ASH Preview: Practice Changers?

The ASH conference is in full swing today, so I won't be calling my ASH posts "previews" after this. But I'll do it once more in looking at an article from Oncology News Central that was published earlier this week. 

It's really easy to get excited about a conference presentation, and even easier to get excited about an abstract. the presentation itself might last an hour, and involve more detail and some audience questions. the abstract is just the summary -- the good stuff. As Dr. Leonard points out in his Leonard List podcast, that can leave out a lot of the complications that can make it a little less exciting.

And then there's the place that a conference presentation has in the whole life cycle of a research project. The best look at research comes from a publication in a medical journal. That's where it will be peer-reviewed -- other experts in the subject will look it over and point out problems and ask for changes, and if it looks good after that, it will be published. A conference presentation doesn't go through all of that review.

My point is, remember that my ASH previews, that look at abstracts, are only the first step in a long process. The things I look at here -- and that I get excited about -- won't necessarily make their way to the doctor's office any time soon, if they do at all.

Which is why the article from Oncology News Central is so interesting. 

It asks the question, "What Blood Cancer Advances Could Change Practice?" In other words, which presentations at ASH really will end up in the doctor's office some day? They asked some blood cancer experts which abstracts could be important enough to change the way blood cancer patients are treated in the future.

Follicularr Lymphoma makes an appearance. they asked Dr. Cunthia Dunbar from the National Institues of Health, who also serves as Secretary of ASH. One of her picks is "LBA-1 Tafasitamab Plus Lenalidomide and Rituximab for Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma: Results from a Phase 3 Study (inMIND)." It's the late-breaking abstract that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, looking at Tafasitamab added to R Squared. As I said then, "I'm guessing this is going to be the Big Story about Follicular Lymphoma when the ASH conference is over, and we'll be hearing more excitement about it from the experts who give their opinions about things." So we're getting some of the excitement a little early.

Dr. Dunbar says “Tumor cells can evolve to escape targeted therapies via loss of a single target molecule, such as CD20. This approach of using two antibodies simultaneously aims to prevent this escape, resulting in better outcomes.”

That's the only abstract that deals directly with FL to make the list in this article. But there are a few others that get at Quality of Life issues that are worth looking at. The article has a section called "Diet and Lifestyle Focus “Bold and Different” From Previous ASH Meetings." A couple of abstracts look at the influence of higher fiber intake after Stem Cell Transplant, with the idea that they may improve gut bacteria in positive ways. Another looks at a ketogenic diet–derived metabolite that might have the potential to help CAR T be more effective.

I know there's a lot of interest among many FL patients for things like dietary changes that could help us. To be very clear, all of these studies are in very early stages. They are discussed in the article by Dr. Mikkael Sekeres of the University of Miami (a Lymphoma Rock Star, to be sure). But he cautions, "We need to wait for clinical trials before we recommend more restrictive diets whole hog."

You'll notice I have not linked to those studies directly. You can find links in the Oncology News Central article if you want to take a look.  But I'm going to make you work for it. Consider it symbolic -- we often look for quick answers when it comes to things like lifestyle changes to help our cancer.  But they're never that quick and easy. So if you want to read more about them, you'll need to work for it. 

And keep in mind that these abstracts aren't saying that a high fiber or keto diet will cure your cancer. They're looking at how dietary choices may influence how well a specific treatment works. that's a very different thing.

Still, I look forward to seeing the reactions to ASH. I'll share them as they come about over the next few days and weeks.