Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Marcel R.M. van den Brink, MD, PhD, Head, Division of Hematologic Oncology, Alan N. Houghton Chair, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, highlights two studies that will be presented at the 2013 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting.

Jae Park, MD, attending physician, Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, comments on the treatment of patients with hairy cell leukemia.

Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, discusses the potential of using CAR-modified T cells to treat hematologic cancers.

Mark J. Levis, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, discusses the background and future of quizartinib for FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia at the 2013 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, which took place from November 6-8.

Obinutuzumab (Gazyva) plus chlorambucil has been approved by the FDA as a first-line treatment for patients with CLL, based on clinical trial data demonstrating that the combination more than doubled median PFS over the chemotherapy agent alone.

A phase III EPIC trial exploring ponatinib (Iclusig) in untreated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been discontinued. The decision comes following a high occurrence of arterial thrombotic events, according to a statement released by Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company developing the drug.

A Q&A with Jennifer Brown MD, PhD, director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

Mark Weiss, MD, from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, gives an overview of agents in development for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The monoclonal antibody ofatumumab (Arzerra) has received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA that could allow for earlier use in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to a joint announcement released by GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab, who are developing and distributing the drug.

Following a positive interim analysis, a phase III study of the PI3K-delta inhibitor idelalisib in combination with rituximab (Rituxan) has been stopped.

The FDA has placed a partial hold on the clinical development of the BCR-ABL inhibitor ponatinib (Iclusig), following the high occurrence of arterial thrombosis in patients treated with the drug.

Volasertib (BI 6727) is a potent and selective inhibitor of PLK1 in vitro that is currently being evaluated for its therapeutic potential to target the cell cycle.

Jennifer Woyach, MD, discusses peripheral lymphocytosis in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) following treatment with ibrutinib.

The FDA has granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation to the novel PLK1 inhibitor volasertib in combination with LDAC for its potential as a treatment for patients with untreated AML who are ineligible for intensive remission induction therapy.

Valentin Goede, MD, Department I of Internal Medicine and Center of Integrated Oncology Cologne-Bonn, University of Cologne, Germany, discusses the findings of the phase III CLL11 trial.

Craig L. Tendler, MD, discusses the mechanism of action of ibrutinib in various tumor types.

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to inhibit BCR-ABL protein in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one of the major milestones in modern oncology.

Clinical study results presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting may offer new hope for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Jennifer Woyach, MD, discusses Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibition and the mechanism of action of ibrutinib.

At the 18th Annual Conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), experts presented the latest updates to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

Ibrutinib was well tolerated and highly effective in eradicating tumor cells in both treatment-naïve and relapsed/refractory patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The FDA has received a new drug application for ibrutinib as a therapy for previously treated CLL and previously treated MCL.

Edward Bradley, MD, gives an overview of the mechanism of action and development of moxetumomab pasudotox, a monoclonal antibody directed at CD22.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) showed high response rates to therapy with ibrutinib.

A phase I study found that idelalisib produced rapid and prolonged tumor shrinkage in half of patients with relapsed or refractory CLL who received the drug as monotherapy.