Happy spring! March marks the final installment of JADPRO’s Benign Hematology Updates program. In addition to coverage of several presentations from the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting, this month we offer important research updates and online educational tools not only in our News & Literature section but also in the Resources section.

The updates for the Autoimmune Cytopenias pillar include reports on 2 presentations from ASH: the TARGET 020 trial, which evaluated the benefit of adding tacrolimus to high-dose dexamethasone in first-line treatment of adult immune thrombocytopenia (ITP); and a study in which addition of all-trans retinoic acid to low-dose rituximab significantly increased overall and sustained responses in corticosteroid-resistant or relapsed adult patients with ITP.

In the Bone Marrow Failure Disorders section is a report on a multicenter phase 3 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, in which investigators found eltrombopag added to standard immunosuppressive therapy in previously untreated patients with severe aplastic anemia significantly improved the hematologic response. In a report relevant to the care of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), researchers developed and evaluated a novel composite endpoint to assess the impact of complement inhibition treatment in future clinical trials.

The Hemoglobinopathies pillar includes highlights from a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine on key results from a multicenter, international phase 3 study of betibeglogene autotemcel gene therapy, or beti-cell; this treatment achieved high rates of transfusion independence in both pediatric and adult patients with non–β⁰/β⁰ genotype β-thalassemia, with no observed cases of cancer.

The Hereditary/Acquired Bleeding Disorders pillar features reports on M'HEMORRH-AGE, a prospective, observational, multicenter study that evaluated exposure of older community-dwelling patients with hemophilia or von Willebrand Disease (VWD) to potentially inappropriate medications and treatments with anticholinergic and sedative properties; a systematic literature review by the SYMPHONY Consortium of patient-reported outcomes in patients with hemophilia and VWD; and comprehensive online patient brochures on VWD and mild hemophilia.

As always, I would be delighted to hear your thoughts about the latest content and/or any comments you may have regarding the overall structure and scope of Benign Hematology Updates. I also want to thank the program faculty for so generously sharing their time and clinical expertise in development of the many videos and case studies that truly enriched this special JADPRO program.

Be well!