What's new in hematology from UpToDate

35% of UpToDate topics are updated every four months. The editors select a small number of the most important updates and share them via "What's new" page. I selected the brief excerpts below from What's new in hematology:

Transplantation in aplastic anemia

In patients with severe aplastic anemia over the age of 40 who received allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation from an HLA-identical sibling, overall survival was 65 percent.

Improved survival when rituximab is added to fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide in CLL

There were higher response rates and survival with six courses of FCR (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab) when compared with six courses of FC (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide).

Second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for CML

Trials comparing dasatinib or nilotinib to imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) demonstrated faster and deeper responses with these second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Improved understanding of pathobiology of multiple myeloma

Virtually all multiple myeloma (MM) cases are preceded by a premalignant plasma cell proliferative disorder known as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). The pathobiology of myeloma as a two-step process - first there is the establishment of a limited stage of clonal proliferation (MGUS); then there is progression of MGUS to MM.

Denileukin diftitox superior to placebo for relapsed mycosis fungoides

There were better response rates with the recombinant interleukin-2-diphtheria toxin fusion protein denileukin diftitox used for therapy of mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome.

Survival in sickle cell disease

The estimated survival at 18 years is now 94 percent for those with HbSS or HbS/beta(0) thalassemia and 98 percent for those with HbSC or HbS/beta(+) thalassemia.

References:
What's new in hematology. UpToDate.