Current status

I have moved with this activity to the facebook page – so if you are interested in new things in hematology go there:

Facebook page – dr hab n med Emilian Snarski

So there will be no new posts here for now.

AHSCT is a standard of care of RRMS

This is very important statement from ASBMT (THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BLOOD AND MARROW TRANSPLANTATION) – which considers AHSCT a standard of care in Multiple Sclerosis. This is pivotal statement in the care of MS as for the first time AHSCT is acknowledged not as clinical option but as a proven standard.

 

“Review of recent literature identified eight retrospective studies, eight clinical trials, and three meta-analyses/systematic reviews. In aggregate, these studies indicate that AHCT is an efficacious and safe treatment for active relapsing forms of MS to prevent
clinical relapses, MRI lesion activity, and disability worsening, and to reverse disability, without unexpected adverse events. Based on the available evidence, the ASBMT recommends that treatment-refractory relapsing MS with high risk of future disability be considered a “standard of care, clinical evidence available” indication for AHCT.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30794930?fbclid=IwAR0TH3vOcr_g3T5KS7KkhJRpfrLP8oZ7LypSbQHBMGgeqHg6GcxNR2_vZao

 

 

Wykłady na kursie specjalizacyjnym – transplantologia

Opublikowałem dwa nowe wykłady dla lekarzy:

2019 02 Przeszczepianie szpiku w chorobach z autoagresji 2019 HSCT in AD – wykład na kursie specjalizacyjnym

2019 02 Odmiany transplantacji i techniki przeszczepiania 2019 Odmiany transplantacji i technika przeszczepiania – wykład na kursie specjalizacyjnym

 

AHSCT is better choice than DMDs in MS as a treatment of cases progressing after first line treatment – multicenter randomised trial.

After few decades of knowledge supported by many one-arm, non-randomised, one-center trials. Finally the randomised trial showing that AHSCT in better in MS than DMDs. Full text here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30644983

CPX-351 (Vyxeos) – new drug that improves treatment in older patients with secondary AML

Great news for older patients (over 60) with AML – there is a new combination drug that improves the chances of cure and survival. The long term survival is almost twice as good as the survial after the standard chemotherapy. The full publication can be found in JCO: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30024784

FDA Approval Summary: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30541745

Complementary Medicine (alternative medicine) not so good for cancer patients

Many times I have been asked this question – and what if alternative medicine does work against cancer and we (the medical establishment) just block the results from surfacing? We do not. This study published in JAMA last year shows that refusing chemotherapy (or other forms of cancer treatment) and using alternative medicine does lead to lower chances of survival. On the other hand if you stick to chemotherapy (or any other cancer treatment) prescribed by oncologist and additionaly use alternative medicine – it does not influence the survival. So the conclusion is simple – alternative medicine generally does not work in cancer, and refusing standard treatments leads to increase in mortality.

Reference: JAMA https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2687972

Patient Problem Based Learning – new approach to medical classes

Problem based learning bases on solving defined problems found in trigger material. I thought about a way of simple implementation this strategy of learning into clinical practice of teaching my students. As patients are different every time I thought how I can approach the class so the students get the problems to solve which are always relevant to the patients they meet. They are used to the same scheme of asking about first symptoms, then treatment. The approach I proposed to the last batch of medical students this year is PATIENT PROBLEM BASED LEARNING. What is the difference? Each of the students is asked to find problems that the patient faces in different areas of life – medical, drugs and their side effects, psychological, financial, family, access to medical care and other. The problems are not predefined – but rather base on real life issues relevant to the patient. Actually for the first patient we use approach where students set the fields for problem searching – so they chose what they will look for. The students filled questionnaires and were to provide solutions – the ones that patients developed and the ones that they would suggest for the patient. For the teaching physician as me this is also an interesting experience to learn more about the patients. This is a small revolution to the way I teach medicine and we will see how it works next year.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Multiple Sclerosis – effective 1st, 2nd and 3rd line treatment

During EBMT 2018 there were pivotal data presented that show that multiple sclerosis can be effectively treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – and HSCT is effective as 1st, 2nd and 3rd line treatment. The most crucial data comes from study by Richard Burt – MIST trial that compared HSCT with best possible drugs as 2nd line treatment. This is is the first randomized trial that shows overwhelming advantage of HSCT. You can download presentation from here.

 

Cord Blood News – Trochę nowości o krwi pępowinowej

I have prepared (in polish) new presentation on news and progress in clinical use of cord blood. Time will tell what it will be used to – I am sure that there are some properties that are hard to replicate with adult stem cells – as you can read in this presentation.

2017 Cord Blood News

FDA Approves CAR-T Cell Product for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

This is the moment which is important – the CART cells are finally acknowledged by FDA – which means that they can be used as treatment. The price – still too high for them to be used widely – hopefully can be reduced at least 100 times for all the patients that need this type of therapy.

 

https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm574058.htm