Medical Oncology
Physician insights on cancer treatment protocols, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and clinical trial updates.
Recent Discussions
How do you approach the treatment of patients with an e14a3 (b3a3) BCR-ABL fusion in chronic phase CML?
The treatment is the same; the problem is how to monitor response as this rearrangement is detectable reliably by FISH and not by the typical RT-PCR. There is a report showing that CML with some rare fusion genes have a rapid response at early time points (3 and 6 months), but long term outcome seem...
How would you manage a patient with severe aplastic anemia and a large PNH clone?
This depends on many factors: What age at diagnosis, how big is the clone, hemolytic PNH? (LDH/Bili?), thrombosis? When did it develop (was it at diagnosis, or after IST), what is the marrow picture (hypo or hypercellular), what options for treatment are available, what HSCT protocols do you have at...
Do you recommend that children with sickle cell disease refrain from returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic?
If schools are open and there is no special infectious risk at the school in question, then it would likely be appropriate to send your child with sickle cell anemia to school. There is no evidence of extra risk of COVD in patients who have had an autosplenectomy and no evidence of particular proble...
What CTV margins do you use for indolent advanced stage lymphoma treated with palliative radiation alone?
If palliation for advanced indolent lymphoma, I use 2 Gy x 2 to gross disease with CTV of 0-1 cm. My goal is to palliate the clinically symptomatic disease and nothing more. Dose has virtually no side effects for most sites, and retreatment is possible in adjacent or same sites if needed.
How would you approach re-irradiation to a localized DLBCL of the lower extremity?
Unfortunately I need a few more details to answer this. This appears to be a complicated difficult case. I presume the initial dx was DLBCL of the skin, leg type? Age of the patient? What was the response to R-EPOCH? Was the RT given as consolidation or was there disease present? If so, response to ...
How would you approach treatment in an otherwise young, fit patient with transformed AML currently in remission with a plan for transplant and was found to have an invasive fungal infection not amenable to resection upon recovery from induction?
This is an all too common problem. Firstly, "not resectable" is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. Ensure all effort is made to resect if this is isolated even if it's a brain lesion or needs a lung resection. Secondly, not all "fungi" are the same. If this is mold, you must be sure it is "not re...
How do you adjust the dose of Ibrutinib in hepatic dysfunction, particularly if disease related?
It's an interesting question, but I have never seen such a case. Ibrutinib rapidly clears tissue disease, and hence, the liver dysfunction, if truly CLL-related, should improve on therapy. Given the unusual scenario, I would consider starting at a low dose, 140 MG daily, and titrate up to 280 MG aft...
How would you treat a young patient with symptomatic Rosai-Dorfman disease who has recurrent, life-threatening pericardial and pleural effusions?
Rosai-Dorfman disease is the most tricky one of the top 3 histiocytosis (ECD, LCH, and RDD). It can behave as benign or as an aggressive disease. Given the rarity of the disease, there are no great prospective studies to guide optimal treatments. First-line treatment includes prednisone or other imm...
Do you rebiopsy grade 1-2 follicular lymphoma if SUV is high by PET?
When would you consider transplant for a patient with a bone marrow failure syndrome (FA, DC, etc.)?
At the time of early bone marrow failure - before they become transfusion-dependent or develop a significant risk for infection and/or bleeding. With Fanconi's and BRCA2 mutation - would follow bone marrow carefully (2x a year) as they have a risk of AML. Because both FA and DK are systemic disorder...