Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, Discusses Exciting Abstracts at ASH 2021

News
Video

Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, spoke about which abstracts she’s most excited to see presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

During the 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, associate professor in the Division of Hematology at The Ohio State University, discussed abstracts she’s most looking forward to seeing presented.

Transcript:

There are going to be a lot of exciting data coming out at ASH this year. From a clinical standpoint, I’m interested in the longer-term follow-up of some studies that have been previously presented. In terms of frontline and relapse therapy, there is a lot of exciting studies comparing ibrutinib [Imbruvica] or other Bruton tyrosine kinase [BTK] inhibitors plus venetoclax [Venclexta]. We’re going to see follow-up from some of those studies at this meeting, which I’m excited to see because those combinations have shown excellent efficacy, but follow-up has been extremely short for most of the studies.

We’re also seeing follow-up from some of the reversible BTK inhibitors [such as] pirtobrutinib [LOXO-305] as well as nemtabrutinib [MK-1026]. Those are drugs that are intended to be given after patients become resistant to covalent BTK inhibitors like ibrutinib and acalabrutinib [Calquence]. I’m excited to see the follow-up of their studies as well.

Recent Videos
A third of patients had a response [to lifileucel], and of the patients who have a response, half of them were alive at the 4-year follow-up.
We are seeing that, in those patients who have relapsed/refractory melanoma with survival measured as a few weeks and no effective treatments, about a third of these patients will have a response.
We have the current CAR [T-cell therapies], which target CD19; however, we need others.
“Every patient [with multiple myeloma] should be offered CAR T before they’re offered a bispecific, with some rare exceptions,” said Barry Paul, MD.
Barry Paul, MD, listed cilta-cel, anito-cel, and arlo-cel as 3 of the CAR T-cell therapies with the most promising efficacy in patients with multiple myeloma.
Jose Sandoval Sus, MD, discussed standard CAR T-cell therapies in patients across multiple high-risk lymphoma indications.
Elucidating nonresponses to bispecific T-cell engagers may be an important research consideration in the multiple myeloma field.
Barriers to access and financial toxicities are challenges that must be addressed for CAR T-cell therapies in LBCL, according to Jose Sandoval Sus, MD.
Fixed treatment durations with bispecific antibodies followed by observation may help in mitigating infection-related AEs, according to Shebli Atrash, MD.
Shebli Atrash, MD, stated that MRD should be considered carefully as an end point, given potential recurrence despite MRD negativity.
Related Content