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CURE’s Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) page features the latest cancer news and updates on CLL Through articles, videos, podcasts, and more, CURE brings readers the insights of experts, cancer survivors, patients, and advocates to ensure everyone is up to date in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

It wasn’t even two weeks into the new year when the Food and Drug Administration made their first FDA approval. In this case, it was a Keytruda regimen for certain patients with gynecologic cancers. We at CURE® spoke with the primary investigator on the study leading to the approval about what patients need to know about the latest new indication.

Also last week, we highlighted the Lymphedema Treatment Act and spoke to an expert about the new law.

Another story in the regulatory space: the FDA granted a Fast Track designation to speed up the review of a novel drug used to treat patients with relapsed or refractory CLL or SLL.

Finally, research from the American Cancer Society showed that Medicaid expansion states tended to have improved post-surgical outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Keytruda Plus CRT Offers ‘Better Chance of Cure’ in Advanced Cervical Cancer


The Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in combination with chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of stages 3 to 4A cervical cancer, marking the first approval of an anti-PD-1 therapy with chemotherapy for this patient population and the third FDA approval for treating cervical cancer with Keytruda.

This week, I spoke with Dr. Linda R. Duska, a gynecologic oncologist and principal investigator on the study leading to the approval, who discussed the KEYNOTE-A18 trial, which enrolled 1,060 patients and demonstrated a 30% decrease in progression for those receiving the combination of Keytruda and chemotherapy. The overall survival data is not yet mature, but the treatment showed a 41% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. While Dr. Duska emphasized that cervical cancer is preventable thanks to a safe and effective vaccine, she said that for patients with the disease, this new regimen is particularly exciting.

January is also Cervical Cancer Awareness month, so definitely stay tuned to curetoday.com for more of our coverage on the disease.

Medicare Must Now Cover Lymphedema Treatment Garments

The Lymphedema Treatment Act, signed into federal law on Dec. 23, 2022, is now in effect as of Jan. 1, 2024, allowing Medicare coverage for doctor-prescribed compression supplies for patients experiencing. The bill encompasses standard and custom-fitted gradient compression garments and other approved items prescribed by healthcare professionals to treat lymphedema. Now basically what that means is that patients insured by Medicare Part B can now have their lymphedema garments covered by insurance.

This coverage is expected to ease financial burdens on patients, especially as these garments can be expensive.

I spoke with Joanna Fawzy Doran, CEO of Triage Cancer, who emphasized the importance of patient and provider awareness about coverage rights, appealing denials and navigating the process. Although the law does not mandate private insurers to cover compression sleeves for lymphedema patients, Doran noted that Medicare's coverage sets a precedent for broader access in the future.

FDA Grants NX-5948 Fast Track Designation for R/R CLL, SLL

The FDA has granted Fast Track designation to NX-5948, a novel drug, for adults with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma who have previously undergone two lines of therapy, including a BTK inhibitor and a BCL2 inhibitor.

Fast Track designation aims to expedite the development and review of drugs addressing serious conditions with unmet medical needs.

NX-5948 is currently in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial, with initial findings presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting indicating safety, tolerance, and clinical activity. The drug showed no dose-limiting toxicities or treatment-related side effects leading to discontinuation, and the most common side effects were purpura/contusion, nausea, and thrombocytopenia.

Medicaid Expansion May Decrease Early Mortality in Some With NSCLC


States with Medicaid expansion tended to have a significant decrease in early, postoperative mortality from non-small cell lung cancer, according to recent research.

The research focused on nearly 15,000 patients undergoing surgery for NSCLC, with 62.1% residing in states supporting Medicaid expansion. The study found notable reductions in 30-day and 90-day postoperative mortality in patients with stages 1, 2, or 3 NSCLC in expansion states. Patients in non-expansion states were found to be younger, non-Hispanic Black, uninsured, and with comorbidities.

The study also evaluated changes in early mortality before and after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, showing a decrease in the 30-day mortality rate in expansion states from 0.97% to 0.26% after the ACA. Now, advocates, including the American Cancer Society, continue to emphasize the importance of expanding Medicaid eligibility to improve health outcomes.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

We take a look at the first FDA approval in the oncology space for 2024, the Lymphedema Treatment Act and more. 

A Chance of Cure for Cervical Cancer, Lymphedema Treatment Act and More

 Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with Mark Hoffman, a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), about his diagnosis and treatment journey.

Mark Hoffman, 53, a tech salesman in San Diego, started to experience swollen lymph nodes that weren’t going away. He finally sought a specialist who did a lymph node biopsy, determining Mark had CLL.

Mark has a 17p deletion in addition to other high-risk genetic markers. At first, he was under watch and wait for his disease, but his white blood cell count peaked at 90,000 (the normal range is 4,500 to 11,000 per microliter). Luckily, in 2017, Mark began a clinical trial combining Imbruvica (ibrutinib) with Venclexta (venetoclax).

In this episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with Mark Hoffman, a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, about his diagnosis and treatment journey.

The Treatment Journey of a Patient with CLL

 Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with Dr. Matthew Davids about the results of a clinical trial that assessed the addition of Copiktra (duvelisib) to fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and Rituxan (rituximab) in the frontline setting for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) aged 65 years and younger.

Davids, director of clinical research in the Lymphoma Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, also provides insight into the current CLL landscape and discusses what he refers to as a swing in the pendulum of CLL research over the last 10 years, and how that pendulum swing has created a slight gap for the assessment of younger patients with the disease.

“As the novel agents have come of age here in the last decade, that as a field, we've gotten better at kind of shifting the studies into older patients,” Davids explained in an interview with 

®. “… One kind of gap that I can see right now in the field is that because the pendulum has swung, I think appropriately toward the older population in terms of the trials, we actually do seem to have fewer trials kind of focused on the young fit patients compared to the old days. And so that is an area I think of interest for sure is the novel agent-based approaches in the young patients.”

In this episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with an expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston about the results of an early-phase clinical trial that assessed the efficacy of a combination therapy in the frontline setting in patients with CLL aged 65 years and younger, as well as a pendulum swing in research over the last decade. 

Understanding the Pendulum Swing in CLL Research Over the Last Decade

A blood cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming — whether you are a patient, caregiver, family member or friend. However, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) has a variety of resources available for those affected by blood cancer.

In this week’s episode, we spoke with, the associate director of the Information Resource Center at LLS — an organization that pioneers groundbreaking research in blood cancer, as well as resources like financial support, support groups for patients and caregivers, as well as the LLS Patient Community. As part of this community, patients can join online chats or speak with a counselor.

“What you need when you are first diagnosed may not be what you need in a month or two. So, it changes. And this is why we encourage people to reach out to us,” said Rajotte. “First, it’s important to understand what you are dealing with…being able to reach out and get that information and support so that you don’t feel like you’re going through this alone. The more support you get the easier it will be for you to get through (your blood cancer journey).”

, call 1-800-955-4572 or email infocenter@lls.org.

In this week’s episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with the associate director of the Information Resource Center at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on support groups and other recourses available for those affected by blood cancer.
 

Information at Your Fingertips

Two doctors with very different journeys were honored by 

 for their efforts to improve the quality of life for those affected by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

At the 2018 CLL Heroes Award ceremony, John C. Byrd, M.D., a researcher and clinical specialist at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital, and Brian Koffman, M.D.C.M., a family doctor who has been diagnosed with CLL and co-founded the CLL Society, were both honored at the event.

This week, both winners tell us more about what they have accomplished in this space, and why being a CLL Hero is important to them.

In this week’s episode of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with two doctors honored for their efforts to improve the quality of life for those affected by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Two Doctors on a Similar Path to Help Those with CLL

In 2012, former NFL head coach Chuck Pagano started to feel fatigued — a feeling most would associate with the long two-a-days of any given football preseason – but it was when unexplained bruises started to appear that he visited with the team’s medical staff and was eventually diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Since, he looks back on his journey and feels there was a reason he faced a cancer diagnosis — something he says is way bigger than football.

This week, we spoke with Chuck about his cancer journey, and why speaking with patients, advocates and health care professionals at CURE Magazine’s first-ever CLL Heroes event was so important to him.

This week, we spoke with former NFL coach, motivational speaker and acute promyelocytic leukemia survivor Chuck Pagano about his journey with cancer, and what has inspired him to give back following his diagnosis.

Tackling Cancer With Purpose

Pausing treatment during vaccination did not improve immunity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and should not be recommended, a trial found.

Pausing BTKi for Vaccine Did Not Boost Immunity in CLL

After nearly 30 years with cancer — community, research and education have helped us find hope, strength and purpose in the face of chronic blood cancers.

“Chillin’ Out” and Finding Our Cancer Community

Each spring, I find strength and hope in the daffodils I grow, helping me face chronic lymphocytic leukemia with renewed determination.

 Daffodils and Determination from a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

It isn’t easy having cancer. But like gardening in a harsh climate, survival and growth come from strategies, adaptation, and patience.

