What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 23 patients with leukemia. The study was sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
71% of high-risk leukemia patients stayed cancer-free one year after transplant with this maintenance treatment.
Blood · 2022 · NCT02807883
These findings — that high-risk leukemia patients remained in remission after transplant with maintenance treatment — were published in the Blood and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 23 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with leukemia, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was a mid-stage study testing whether an antibody infusion after transplant could keep leukemia from coming back. The treatment appeared safe and helped many patients stay in remission. It's not yet standard care — talk to your transplant team about whether maintenance therapy like this might be right for you.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open leukemia trials
Duvelisib and Venetoclax in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma (PTCL)
This is an open-label, phase I/II study of duvelisib in combination with Venetoclax for patients with relapsed/refractory NHL. Duvelisib is an FDA approved, marketed product used to treat certain patients with leukemia and lymphoma and Venetoclax, which is approved for treatment of certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The combination of these two drugs is experimental. Experimental means that it is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The researchers want to find out how safe it is to combine these drugs and how well this combination can work for your cancer.
Enasidenib and Azacitidine in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia and IDH2 Gene Mutation
This phase II trial studies how well enasidenib and azacitidine work in treating patients with IDH2 gene mutation and acute myeloid leukemia that has come back (recurrent) or does not respond to treatment (refractory). Enasidenib and azacitidine may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth.