Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Jennifer Woyach, MD, discussed the rationale for evaluating a response-dependent treatment discontinuation strategy for older patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She highlighted the importance of determining an optimal discontinuation strategy in this patient population.

Jennifer A. Woymach, MD, provides background information on the AO41702 study, which evaluates targeted therapy ibrutinib or ibrutinib plus rituximab in elderly patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.<br /> &nbsp;

Lori Leslie, MD, discusses toxicities and outcomes observed in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with acalabrutinib in real-word clinics.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Jeff P. Sharman, MD, discussed the updated ELEVATE-TN data and ongoing research that is poised to define the optimal role of acalabrutinib in CLL at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting.

Jeff P.&nbsp;<a>Sharman</a>, MD, discusses the safety profile of acalabrutinib that was demonstrated in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.targetedonc.com/conference/ash-2019/patients-with-cll-treated-on-the-elevatetn-trial-experience-improved-pfs-with-acalabrutinib"><strong>the phase III ELEVATE-TN trial</strong></a>. The trial&nbsp;&nbsp;evaluated acalabrutinib&nbsp;&nbsp;as a single agent or in combination with obinutuzumab versus obinutuzumab&nbsp;&nbsp;plus chlorambucil in patients with treatment-na&iuml;ve chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Following the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting,&nbsp;Targeted Oncology&nbsp;spoke with experts from various specialties in hematology. The experts highlighted some of the top abstracts from the meeting that will impact the way multiple myeloma, leukemias, MPNs, and lymphomas are treated.

Ongoing benefits of 42 months were observed with Bruton&rsquo;s tyrosine kinase inhibitor acalabrutinib treatment in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to long-term follow-up data from the phase I/II ACE-CL-001 study reported at the 2019 American Society of Hemetology Annual Meeting.

<br /> Richard R. Furman, MD, professor of medicine, Morton Coleman, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine, director, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and attending physician, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the 42-month follow-up data of acalabrutinib monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Data from up to 6 years of long-term follow-up shows better progression-free survival, overall survival, objective response rates, and sustained efficacy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who receive single-agent ibrutinib in earlier lines of treatment, including those with high-risk prognostic factors. According to the poster presented by Paul M. Barr, MD, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, during the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, first-line ibrutinib yielded deeper responses over time with 30% complete responses versus 10% to 12% CR for later lines of treatment.

Patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma who previously progressed on ibrutinib, responded well to treatment the CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel and had manageable toxicity, according to updated findings from the phase I/II TRANSCEND CLL 004 study presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

In the SEQUOIA trial, zanubrutinib, a Bruton&rsquo;s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, showed continued high overall response rates for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma, regardless of deletion 17p status, according to findings presented at the American Socitey of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

In a phase I/II dose escalation study, there was a complete remission rate of 44% in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia receiving&nbsp;umbralisib, ublituximab, and venetoclax, according to findings presented at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting.

Fixed-duration treatment with the combination of venetoclax plus obinutuzumab results in superior progression-free survival and high rates of undetectable minimal residual disease in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia than chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab.

An&nbsp;open-label, single-arm, phase II study in patients with&nbsp;chronic lymphocytic leukemia demonstrated the frontline AVO triplet, comprised of&nbsp;acalabrutinib, venetoclax, and obinutuzumab, achieved&nbsp;undetectable minimal residual disease in the bone marrow in 48% of patients after only 8 monthly cycles of therapy,&nbsp;according to lead author Benjamin L. Lampson, MD, PhD, who presented the findings at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting.