“Bispecifics are the prom queens of ASH”—Tom Martin, M.D. Attending the virtual iteration of ASH has been a unique experience, in that I’ve had the opportunity to see many of the leading international myeloma experts all from the comfort of own home. One of the silver linings of a virtual symposium is that I have […]
There is no doubt that patients who continue maintenance Revlimid (lenalidomide) following autologous transplant do better than those who do not. Dr. Phil McCarthy showed unequivocally in CALGB 100104 (Revlimid vs placebo) that progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) are longer for patients taking maintenance Revlimid. Likewise, maintenance therapy extends PFS for patients […]
Last year, in one of my ASH19 blogs, I wrote about bi-specific T cell engager (BiTE) therapy. BiTEs excite me the most of the newer therapies in clinical trials. They harness the power of the immune system and are off-the-shelf, unlike CAR T where your T cells are harvested, then re-engineered, then given back to you […]
Saturday started out with a Fireside Chat with Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who talked with U.S. Allergy & Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, MD. They discussed the most current information about the coronavirus pandemic and the effects the SARS-CoV2 infection has on hematologic conditions. The program began with a […]
In my first pre-ASH blog, I explained one of my main interests would be how myeloma experts approach sequencing of treatments for their patients. In an ASH Education Program, Dr. Niels van de Donk of Amsterdam explained the burgeoning number of choices available in 2020, with 190 different doublets and 1140 different triplet combinations to […]
The International Myeloma Foundation Social Media team has been active even though this year’s American Society of Hematology meeting is taking place virtually. Not only attending session virtually and engaging with researchers, clinicians, pharmaceutical representatives, and others; but also, coming together for virtual debriefs and virtual recharge. I miss seeing these myeloma friends in person, […]
Attending the ASH IMF Satellite Symposium, “Accelerating Toward Curing Myeloma: New Data, New Agents, and Evolving Treatment Paradigm,” on Friday afternoon reminded me once again why I enjoy attending ASH. Primarily because it gives me hope: Hope in knowing that the experts are working so hard to find the best treatment, hope in seeing the […]
Dec 5, 2020 Today I actually began watching ASH (American Society of Hematology) President Dr. Stephanie Lee interview Dr. Fauci. I appreciated that one of the questions she asked was “Should cancer patients with compromised immune systems get the vaccine?” He said that he understands that cancer patients may actually be getting immunosuppressants, and the […]
The antibodies are front and center during the 2020 American Society of Hematology’s Annual Meeting. I thought this would be a good time to review the mechanism of action (how they work) of each type of antibody. The first antibodies to make it to the myeloma scene were the monoclonal antibodies. (mAbs) Monoclonal antibodies in […]
Although the 62nd American Society of Hematology meetings did not officially kick off until this morning, I had the opportunity to attend three of the pre-ASH Symposiums held yesterday. This is one advantage of the virtual platform that I appreciate. Each of the symposiums offered informative panel discussions with some of the best myeloma doctors […]
