Fixed-duration venetoclax in relapsed CLL, differing effects of invariant NK T cells, and under recognition of rare TERT variants in MDS

In this week’s episode, we’ll review updated results of a phase 1b study that provide strong support for the use of fixed-duration venetoclax in patients with relapsed or refractory CLL. Next, we’ll review a research paper that provides new insights on the different subtypes of invariant natural killer T cells, which appear to have diverse immunoregulatory properties and anti-tumor effects. We will finish up with a report indicating that rare variants in the telomerase gene, TERT, are underrecognized in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, providing a new insight into the germline genetic component of disease pathophysiology.