Kyowa Kirin Launches Effort to Educate Healthcare Providers on Blood Involvement in Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome

New resources offer expert insight into the diagnostics used for staging and ongoing management of rare blood cancers

PRINCETON, N.J., June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyowa Kirin, Inc., an affiliate of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin, TSE: 4151), a global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced an initiative, Proactively Recognizing Occurrence in Blood through Education (PROBE) housed on PROBEinCTCL.com which was developed to educate HCPs on the importance of assessing blood involvement in Sézary Syndrome and Mycosis Fungoides—two subtypes of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). CTCL is a rare form of lymphoma that presents in a patient's skin, but may spread to other compartments, including the blood.

Blood involvement is a hallmark sign of Sézary Syndrome, but it can also occur at most stages of Mycosis Fungoides. In fact, as many as 1 in 3 patients with mycosis fungoides may experience disease progression within skin or to other compartments, including blood.¹ As blood involvement is associated with shorter survival rates, blood should be assessed for accurate diagnosis, staging, and optimal patient management.² Watch this video to learn more: https://www.probeinctcl.com?utm_source=cision&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=probe_pr_june23&utm_content=cta_video 

"Given the rarity of Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome, until now, there was a dearth of clinically relevant information available for those physicians that may not treat these conditions on a regular basis. PROBE in CTCL is an important resource for physicians who treat these conditions in the community setting and who are seeking information on why, when, and how to assess blood involvement in CTCL," said Alejandro A. Gru, MD, Leonard C. Harber Professor of Dermatology and Director of Dermatopathology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Serving patients through healthcare provider education

The new initiative is part of a continuing effort to provide healthcare providers with information to consider about when and how to assess blood involvement using flow cytometry—the preferred method for measuring blood involvement in Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome, as recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), and International Guidelines for Cutaneous Lymphoma (ISCL) Guidelines.^3,4 Flow cytometry provides qualitative and quantitative measures of abnormal T-cells in blood, which can inform on staging, disease progression, and ultimately treatment.^5,6

Physicians can visit PROBEinCTCL.com for information about the importance of blood involvement in Sézary Syndrome and Mycosis Fungoides, consensus guidance on when to consider flow cytometry, review example clinical cases, and read guidance on how to order a flow cytometry test.

"Kyowa Kirin, Inc. is committed to advancing the understanding and education of the healthcare community around the value of improving diagnosis and monitoring of patients with CTCL," says Greg Palko, Vice President, North American Region Franchise Head for Oncology at Kyowa Kirin, Inc. "PROBE In CTCL is an important step in this ongoing mission, and we are confident that educating healthcare providers about the importance of monitoring for blood involvement will help us best support the patient communities we serve."

About Kyowa Kirin

Kyowa Kirin strives to create and deliver novel medicines with life-changing value. As a Japan-based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Company with a more than 70-year heritage, we apply cutting-edge science including expertise in antibody research and engineering, to address the needs of patients and society across multiple therapeutic areas including Nephrology, Oncology, Immunology/Allergy and Neurology. Across our four regions – Japan, Asia Pacific, North America, and EMEA/International – we focus on our purpose to make people smile, and are united by our shared values of commitment to life, teamwork/Wa, innovation, and integrity. You can learn more about Kyowa Kirin North America at: https://kkna.kyowakirin.com or https://www.linkedin.com/company/kyowa-kirin-inc.-u.s./ 

¹ Agar NS, Wedgeworth E, Crichton S, et al. Survival outcomes and prognostic factors in mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome: validation of the revised International Society for Cutaneous Lymphomas/European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer staging proposal. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28(31):4730-4739.

² Talpur R, Singh L, Daulat S, et al. Long-term outcomes of 1,263 patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome from 1982 to 2009. Clin Cancer Res. 2012;18(18):5051-5060.

³ Olsen EA, Whittaker S, Willemze R, et al. Primary cutaneous lymphoma: recommendations for clinical trial design and staging update from the ISCL, USCLC, and EORTC. Blood. 2022;140:419-437.

⁴ Illingworth A, Johansson U, Huang S, et al. International guidelines for the flow cytometric evaluation of peripheral blood for suspected Sézary syndrome or mycosis fungoides: assay development/optimization, validation, and ongoing quality monitors. Cytometry B Clin Cytom. 2021;100(2):156-182.

⁵ Craig F. It is time to adopt a multicolor immunophenotyping approach to evaluate blood for Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides. Cytometry B Clin Cytom. 2021;100(2):125-128.

SOURCE Kyowa Kirin