Managing Cancer Demands With Flexibility and a Strategic Mindset

Managing diabetes and chronic lymphocytic leukemia is challenging, but with proactive care, mindfulness and diet changes, I'm working to balance both.

Navigating a Diagnosis of Diabetes and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Current treatments for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia have shown better outcomes than published data, an expert said.

‘The Future Is Bright’ for R/R CLL Treatment Landscape

Patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) should remain positive because outcomes with current treatment “are only going to be better than current published data,” an expert told CURE®.

Understanding that treatment outcomes are measured in years is important, said Dr. John N. Allan during an interview with CURE®. He noted that some patients who have not received chemoimmunotherapy may respond to treatments for approximately a decade before their disease worsens or spreads, so the “future is bright.”

Allan is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and recently presented at the 42nd Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium (CFS) in New York.

Understanding Treatment Sequences in Managing R/R CLL

With CLL as a unique disease, Allan explained that researchers will be addressing specific mechanisms of resistance, meaning how the disease resists treatments.

“We are now identifying that immunotherapeutic approaches seem to be very effective in the CLL space, and so things like CAR-T [cell therapy] and bispecifics are new classes of drugs that are going to be implemented in a wider use,” he said.

Following CFS, Allan sat down with CURE® to discuss why patients with relapsed or refractory CLL should remain positive and the existing improvements these treatments have demonstrated so far.

Remain positive and understand that these outcomes are measured in years and sometimes close to decades before patients [start] to progress. The fact and the expectation that outcomes in relapsed settings are only going to be better than current published data in patients [who] have never seen chemoimmunotherapy and so, just remain positive. The future is bright. There's a lot of research going to address specific mechanisms of resistance, and outcomes are excellent for the vast majority, if not all, [of] patients.

Transcript was edited for clarity and conciseness.

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Patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can expect improved outcomes with current and emerging treatments. Dr. John N. Allan emphasizes that treatment responses can last for years, even decades, particularly for those who have not undergone chemoimmunotherapy. Advances in immunotherapeutic approaches, such as CAR-T cell therapy and bispecific antibodies, are promising. Researchers are focusing on overcoming resistance mechanisms, which will likely enhance treatment efficacy. Overall, the outlook for CLL patients is optimistic, with ongoing research driving better outcomes.

For patients with relapsed or refractory CLL, an expert explained that it’s important to understand the order of how treatments are given. 

The treatment options and sequences in managing chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have changed over time, depending on prior therapy, especially for patients with relapsed or refractory disease.

Treatments for CLL, such as covalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and Bcl-2 inhibitors, are considered the “best agents,” Dr. John N. Allan said during an interview with CURE®.

However, for patients with relapsed or refractory CLL, options after these two treatments are necessary, he noted.

“If patients progress on a covalent, they can switch to a Bcl-2-based therapy,” Allan explained. “Likewise, a Bcl-2-based therapy, if used first, depends on how long of a remission patients might have had and whether or not to go to Bcl-2-based therapy again or a covalent BTK inhibitor.”

Allan sat down with CURE® to discuss why it’s important for patients to understand the sequences of treatment for managing relapsed or refractory CLL and how to advocate for potentially appropriate treatment options for themselves.

Obviously, these treatment approaches always have lots of pros and cons and very limited head-to-head data to identify which approach is best for a specific type of patient. So, patients speaking with their physician need to ask the appropriate questions, “Why is this best for me?”

Make sure that all options are, in fact, being explained in full, because it can be easy to focus on certain easier-to-implement therapies and not necessarily highlight more complicated scenarios such as CAR-T cells, clinical trials and even fixed-duration versus continuous therapy approaches. So, all of these questions need to be asked by the patient to make sure they understand all of the options that are available.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment strategies have evolved, particularly for relapsed or refractory cases. Covalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and Bcl-2 inhibitors are primary treatments, but alternative options are needed when these fail. Treatment sequencing is crucial, with patients potentially switching between BTK and Bcl-2 therapies based on remission duration. Patients should engage in informed discussions with their physicians to understand all available treatment options, including complex therapies like CAR-T cells and clinical trials, ensuring comprehensive understanding and advocacy for appropriate care.

The Future of CLL Care: Medical Breakthroughs and Patients-Physician Collaboration

Video content above is prompted by the following:

The discussion will wrap up with perspectives on the future of CLL treatment, including anticipated improvements in patient care and quality of life, emerging therapies, and evolving patient roles in care decisions.

CLL

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