Core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML) in fit patients is treated with curative-intent induction chemotherapy followed by 3-4 cycles of high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation. No standard therapy exists for patients with contraindications to HiDAC consolidation. Oral azacitidine is approved as indefinite maintenance therapy for intermediate/high risk AML but has not been studied in CBF-AML, nor in a time-limited fashion. We present two patients with CBF-AML who achieved morphologic remission after induction but had medical (case 1) or psychiatric (case 2) contraindications to HiDAC, therefore receiving oral azacitidine in a minimal residual disease (MRD)-guided, time-limited fashion. In case 1, drug-induced liver injury precluded HiDAC therapy; after four cycles, CBFB::MYH11 became PCR-undetectable, and azacitidine continued for a year. In case 2, a suicide attempt related to anticipated hospitalization precluded HiDAC; azacitidine was administered intermittently. Both patients remain MRD-negative 1.5 years post-treatment suggesting time-limited, MRD-guided azacitidine as a potential alternative to HiDAC consolidation.

Mental health disorders are common in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), yet long-term mental health service utilization (MHU) remains poorly characterized. We evaluated MHU rates and associated sociodemographic factors in patients undergoing curative treatment. This population-based retrospective matched-cohort study used Ontario administrative data; patients treated with rituximab-based chemotherapy (2005-2017) were matched 1:4 (age/sex) to non-cancer controls and followed up to 15 years. Difference-in-differences Poisson regression compared MHU between groups, adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Among 10,132 patients and 40,528 controls, DLBCL patients had significantly higher adjusted MHU at 5 years: outpatient visits (aRR 1.22), emergency visits (aRR 1.75), and hospitalizations (aRR 1.97). Elevated rates persisted at 10 and 15 years. Higher MHU was associated with younger age, female sex, lower income, and urban residence. DLBCL patients demonstrated persistently elevated MHU for up to 15 years post-treatment, underscoring the need for mental health integration into survivorship care.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) plays an important role in B-cell development and has become a well-established target in B-cell malignancies. Over the past two decades, BTK inhibitors (BTKis) have transformed the treatment landscape for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other B-cell lymphoid malignancies. Despite their efficacy, acquired resistance to BTKis remains a significant challenge, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a promising approach to eliminate BTK and thereby inhibit both its kinase and non-kinase (i.e. scaffold) functions. Bexobrutideg (NX-5948) is a novel BTK degrader that was designed to overcome limitations associated with BTKis while maintaining favorable selectivity. In this review, we summarize the rationale for BTK degradation, discuss the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting bexobrutideg, and highlight remaining challenges and future directions for this emerging class of therapeutics.

Venetoclax plus azacitidine or decitabine (VEN-HMA) is a frontline option for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Venetoclax is metabolized by CYP3A4 and in practice is frequently coadministered with CYP3A4 inhibitors, yet whether this affects outcomes is unknown. We systematically searched four databases (PROSPERO CRD420251152772) for newly diagnosed AML treated with VEN-HMA reporting composite complete remission (CRc), invasive fungal infection or survival by CYP3A4-inhibitor status, through August 2026. Nineteen studies (2021-2026) were included, twelve contributing to the quantitative syntheses. Across five comparative cohorts, the pooled odds ratio for CRc was 0.81 (95% CI 0.58-1.13; I[2]=0%); among six single-arm cohorts, the pooled CRc proportion was 67.1% (62.0-71.9%), matching no-inhibitor and trial benchmarks (∼66-67%). Fungal infection was pooled but uninformative; survival was not pooled. Overall certainty was very low. Concomitant CYP3A4-inhibitor exposure was not associated with compromised remission, consistent with the feasibility of reduced-dose regimens pending prospective confirmation.

NCT03222609 [REFINE]; NCT04468984 [TRANSFORM-2]).

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a highly treatable malignancy. As patients and families seek information online, educational resources are essential. YouTube is widely used for health information, but the quality of HL-specific content is unclear. We evaluated the characteristics, content, and reliability of YouTube videos for HL patient education. Search terms generated a list of 50 relevant videos. Data were extracted and analyzed using validated video assessment tools. Two independent reviewers evaluated reliability; accuracy was assessed using a structured consensus document across five domains. Videos most commonly covered treatment options, diagnosis, prognosis, and symptoms; follow-up, prevention, and complementary therapies were less frequently addressed. Most videos were produced by nonprofit organizations or healthcare facilities. Overall reliability was moderate, with higher scores for educational videos. While many videos provide reliable content, follow-up care, screening, prevention, and transparency about information sources remain limited. More comprehensive online resources are needed for HL patient education.

