Clinical trialUNITERAREMay 5
Novartis is testing a drug called asciminib in children who have a type of blood cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that has a specific genetic change called the Philadelphia chromosome. This is a Phase 2 trial, which means researchers are checking if the drug works well and is safe in this younger age group. The study is now accepting patients and is expected to start in May 2026.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial is the first to test asciminib specifically in pediatric patients with Ph+ CML-CP, potentially offering a new treatment option for children who may have limited alternatives or resistance to current therapies.
Clinical trialUNITERAREMay 3
Researchers are testing a new combination of three drugs—bugitinib, venetoclax, and cytarabine—to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that has come back or stopped responding to previous treatment. This is an early-stage study (Phase 2) that is now accepting patients. The goal is to see if this drug combination works better than current options for this serious blood cancer.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers a new treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory AML, a condition with limited effective therapies, and is actively recruiting participants now.
Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 5
Researchers are testing a new drug called pacritinib in people ages 12 and older who have myelodysplastic syndromes or myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms — rare blood disorders where the bone marrow doesn't make enough healthy blood cells. The drug works by blocking several proteins that may be causing these diseases. This is an early-stage study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute that will start recruiting patients in April 2026.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers patients with myelodysplastic syndromes access to a novel multi-targeted kinase inhibitor that may address disease mechanisms not covered by current standard treatments, with enrollment beginning in April 2026.
Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 5
Researchers are testing a new cancer treatment that takes a patient's own immune cells, modifies them in a lab to recognize and attack their specific cancer, and then puts them back into the body. This Phase 1 trial is for people with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. The treatment is personalized—each patient's cells are customized based on their individual cancer's unique mutations.
WHY IT MATTERSThis trial offers patients with hematologic malignancies access to a cutting-edge personalized immunotherapy that targets their cancer's unique mutations, potentially offering a new treatment option for those who may have limited alternatives.
Clinical trialUNITERAREApr 3
Researchers are testing a new drug called elritercept to see if it works better than a standard treatment (epoetin alfa) for anemia in adults with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)—a blood disorder where the bone marrow doesn't make enough healthy blood cells. People in this study have low, very low, or intermediate risk MDS and need regular blood transfusions. The trial is now accepting patients.
WHY IT MATTERSThis Phase 3 trial is actively recruiting adults with MDS who require transfusions, offering access to an investigational treatment that may reduce their dependence on blood transfusions.
ResearchPUBMEDMar 26
A 45-year-old man had ear canal swelling and an ear infection that wouldn't go away with normal treatment. Doctors performed surgery but didn't find the cause at first. After more testing, they discovered the real problem: cancer cells from a blood disease called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) had come back and were growing in the bone behind his ear.
WHY IT MATTERSThis case shows that persistent ear infections that don't respond to standard treatment could be a sign of leukemia relapse, meaning AML patients with unusual ear symptoms need urgent investigation beyond typical infection treatment.