Mary Caffrey is the Executive Editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®). She joined AJMC® in 2013 and is the primary staff editor for Evidence-Based Oncology, the multistakeholder publication that reaches 22,000+ oncology providers, policy makers and formulary decision makers. She is also part of the team that oversees speaker recruitment and panel preparations for AJMC®'s premier annual oncology meeting, Patient-Centered Oncology Care®. For more than a decade, Mary has covered ASCO, ASH, ACC and other leading scientific meetings for AJMC readers.
Mary has a BA in communications and philosophy from Loyola University New Orleans. You can connect with Mary on LinkedIn.
Data Show Trend Toward Improved Persistence After 6 Months With Oral MDS Regimen
The authors concluded that the data support consideration of the oral regimen of decitabine and cedazuridine to reduce the treatment burden associated with intraveous or subcutaneous hypomethylating agents in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
Preventing Adverse Events With Bispecific Antibodies in Myeloma in the Community Setting
Robert Rifkin, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, shares insight into how the phase 2 Optec study of teclistamab administration in the outpatient setting could help achieve important health equity and quality goals.
Pivotal Results Show Revumenib Holds Promise for Patients With KMT2Ar Acute Leukemia
In AUGMENT-101, patients with R/R KMT2Ar acute leukemia had high overall response rates; despite being heavily pretreated, 40% were able to proceed to transplant and the KMT2Ar cohort was stopped early.
BOVen: Zanubrutinib, Obinutuzumab, and Venetoclax Yields 75% OS at 2 Years in High-Risk MCL
In a packed session Monday at the 65th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California, Anita Kumar, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, presented phase 2 results for 25 patients with TP53 mutations.
Results Show Strong Responses for Brentuximab Vedotin Plus Nivolumab Combo in Patients With cHL
Use of an antibody drug conjugate and a PD-1 inhibitor brings complementary mechanisms together while eliminating the most toxic agent that has been used in combinations to treat classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL).
Dr Jennifer Brown: Zanubrutinib Efficacy Holds Up at ALPINE 39-Month Follow-Up in R/R CLL
Jennifer R. Brown, MD, PhD, director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Center of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discussed the updated findings from the phase 3 ALPINE trial of zanubrutinib vs ibrutinib in relapsed/refractory CLL (R/R CLL) at 39 months of follow-up.
Dr Jennifer Brown Previews CLL Research Being Presented at ASH 2023
Jennifer R. Brown, MD, PhD, director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Center of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, previewed her presentation of extended follow-up data from the phase 3 ALPINE trial and other studies of interest to CLL specialists at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.
ASH 2023 to Highlight Options in Care for Blood Diseases—for Those Who Have Access
The 65th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, which runs Friday through Tuesday in the San Diego Convention Center, will showcase the growing number of treatment choices in blood cancers and disorders.
Imetelstat Offers Benefits for Patients With MDS Who Are Red Blood Cell–Transfusion Dependent
The past year has offered new hope for patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Besides imetelstat, which has an FDA deadline for action of June 2024, the agency approved luspatercept, which has a different mechanism of action.
7-Day Dosing of Azacytidine Shows Benefit for Females With High-Risk MDS Not Seen in Males
Investigators from several medical centers in Japan were surprised to find that women with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) had a survival advantage from a 7-day dosing schedule, but that benefit compared with a reduced schedule was not seen in men.
FDA Approves Nirogacestat for Treatment of Desmoid Tumors
Desmoid tumors are noncancerous growths that appear in connective tissue, most often on the arms, legs, and abdomen. Aggressive tumors must be treated with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy to keep them from growing into nearby organs, which can make them life threatening. They can cause pain and disfigurement, and they can reduce functioning and quality of life.
Authors Support Trials of Triplet Therapy in Higher-Risk MDS
Given the likelihood of MDS to progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the authors state, “There are certain settings where ‘AML-like’ therapies are appropriate in MDS, particularly given our evolving understanding of the overlapping biology of these malignancies.”
Dr Lucio Gordan Discusses Updated Guidelines Addressing 1q Abnormalities in Multiple Myeloma
Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, discusses recently updated clinical guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in multiple myeloma, which specifically discuss disease staging and risk stratification and advise clinicians on how to address 1q abnormalities.
Confronting the Dynamics of Medicare Benefits When Those Eligible Are Still Working
Community oncology practices are witnessing a new dynamic in which more Medicare-eligible patients are still covered by commercial insurance, according to speakers at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit, held October 23-24, 2023.
Higher Leptin Levels, Body Fat Linked to MDS in Study
The authors discussed a polymorphism of the LEP gene associated not only with cancer, but also with chronic diseases including obesity and diabetes, offering them a reason to look into the relationship between LEP and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).