Fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and idarubicin with gemtuzumab ozogamicin improves event-free survival in younger patients with newly diagnosed aml and overall survival in patients with npm1 and flt3 mutations

Purpose To determine the optimal induction chemotherapy regimen for younger adults with newly diagnosed AML without known adverse risk cytogenetics. Patients and Methods One thousand thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to intensified (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and idarubicin [FLAG-Ida]) or standard (daunorubicin and Ara-C [DA]) induction chemotherapy, with one or two doses of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO). The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Results There was no difference in remission rate after two courses between FLAG-Ida + GO and DA + GO (complete remission [CR] + CR with incomplete hematologic recovery 93% v 91%) or in day 60 mortality (4.3% v 4.6%). There was no difference in OS (66% v 63%; P = .41); however, the risk of relapse was lower with FLAG-Ida + GO (24% v 41%; P < .001) and 3-year event-free survival was higher (57% v 45%; P < .001). In patients with an NPM1 mutation (30%), 3-year OS was significantly higher with FLAG-Ida + GO (82% v 64%; P = .005). NPM1 measurable residual disease (MRD) clearance was also greater, with 88% versus 77% becoming MRD-negative in peripheral blood after cycle 2 (P = .02). Three-year OS was also higher in patients with a FLT3 mutation (64% v 54%; P = .047). Fewer transplants were performed in patients receiving FLAG-Ida + GO (238 v 278; P = .02). There was no difference in outcome according to the number of GO doses, although NPM1 MRD clearance was higher with two doses in the DA arm. Patients with core binding factor AML treated with DA and one dose of GO had a 3-year OS of 96% with no survival benefit from FLAG-Ida + GO. Conclusion Overall, FLAG-Ida + GO significantly reduced relapse without improving OS. However, exploratory analyses show that patients with NPM1 and FLT3 mutations had substantial improvements in OS. By contrast, in patients with core binding factor AML, outcomes were excellent with DA + GO with no FLAG-Ida benefit

Capital markets valuation and accounting performance of Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) award winners

Researchers have used the stock price reaction to firms' disclosures of investment in information technology to investigate the value of those investments. This paper extends that research to include knowledge management (KM). In particular, we test whether and how KM is valued by market participants by examining the stock market reaction and future performance of companies receiving the "Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise" (MAKE) award, which recognizes companies that excel at KM. MAKE awards are generated based on opinions gathered from experts using the Delphi method, a well-known group decision support tool. We find that MAKE winners: (1) experience positive abnormal returns around the award announcement, (2) report superior operating performance relative to their peers subsequent to the receipt of the award, (3) receive upward analyst forecast revisions following the award, (4) experience a positive upward stock price drift following the award, and (5) that the market has taken time to learn how to process and interpret information useful in valuing KM. Thus, our findings contribute to the literature by finding that market participants value KM and KM apparently positively influences accounting performance indicators. In addition, a unique feature of our study is that we investigate the market's response to information gathered using the Delphi method, an information source not previously investigated in stock price reaction literature. © 2013 Elsevier B.V