J Mark Sloan

Every time I see a forest plot.

@PatrickHwuMD @PeterCEverett @alantanmd @Nature

@PeterCEverett @Jmarksloan @alantanmd @Nature Great question Mark and I agree with you Peter. While BiTEs may indeed bypass the initial need for a natural T cell to recognize the tumor, subsequent epitope and antigen spreading for long term immunity may be stronger in patients with superior thymic function.

#ScienceSaturday ❓ Does the health of your thymus (the body’s T cell factory) play a role in how well patients respond to #immunotherapy? ➡️ A new study in @Nature shows that thymic health, a measure of how well the body produces T cells, is strongly linked to immunotherapy outcomes across multiple cancer types. Using routine CT scans, researchers found that patients with better thymic health had greater survival and a better response to treatment. ➡️ Thymic health was also tied to greater T cell diversity and activity, suggesting it reflects overall immune fitness. Notably, it provided independent insights beyond common tumor biomarkers such as PD-L1 and tumor mutation burden. 🌟 This study shifts the paradigm from tumor-focused biomarkers to include the patient’s immune system, opening the door for more personalized immunotherapy strategies based on immune competence. 🔗 Check out the full study: nature.com/articles/s4158… @HugoAerts @Simon_Bernatz @AarhusUni @nbirkbak @EladSharonMD

@Papa_Heme 💯

If you find yourself needing to lower the Melphalan dose to 140 please abort the transplant.

@DrHBurstein @DanaFarber Prior to 2022 only 67% of Masshealth members had any access to DFCI (now 88%). MGH historically had much broader acceptance of Medicaid. Also grateful for the excellent safety net hospitals that provided high level cancer care to all MA residents during this time period.

Shocking disparities in utilization of essential cancer meds across the US. Or maybe not so shocking anymore . By the way, if you want great care, start in Massachusetts @DanaFarber

Well said @CraigLipset.

@LeivaOrly Life lessons. Also a corollary: just because you did somthing once and it turned out ok doesn't mean that you should do it again.

This is one of the most important things I’ve learned in IC fellowship so far.

Calling all MA residents: Please support House Bill 4553 to require insurance coverage for medically necessary denta lcare for head & neck cancer pts—before, during & after treatment. A huge treatment barrier! Contact your state rep: malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyL… #HeadNeckCancer

I remember Dr Goss telling us that starting a good clinical trial was like a farmer planting his crops. If you plant it correctly you can relax and enjoy the harvest for years. ascopost.com/news/january-2…

@PatrickHwuMD Thanks Pat! I miss working with you!

#FollowFriday shoutout to Dr. J. Mark Sloan (@Jmarksloan), Hematologist at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Sloan specializes in benign and malignant blood disorders, including AL Amyloidosis, lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma and thrombosis. It was an honor to have him as an early member of the Hwu Lab at @NIH. 🌟Follow him to stay updated on his groundbreaking work in hematology! @The_BMC

Have been working w/ @Jmarksloan on this for a decade: BV-CHEP for 1L ATLL. @BrJHaem N=16 CR: 62.5% ORR: 87.5% mOS: 15.7m AlloSCT: 5 pts; mOS: NR Tox: cytopenias, mucositis, PN New consideration for aggressive ATLL. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.11…

What's going to be different with the new IMWG response criteria? Main changes: - FLC >=10 mg/dL with abnormal ratio takes precedence over urine (but urine is not gone) - No more sCR - Bone marrow to confirm CR can be performed +/- 6 weeks from blood testing. - 24-hour urine at baseline, and if M-protein present, retest only to confirm CR - Patients can be considered to have PD if they meet criteria by a variable not considered measurable at baseline (major weakness with current response criteria is that it misses light chain escape). Next, imaging....

@The_BMC 7/7 (199 chars): What do you think? Predicting career longevity is tricky. Should pharma have its own fellowship track with quotas? PDs, fellows, oncologists—share your take! #MedEd #OncTwitter #AcademicMedicine

@The_BMC 6/7: I'm not judging, people should pursue whatever they wish. Industry work is interesting, important and rewarding. It's when choice becomes survival. When the job you love costs more joy, health, or balance than you can sustain. Make longevity doable, not heroic.

1/7: As Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program Director, I've reviewed 647 applications this cycle. Every personal statement cites a passion caring for cancer patients, research and teaching. 85% explicitly prefer academic medicine. No one mentions wanting a career in pharma

This change in V6 CTCAE neutropenia grading is an enormous win for Duffy null patients.

@n8pennell Nate, I hope you stay an advocate for cancer patients as you navigate this change. My experience with @bmsnews has not been consistently positive. propublica.org/article/revlim…

After 17 years at the Cleveland Clinic, I’m starting today as Senior Vice President and Worldwide Head of Hematology Oncology Medical Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb. I’m deeply grateful to my colleagues and patients at the Clinic for my experiences there. In my new role, I aim to help bring life-changing drugs to more people affected by cancer worldwide.