rd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, evidence suggests that patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) may have a low rate of cancer recurrence after intensified induction therapy including high dose cytarabine and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA).

Arsenic: An Effective New Treatment for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (02/21/2002)
Acute promyelocytic leukemia is a cancer of the blood. Initial treatment typically consists of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracycline chemotherapy. Several groups of physicians in China have recently suggested that arsenic may be an effective drug for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

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Survivors of Some Childhood Cancers May Face Cognitive Impairment (05/18/2010)
Survivors of non-central nervous system (CNS) childhood cancers reported a statistically and clinically significantly higher rate of neurocognitive impairment than their cancer-free siblings, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Fludara plus Rituxan Extends Survival in CLL (04/06/2010)
Patients with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia experienced prolonged survival when treated with Fludara® (fludarabine) plus Rituxan® (rituximab) (delivered either concurrently or sequentially), according to the results of a study presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Rituxan Approved for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (02/22/2010)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approval of Rituxan® (rituximab) to include the treatment of certain patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Arzerra, Fludara, and Cytoxan Promising for Previously Untreated CLL (02/01/2010)
The combination of Arzerra™ (ofatumumab), Fludara® (fludarabine), and Cytoxan® (cyclophosphamide) shows promising effectiveness in the initial treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These results were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Treanda® and Rituxan® Effective Initial Therapy for CLL (01/05/2010)
According to the results of a Phase II clinical trial, the combination of Treanda® (bendamustine) and Rituxan® (rituximab) is effective and safe for the initial treatment of patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These results were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

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Tasigna Approved for Initial Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (06/22/2010)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approval of Tasigna® (nilotinib) to include the initial treatment of patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.

Sprycel May Be More Effective than Gleevec for Initial Treatment of CML (06/07/2010)
In the initial treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Sprycel® (dasatinib) produces higher response rates than Gleevec® (imatinib). These results were presented at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Study Evaluates Long-term Efficacy of Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant Versus Bone Marrow Transplant (04/29/2010)
For leukemia patients who undergo allogeneic stem cell transplantation, 10-year results indicate that bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) produce similar rates of overall and leukemia-free survival. These results were recently published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

Tasigna May Be More Effective than Gleevec for Initial Treatment of CML (01/28/2010)
In the initial treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Tasigna® (nilotinib) appears to produce higher response rates than Gleevec® (imatinib) 400 mg/day. These results were presented at the 2009 meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Sprycel® Superior to High-dose Gleevec® in Gleevec-resistant CML (07/01/2009)
Sprycel® (dasatinib) produces a higher response rate and improves progression-free survival in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have grown resistant to Gleevec® (imatinib), according to the results of a study published early online in Cancer.

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Patients with Hairy Cell Leukemia Have an Increased Risk of Second Cancers (02/07/2007)
According to an article recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, patients with hairy cell leukemia are at an increased risk of developing a second cancer later in their lives.

Vaccine Highly Effective in Hairy Cell Leukemia (09/19/2005)
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the vaccine referred to as recombinant immunotoxin RFB4(dsFv)-PE38 (BL22) is highly effective in the treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL).

Simple Diagnostic Test for Hairy Cell Leukemia (08/30/2004)
According to a recent article published in The Lancet, a marker identified by gene profiling referred to as Annexin A1 (ANXA1) can help distinguish hairy cell leukemia from different kinds of leukemia.

Rituxan® Promising for Hairy Cell Leukemia (12/01/2003)
According to a recent article published in the journal Blood, Rituxan® (rituximab) produces high anti-cancer response rates in patients with hairy cell leukemia that has recurred following previous therapy.

Deoxycoformycin Is Effective Against Hairy Cell Leukemia (02/21/2002)
Deoxycoformycin is a drug often used to help decrease symptoms and prolong survival in persons with hairy cell leukemia. A recent study confirms the effectiveness of deoxycoformycin against this rare cancer, and the researchers who conducted the study say that these results are comparable to those of another commonly used drug, called 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine.

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Cell Phone Towers and Childhood Cancer Risk (07/01/2010)
Recent findings indicate that children who are exposed to radiofrequency fields from cell phone towers before birth do not have an increased risk of early childhood cancer. This study was published in the British Medical Journal.

September Is National Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month (08/28/2009)
As the month of September brings leukemia and lymphoma into focus, it’s time to increase public understanding of these diseases, including their prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated leukemia and lymphoma information throughout the year.

Formaldehyde Exposure May Increase Risk of Blood and Lymphatic Cancers (06/23/2009)
Industrial workers who are exposed to formaldehyde may be at an increased risk of dying from blood and lymphatic cancers, particularly myeloid leukemia but also Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Cyclophosphamide May Increase Cancer Risk Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (03/10/2008)
A large study conducted in Canada reveals that patients who are treated for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with the drug cyclophosphamide may have an increased risk for developing hematological cancers such as lymphoma.

Being Overweight Associated with Increased Risk of Several Cancers (02/19/2008)
Excess bodyweight increases the risk of developing several types of cancer, according to results recently published in The Lancet.

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