Journal of Clinical Haematology

Commentary Open Access

Functional Precision Profiling: The Way Forward for Personalized Medicine

Lyndsey Flanagan, Siobhan Glavey, Triona Ní Chonghaile

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of the antibodyproducing plasma cells found in the bone marrow. In recent years, we have witnessed significant improvements made in both the diagnostic criteria and novel therapies for MM, resulting in the prolonged survival of MM patients. Approved novel therapies include proteasome inhibitors (bortezomib and carfilzomib), immunomodulatory drugs (thalidomide, lenalidomide & pomalidomide), monoclonal antibodies (daratumumab, elotuzumab & isatuximab) and B-cell maturation antigens (Belantamab). Recently, CAR T cell therapy has been FDA approved for MM treatment. Despite these advancements, MM remains an incurable cancer with suboptimal overall survival, with many patients developing relapsed/refractory MM. Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and aggressive variant of MM. PCL is classified as either primary PCL, which develops de novo, or secondary PCL, that can arise in the late and advanced stages of MM. 

Commentary Open Access

Unesbulin – a Novel Anti-tubulin Cancer Therapeutic

Lan Gao, Marla Weetall, Kylie O’Keefe, Elizabeth Goodwin, Ronald Kong

A hallmark of all cancers is the rapid rates of cell division associated with tumor growth. Rapid cell division is dependent upon the assembly and disassembly of microtubules, which are essential components of the mitotic spindle and are critical for the movement and separation of chromosomes during cell division. Microtubules are dynamic filaments that are composed of αβ-tubulin heterodimers. Microtubules also play key roles in determining cell shape, cell motility, and transportation of organelles within the cell. Blocking normal microtubular function leads to a failure of cells to progress through cell division and ultimately results in cell death.

Review Article Open Access

Moving the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia to the Outpatient Setting: Current Expert Perspectives and Consensus Findings

Chetasi Talati, Kendra L. Sweet, Daniel A. Pollyea, Sandra E. Kurtin, Jeff Klaus, Jennifer Eatrides, Harry P. Erba

In patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the initial treatment decision is often predicated on the individual’s candidacy for intensive chemotherapy. For those patients considered eligible for intensive treatment, the standard approach historically has been induction with a combination chemotherapy regimen such as cytarabine for 7 days and an anthracycline for 3 days (“7+3” therapy). Those patients who achieve remission will typically go on to receive consolidation chemotherapy and/or allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT).

Short Communication Open Access

Atezolizumab Monotherapy as First-line Treatment in Patients with Advanced BRAFV600 Wild-type Melanoma

Juliano C. Coelho, Taiane F. Rebelatto, Rodrigo R. Pereira, Pedro E. R. Liedke, Andrea B. Zanon, Sergio J. Azevedo

According to the GLOBOCAN, approximately 324,635 new cases and 57,043 deaths due to melanoma were estimated worldwide for 2020. In parallel to this, there has been a significant improvement over the last decade in treatment options for advanced melanoma, such as molecularly targeted therapies and immune-checkpoint inhibitors. These treatments have had a positive impact on mortality rates. The main role of molecularly targeted therapies is to treat those with BRAF V600-mutated melanoma, while immune-checkpoint inhibitors - Programmed cell death 1 protein (PD-1), Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and antibody directed against cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) - play an important role in both BRAF V600-mutated and BRAF^V600 wild-type (WT) melanoma.

Editorial Open Access

Preventing Stroke in Sickle Cell Disease: 2021. The Role of Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (TCD) When the Use of Transfusion is Problematic

Robert J Adams

While TCD is an indicator of risk, not a biopsy diagnosis (such as proof of cancer), at some point in the velocity spectrum the high velocity detected by TCD reaches what many believe is an unacceptable risk of stroke.

Commentary Open Access

Evolutionary Changes of the Cardiovascular System Initiated by Reduced Atmospheric O₂ Gave Rise to Mammalian and Avian Endothermy

Gerald Soslau

This commentary will address the salient points explored in a previous publication on the role of the red blood cell and platelet in the evolution of mammalian and avian endothermy, include additional concepts associated with the evolution of endothermy, and finally address future directions that may be followed in this area of research. The most simplistic definition of the terms endothermic and ectothermic is the former refers to warmblooded animals that maintain their body temperature by endogenous mechanisms while the latter refers to coldblooded animals that require external sources of heat to warm their bodies. In actuality the ability to maintain body heat is more complex for many animals categorized by these terms since some large-bodied ectotherms can maintain body temperatures by internal mechanisms and some endotherms do not maintain body temperature at selective times, such as when hibernating.