Continuous Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) therapy is effective in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) but rarely eradicates measurable residual disease (MRD) and commits patients to indefinite treatment. In this single-center, real-world series, venetoclax was added as consolidation in 8 patients on continuous BTKi with adverse events and persistent peripheral-blood MRD. Patients were predominantly high-risk (6 of 8 IGHV-unmutated; 1 TP53-mutated) and had received BTKi for a median of 35 months. MRD was measured by flow cytometry (sensitivity 10[-5]). At a median follow-up of 12 months, all had MRD reductions; 4 of 6 evaluable patients (66%) achieved undetectable MRD (<10[-5]), the 2 remaining on therapy being non-evaluable. Six completed the 12-month course and stopped all therapy; 1 later relapsed. Treatment was well tolerated: grade 4 neutropenia in 2 patients, no tumor lysis syndrome, and no treatment-related deaths. Venetoclax consolidation is feasible, deepens response, and enables MRD-guided finite therapy in BTKi-treated CLL.

PAX5 is one of the most frequently altered genes in B‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B‑ALL), yet the impact of its specific alterations on adult outcomes remains incompletely defined. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 42 adults with PAX5-mutated or rearranged B-ALL, including PAX5 P80R mutations (n = 6), PAX5 fusions (n = 11), and other PAX5 mutations (n = 25). The median age was 41 years and 83% were Hispanic. Complete remission and minimal residual disease negative rates after induction were 78.6% and 53.8%, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 30.1, 53.7, and not reached (NR) months for P80R, fusions, and other PAX5 mutations, respectively. Median relapse-free survival was 12.1, NR, and 88.5 months for the same groups. CDKN2A/B co-deletions trended toward inferior OS (HR 2.69, p = 0.105). In multivariate analysis, PAX5 fusions were independently associated with inferior OS (HR 7.79, p = 0.018). PAX5‑altered ALL represents a heterogeneous group with diverse mutations that may influence prognosis.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, shows >90% survival in high-income settings but poorer outcomes in low- and middle-income regions due to increased infection rates, toxicity, and treatment abandonment. This single-center retrospective study from January 2016 to June 2025, analyzed outcomes of pediatric ALL patients treated with MASPORE 2003 protocol. Among 164 children, 137 met inclusion criteria. Relapse was observed in 8.76%, with treatment-related mortality of 2.91%. Among patients with ≥2 years follow-up (n = 118), OS and EFS were 92.7% and 87.2%, respectively. The protocol's anthracycline-free induction and reduced-intensity reinduction achieved favorable survival with lower toxicity and treatment abandonment in a LMIC.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a chronic hematological malignancy associated with substantial morbidity and healthcare utilization. We conducted a retrospective population-based study using the Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set to analyze MM-related hospitalizations in Spain. All hospitalizations with a diagnosis of MM during the study period were included. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, complications, and outcomes were assessed, and temporal trends were evaluated using quasi-Poisson regression models. A total of 107,496 hospitalizations involving 43,383 unique patients were analyzed. Hospitalization rates increased significantly over the study period, from 25.1 to 34.6 per 100,000 population (p < 0.001). Median patient age at hospitalization was 73 years, and 47% were women. In-hospital mortality was 11%, decreasing from 13% in 2016 to 9.6% in 2023 despite an increasing comorbidity burden. Mortality increased with age, and marked regional variability was observed. These findings indicate a growing healthcare burden but improved survival, likely reflecting advances in MM treatment and supportive care.

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable tool for diagnosing pneumonia, a common complication in onco-hematological patients; however, data in this setting are limited. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy and clinical usefulness of LUS performed by trained hematologists in febrile neutropenic patients, compared to chest X-ray (CXR), and using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) as reference test. At fever onset, 123 hospitalized neutropenic onco-hematological patients underwent a bedside CXR and LUS. Seventy-one patients underwent HRCT for a positive CXR, persistent fever or respiratory failure, and were included in the analysis. Overall, 39 patients developed pneumonia. Compared to HRCT, LUS and CXR showed a sensitivity of 71.8% and 51.3%, and a specificity of 87.5% and 81.3%, respectively. AUC-ROC was 0.80 for LUS and 0.66 for CXR (p = 0.04). Net reclassification index (NRI) of LUS was 20.5% for pneumonia, and 6.3% for no pneumonia cases. LUS showed high diagnostic accuracy for pneumonia in this setting.

HHV8-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (HHV8+ DLBCL) is a rare and aggressive lymphoma frequently associated with multicentric Castleman disease. Population-based data remain limited. Using the National Cancer Database (2004-2023), we analyzed 262 patients with histologically confirmed HHV8+ DLBCL (ICD-O-3 9738/3), representing the largest cohort to date. The cohort was predominantly male (76.7%), White (66.0%), with a mean age of 52.6 years. The primary site was nodal in 78.6%. Systemic therapy was administered in 72.9% of patients. Median overall survival was 133 months, with 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 68.2%, 63.1%, and 59.9%, respectively. On multivariable Cox regression, age ≥60 years, Charlson-Deyo score ≥1, HIV-positive status, and lack of systemic therapy and surgery to the primary site were independently associated with worse overall survival. In a subgroup analysis restricted to patients with known HIV status (n = 113), HIV-positive status was the only variable significantly associated with worse overall survival on univariable analysis.