CLL

Final analysis of a phase 3 study demonstrates a tolerable toxicity profile for Gazvya in combination with chemotherapy for patients with ether first-line or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Patients treated with Imbruvica plus TG-1101 had an overall response rate of 83% compared with 65% in those treated with Imbruvica alone.

Treating CLL with CALQUENCE® (acalabrutinib)

From the death of Bill Ludwig, the first patient to receive CAR-T cell therapy to treat his end-stage CLL, to a letter to the President urging him to grant patients with cancer and survivors priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine, here’s what’s happening in the cancer space this week.

The NCCN has updated its recommendations for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma to now include Brukinsa as a first- and second-line therapy in a subgroup of patients.

More than half of the patients (66.7%) in the Venclexta and Rituxan arm who went on to receive subsequent Venclexta-based treatments experienced a partial response or partial nodal response to the therapy.

Among 27 patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients who completed all 12 cycles of the triplet therapy, 100% of patients had a complete or partial response to the treatment—with 41% achieving a complete response.

The combination of ublituximab and umbralisib, two novel compounds, was able to safely prolong progression-free survival with low rates of toxicities in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia compared with standard of care chemoimmunotherapy regardless of prior treatment.

At a median follow-up of 25.9 months, 17% of the patient population who received Calquence monotherapy experienced a cardiac toxicity of any severity, which led to treatment discontinuation in only seven patients.

The early study of the investigational CAR-T cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel shows how patients with relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL may have a viable new treatment option.

In an interview with CURE®, Dr. Jan A. Burger discusses how the results of two phase 3 studies could help redefine what constitutes as low or high risk in patients with CLL or SLL.

Compared with patients assigned bendamustine with Rituxan, those assigned Venclexta with Rituxan maintained an overall survival benefit, with a five-year OS estimate of 82.1% for the Venclexta with Rituxan group vs. 62.2% for the bendamustine with Rituxan group.

Data suggest that patients with CLL/SLL who achieve confirmed undetectable minimal residual disease following 12 cycles of Imbruvica combined with Venclexta could possibly discontinue and reasonably remain off treatment.

New treatment options are outperforming the “old-fashioned” chemotherapy regimens for patients with CLL and SLL, according to Dr. Locke J. Bryan.

This benefit observed with Venclexta (venetoclax) plus Rituxan (rituximab) for patients with CLL was particularly strong in patients with undetectable minimal residual disease, which may predict clinical outcome after chemoimmunotherapy.

CLL patient shares his experience with the disease and the importance of aiming to live his life to the fullest despite his diagnosis.