LAUSR

Hematologic malignancies make up approximately 10% of all cancer types in the USA, and the management of patients suffering from hematologic malignancies has dramatically changed over the last 20 years (1). Death rates have reduced across the various malignancy types, and rapidly fatal diseases, such as chronic myeloid leukemia, have become curable thanks to therapies like Imatinib Mesylate, occasionally termed an oral ‘magic bullet’ (1–3). Pathologies ignored by most, with little or no therapeutic possibilities, based only on conventional chemotherapy, have captured the spotlight: chronic lymphocytic leukemia, C(LL)inderella, very recently became a star, with numerous ongoing clinical trials and several novel agents approved (4, 5). Another case in point is the outcome of multiple myeloma (MM), the second most frequent hematologic malignancy type after non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), has significantly improved in recent years, again thanks to the introduction of novel therapeutic agents (6). A better understanding of disease heterogeneity, together with the discovery of novel targeted agents to be used in combination with chemotherapy, has also significantly improved the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the big bad wolf for any hematologist (7). Lastly, the advent of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) Cells has brought upon similar advances and positive outcomes in a number of patients, and as of February 2021, there are four CAR-T Cell therapies approved by the FDA for use in patients, and numerous additional ongoing clinical trials. CAR-T Cells are a novel personalized cancer therapy which acts directly on the immune system of patients, making it able to recognize and destroy tumor cells, and has granted the opportunity to treat advanced forms of hematological malignancies in resistant and relapsed patients, and to survive (8, 9). What challenges does a hematologist face in 2021, if any? As a matter of fact, all that glitters is not gold. This year’s World Cancer Day is focused on awareness, prevention and equity. When thinking about it, it is not strange that these are the themes that were selected this year. Let’s explore why.