ASH News Daily - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - (Page A-18)

Page A–18 ® Iron «« From Page A-15 the hepcidin-ferroportin system results in iron overload disorders (decreased hepcidin) and iron restrictive disorders (excess hepcidin). In keeping with the theme of iron and its role in human diseases, Dr. Mark Fleming of Children’s Hospital Boston concluded by discussing the congential sideroblastic anemias (CSAs) and the genetics of these rare disorders. The CSAs share the morphologic finding of mitochondrial iron deposition in erythroblasts. In approximately two-thirds of cases of CSAs, a specific molecular diagnosis can be made. The defective genes in CSAs often have a role in mitochondrial heme or iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis or mitochondrial translation/protein expression. In some cases, the genetic defect can help direct specific therapy. Lastly, in discussing more recent data, Dr. Fleming stated that “myelodysplastic syndromes Correction In yesterday’s B Section cover article, we incorrectly stated that Dr. Bob Lowenberg was an Associate Editor of Blood. We regret the error. with ringed sideroblasts (such as refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts) almost always have mutations in proteins associated with the mRNA splicing machinery.” You may want to stick around for the Scientific Program session “Iron and Heme Sensing in Red Cells and Anemia” offered after the above education session today at 9:30 a.m. (Douglas Pavilion D, Manchester Grand Hyatt); this session will also discuss iron balance, new discoveries in hepcidin modulation secondary to systemic cues, and the role of a heme-regulated translational inhibitor as a modifier of red cell disorders in humans. Dr. Jan Abkowitz of the University of Washington, Seattle, will address the question, “Why should developing erythroid cells need to export heme when their adequate supply in mature red cells is so critical?” and share exciting results of recent genetic studies in this area during the program. Drs. Panepinto and Brandow indicated no relevant conflicts of interest. ASH NEWS DAILY Acronyms «« From Page A-9 and feel that the next steps are “to design and conduct clinical trials to validate and prove the concept of personalized medicine, so that the molecular tests and treatment will be reimbursed and the personalized approach will become the standard of care.” How exciting! Lastly, Dr. Petri Bono from Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Finland, will present more practice-changing data. He will show the results of the prospective, randomized, multicenter, phase III trial showing that three years of treatment with imatinib after surgery in patients with high-risk Sunday, December 11, 2011 gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) improved overall and recurrence-free survival compared with one year of treatment. This is the first example of long-term adjuvant therapy with a targeted small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor. With a tolerable side effect profile, 36 months of adjuvant imatinib is expected to become the new standard of care following curative surgery for GIST. Along with the reality of personalized medicine and a survival advantage demonstrated simply by extending targeted therapy for patients with GIST, this is sure to be a most exciting session. Dr. Landau indicated no relevant conflicts of interest. Access the Entire Blood Website on Your iPhone, Blackberry, or Android T he mobile-friendly version of the Blood website includes all of the online content such as current issues, First Edition papers, full ar- chive, and more. You will have the ability to do fulltext search of any article and to submit your paper to Blood. To access the new mobile-friendly site, go to http:// bloodjournal.org from your device’s Web browser. http://www.bloodjournal.org http://www.bloodjournal.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASH News Daily - Sunday, December 11, 2011

ASH News Daily - Sunday, December 11, 2011

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