The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading organization for physicians and oncology professionals who care for people with cancer. Each year, ASCO’s Annual Meeting brings together over 30,000 oncology professionals from around the world to discuss state-of-the-art treatment modalities, new therapies and ongoing controversies in the field.
Our Lymphoma Program is proud to have been part of several research studies presented at this year’s meeting, contributing to new discoveries across a range of lymphoma subtypes. Here are the latest updates from our team:
T-Cell Lymphoma
An unmet treatment need exists for peripheral T-cell lymphoma patients, especially those with relapsed/refractory disease. Dr. Jia Ruan was part of a research team testing immunotherapy agent pembrolizumab within this patient population.
Follicular Lymphoma
Dr. Peter Martin was involved in a clinical trial investigation of acalabrutinib in treatment of follicular lymphoma, which yielded promising response rates.
Data supporting vitamin D supplementation in indolent lymphoma patients treated with rituximab were presented at this year’s meeting. Dr. John Leonard is Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian’s principal investigator evaluating the vitamin’s effects in an ongoing phase III trial. Trial information here.
Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)
Dr. Jia Ruan was involved in the clinical trial assessment of single-agent acalabrutinib in relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients.
Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia
Dr. Richard Furman was senior author on a study demonstrating acalabrutinib as an effective and well-tolerated therapy for people with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Dr. John Allan, along with Dr. Richard Furman, collaborated with research colleagues to investigate the demographic impact on incidence and treatment outcomes in people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Dr. John Allan is Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian’s principal investigator for a phase II clinical trial of ibrutinib and venetoclax – two non-chemotherapeutic agents – in people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Trial information here.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at increased risk for developing aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas frequently associated with two herpes viruses: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV). Weill Cornell Medicine pathologist Ethel Cesarman, MD, PhD, contributed to a phase II trial conducted through the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC) to test HDAC inhibitor vorinostat’s effects on HIV-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Dr. Peter Martin, the Principal Investigator for the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) consortium at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, aided in a study of vulnerability to undesirable outcomes in people with newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Vulnerable status was measured overall, and by age, gender and clinical features.
As always, we are proud of our team’s active commitment to advancing the overall understanding of lymphoma and improving clinical outcomes and quality of life for all those affected by the disease.
New Developments in Lymphoma 