Tag: mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Research, Treatment, and Support at Weill Cornell Medicine

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an uncommon form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that is tied to genetic changes in the white blood cells which makes them continually divide and accumulate within the body. MCL affects approximately 4,000 new patients each year. This form of blood cancer is unique and behaves differently in different people, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all treatment plan for all those with MCL. Each patient should undergo an evaluation for a personalized approach. Because of the diversity seen within MCL cases, this disease can be difficult to treat. However, with the help of an expert care team and research advances, new treatment milestones have been making improved outcomes possible. Listen as members of our expert team explain more about this uncommon disease here: What is Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL)?

The Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Lymphoma Program team has niche expertise in caring for patients with MCL and has been recognized as a worldwide leader in MCL research and treatment. Weill Cornell lymphoma experts utilize precision medicine and cutting-edge technologies to tailor treatments to the biological characteristics of each patient’s tumor. Hear more about the specifics of our specialized MCL program directly from some of our team members in this video about the Weill Cornell Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Program.

As part of our extensive MCL research program, MCL patients are offered access to sophisticated and precise minimal residual disease (MRD) testing that can detect lingering mantle cells in the body at a threshold of less than one in one million. MRD testing uses blood or bone marrow samples to determine if there are remaining cancer cells that may not be detected by typical scans or blood tests. This allows our physicians to assess how well the current treatment method is working, providing evidence to better tailor the approach depending on results. Some of our expert team members further break down the basics of MRD in this video. Watch to learn more: What is Minimal Residual Disease (MRD)?

Because of the disease diversity seen in many MCL cases, patients often require repeated therapies or novel approaches to treatment. Patients seen by the Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program team benefit from the expertise of physicians and researchers working together behind-the-scenes in a collaborative effort to offer the latest research and treatments to patients. Our team prides itself on our wide-range clinical trial options for patients with mantle cell lymphoma. These research studies are aimed at finding the best ways to improve the quality and length of life for all patients with MCL.

WCM is positioned as a renowned leader in mantle cell lymphoma research thanks in part to generous funding support from leading organizations including the National Cancer Institute, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Weill Cornell has dedicated research initiatives focused exclusively on mantle cell lymphoma and designed to develop the most effective MCL treatments by understanding the genetic underpinnings driving the disease. Learn more about Weill Cornell’s globally recognized MCL research program here: Weill Cornell Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Research.

A diagnosis with MCL can be shocking, scary, and may feel isolating at times, but the Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program is available to help patients and caregivers navigate this diagnosis and course of care by offering new patient appointments, second opinions and ongoing care for people with mantle cell lymphoma. To learn more or to make an appointment with one of our physicians, visit WeillCornell.org/Lymphoma or call (646) 962-2064.

2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting

For the 63rd year in a row, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) hosted the Annual Meeting & Exposition. ASH is one of the world’s largest professional organizations made up of physicians and scientists with a keen interest in tackling blood diseases. This annual ASH conference is attended by approximately 25,000 participants, mainly hematology professionals, who gather to discuss the latest research and updates in topics across both malignant and non-malignant hematology. This year, members from around the world met in a hybrid – both in-person and virtual – format.

Every year, we celebrate the Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) Lymphoma Program team members whose new discoveries and research in lymphoma are selected for presentation at the ASH meeting. Throughout the 2021 ASH conference, we covered these research updates via our Twitter feed, including perspectives and insights into original research coming out of our basic science laboratories as well as translational and clinical research studies. Dr. John Leonard shared what he found to be the top 10 most impactful and important lymphoma research abstracts as part of the #LeonardList: a yearly countdown on Twitter leading up to the annual ASH meeting which, for the fourth year in a row, has been accompanied by a CancerCast podcast episode. In this special edition of CancerCast, listeners are able to hear directly from Dr. Leonard regarding the “why” behind his #LeonardList selections, as well as gain access to 5 additional bonus podcast-only choices. Each year the Leonard List provides insight into research that is changing the treatment landscape for lymphoma patients, as well as other important issues lymphoma patients face such as financial toxicities and disparities in care. Listen to the teaser clip below for a sneak peek and tune in to CancerCast for the full episode available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or online at Weill Cornell Medicine.

This year’s ASH meeting heralded amazing research achievements in all sectors of hematology. Notably, within the field of lymphoma, presentations at ASH 2021 demonstrated scientific and treatment advancements that may carve the way for more targeted therapies and improved outcomes for patients. The WCM team shared research updates across many different types of lymphoma. While most abstracts dove deeply into one form of the disease, some presented on research that combined work in multiple types of lymphoma.

This research involving Dr. Richard Furman and colleagues from around the country evaluated a novel antibody-drug conjugate targeting a surface protein found in many cancers. Encouraging results were seen in the current phase I study, including high response rates in heavily relapsed and refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients.

Here is a breakdown of some of the additional great lymphoma work that WCM physicians and researchers shared throughout the ASH 2021 meeting.

