BPDCN Clinic
Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare, fast-growing blood cancer that can affect the blood, bone marrow, skin and other parts of the body. It affects about 500 to 1,000 people in the United States each year. It mainly affects older adults but can occur at any age.
Treatment options for BPDCN have expanded in recent years, including targeted therapies and clinical trials. At UT MD Anderson, our specialists have helped advance BPDCN treatment and research.
The BPDCN Clinic brings together specialists in leukemia, hematopathology, dermatology and stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy to provide care tailored to each patient.
How we care for patients with BPDCN
Patients may come to the BPDCN Clinic for a new diagnosis, treatment planning, a second opinion or evaluation after previous treatment.
Depending on your situation, your care may include:
- Evaluation and treatment by specialists with expertise in BPDCN
- Targeted therapies
- Evaluation for stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy when appropriate
- Access to clinical trials of promising new treatments
Your care team will discuss your options with you and help determine the next steps based on your diagnosis, treatment history and individual needs.
Clinical trials at UT MD Anderson
Clinical trials play an important role in improving treatment for BPDCN and helping researchers better understand the disease.
Participating in a clinical trial may give some patients access to promising new therapies that are not yet widely available. Your care team can help determine whether a clinical trial may be appropriate for you.
To see currently available studies, visit the UT MD Anderson clinical trials search page.
Why Choose UT MD Anderson for BPDCN Treatment
UT MD Anderson has helped advance the understanding and treatment of BPDCN, including leading the clinical trial that helped establish a targeted CD123 therapy as a standard treatment for the disease. Our researchers continue to study new approaches to BPDCN treatment through clinical research.
Care at UT MD Anderson also extends beyond treating the cancer. Patients and families can access integrative medicine services, support groups and other supportive care resources to help manage the challenges of treatment and support overall well-being.
Request an appointment with the BPDCN Clinic
Current UT MD Anderson patients should ask their care team about a consultation with the BPDCN Clinic.
The clinic also offers appointments to patients who are new to UT MD Anderson. Visit our appointments page to learn how to request an appointment or refer a patient.
Contact us:
Current Patients: 713-792-8760
New Patients: 855-258-3583
All Patients: 855-385-3642
Leukemia specialists: How advances in measurable residual disease (MRD) are improving cancer care
Measurable residual disease (MRD) is a monitoring tool that physicians use to assess the remission status of patients with leukemias, lymphomas, myelomas and other blood disorders.
Formerly known as “minimal residual disease,” this term describes a situation in which cancer cells are still present in the body after treatment, yet undetectable using current testing methods.
Two of our leukemia specialists, Naveen Pemmaraju, M.D., and Fadi Haddad, M.D., explored this subject in a recent Cancerwise podcast. Here are three highlights from that discussion.
Next-generation sequencing can now reveal ‘a needle in a haystack’
Patients with blood cancers used to be monitored for relapse using:
- Flow cytometry, which reveals disease through certain patterns of refracted laser light, and
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which are highly sensitive molecular tests that detect specific genetic material from cancer cells
But sometimes, patients would seem to be cured based on these tests, only to relapse some months later. That got doctors to questioning why. Here’s the conclusion ours came to: even if some patients appeared to have no residual disease, it was only because we weren’t able to detect it yet.
One possible solution? Next-generation sequencing.
“With next-generation sequencing, we can pick out a single leukemia cell from a sea of a million normal ones,” explains Haddad. “This is a very, very minimal level of disease that would’ve previously gone unnoticed — like a needle in a haystack. This new test can help us detect any little seed left behind so we can completely eradicate the cancer. This marks a real paradigm shift.”
Featured Podcast:
Tracking leukemia with minimal residual disease (MRD)
Naveen Pemmaraju, M.D., and Fadi Haddad, M.D., explain how minimal residual disease, or MRD, is helping doctors monitor leukemia more precisely and personalize treatment.
Meet Our Team
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center
Practice locations:
Texas Medical Center