B-Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)

In collaboration with Dr. Ari Melnick’s lab, Dr. Madhav Seshadri – Chief Hematology & Oncology Fellow at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – presented lymphoma research which revealed a novel target and new type of agent that could ultimately lead to more treatments for DLBCL patients who have dependency on the protein MALT1.

Dr. Rossella Marullo, a 2020 ASH Scholar Award Recipient and current Instructor in Medicine at WCM, presented an oral abstract on work performed in collaboration with Dr. Leandro Cerchietti’s lab. The WCM team discovered changes in gene expression linked to aging that could explain why older lymphoma patients have a harder time tolerating certain treatments. This has important implications for the future development of therapies that may be better tolerated and result in higher cure rates for older lymphoma patients.

Work by Dr. John Leonard and colleagues from across the country as part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Alliance, a cooperative clinical trial group, was featured in an oral presentation. The study demonstrated the feasibility of prospective clinical trials for certain lymphoma patients, specifically two DLCBL subtypes, double hit and double expressor lymphoma. 

Dr. Coraline Mlynarczyk, a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Ari Melnick’s laboratory and ASH 2021 Scholar Award Recipient, presented new research findings demonstrating that BTG1 mutations can lead to more aggressive B-cell lymphomas, like DLBCL. Exploiting this genetic vulnerability could ultimately lead to the creation of new targeted therapies for patients with this aggressive form of lymphoma.

Follicular Lymphoma (FL)

Weill Cornell medical student, Danny Luan, MPH, presented work conducted under the mentorship of Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program Chief Dr. Peter Martin. This retrospective analysis of follicular lymphoma clinical trials focused on expanding eligibility criteria to better reflect the population makeup of patients diagnosed with FL, allowing the results to be more generalizable outside of the clinical trial setting.

T-Cell Lymphoma

Dr. Jia Ruan presented her investigator-initiated phase 2 peripheral T-cell lymphoma clinical trial at ASH 2021. This multi-center clinical trial looked at the combination therapy of oral azacytidine (CC-486) plus CHOP, demonstrating impressive complete response (CR) rates of about 75%, which appears better than the CR rate of 40% that has historically been observed with standard CHOP alone. This combination will be further evaluated in a randomized study via the ALLIANCE/US Intergroup (A051902).

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

CLL research on a phase 3 clinical trial that Dr. Richard Furman was involved with compared two therapies, acalabrutinib and ibrutinib, for outcomes and tolerability to evaluate differences in adverse events related to long-term drug exposure in addition to cancer control. Acalabrutinib demonstrated better tolerability overall.

Dr. Richard Furman and Dr. John Allan also participated in research alongside a global team showing that certain receptor binding activities in CLL cells may explain why patients experience impairments to immune system function. This research may help to explain the underlying mechanisms behind why certain CLL treatments appear to improve immune system function.

Finally, in addition to the amazing research that our team was involved with at this year’s ASH meeting, Dr. Wendy Béguelin – an assistant professor of pharmacology at WCM – was selected to speak as an ASH Scholar Award Recipient. She presented her work during two 10-minute Blood Drop sessions with the goal of educating trainees at all levels during this ASH-a-Palooza event. Dr. Beguelin’s presentation aimed to answer the question, “What can cause lymphoma?” Throughout these sessions, Dr. Beguelin explained her research on the role of EZH2 mutations in initiating cancer predispositions for B-cell lymphomas. 

As always, we are incredibly proud of our team’s continued commitment to advancing the overall understanding of lymphoma biology, improving clinical outcomes, and enhancing the quality of life for all those affected by the disease. While this year’s ASH 21 meeting has come to a close, ongoing research continues at the WCM Lymphoma Program as our physicians and scientists work relentlessly to advance the field year-round.

ASCO 2021 – Lymphoma Updates

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading organization for physicians and oncology professionals caring for people with cancer. The 2021 Annual Meeting was hosted virtually, connecting oncology professionals from around the world to discuss the newest, state-of-the-art research and treatment updates.

The Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program team is always proud of our contributions to new lymphoma research presentations at the ASCO Annual Meeting. We’ve outlined some of the highlights from this year’s conference, including research updates and new discoveries from our team. Additionally, our Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hematology & Oncology Fellow Dr. Sam Yamshon received a prestigious ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation 2021 Young Investigator Award to support critical lymphoma research and the transition from fellowship to faculty. 

Samuel Yamshon, MD – 2021 ASCO Young Investigator Award Recipient

Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program Chief Dr. Peter Martin presented new mantle cell lymphoma research and shared important insights about care in the community or real-world setting as part of an oral abstract session. 

Dr. John Leonard reviews an National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported clinical trial evaluating the role of stem cell transplant in primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma treatment. 

Dr. Richard Furman explains exciting results from a phase 3 clinical trial comparing two different treatment options for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) for the first time.

Additionally, Dr. Peter Martin breaks down mantle cell lymphoma research evaluating the role of botezomib when added to bendamustine and rituximab as induction therapy.

PET scan imaging during treatment for bulky Hodgkin lymphoma can provide critical information to shape the course of care. Dr. John Leonard breaks down this NCI-supported ALLIANCE research presented this year’s ASCO meeting. 

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