Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

There has been some debate over what should be the standard frontline treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: ibrutinib or chemoimmunotherapy with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab.

​Steven Coutre, MD, professor of medicine (hematology) at Stanford University Medical Center, discusses considerations when selecting between oral therapies like ibrutinib and chemoimmunotherapy for first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Constantine S. Tam, MD, Consultant Hematologist, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Center, Melbourne, Australia discusses BCL2 inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Recent success with novel agents for chronic lymphocytic leukemia has spurred development of more agents in the same therapeutic classes; however, definitive advantages over the originals have yet to be established.

Combining the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) with the anti-CD20 agent rituximab (Rituxan) led to objective responses in 86% of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD, director, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Center, senior physician, associate professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the lessons oncologists have learned from the RESONATE-2 trial, which showed a benefit with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) over chlorambucil in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Bruce Cheson, MD, discusses how frontline treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia has evolved well beyond a "one-size-fits-all" approach, with patient and disease characteristics and physician/patient discussions determining the optimal therapeutic approach.

The FDA has approved ofatumumab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide as a treatment for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Jennifer Woyach, MD, discussed using the FDA-approved agents ibrutinib (Imbruvica), idelalisib (Zydelig), and venetoclax (Venclexta) in a hypothetical patient scenario, and highlighted emerging targets and treatments in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Anthony Mato, MD, director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Program, University of Pennsylvania, discusses how oncologists can manage adverse events associated with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and idelalisib (Zydelig) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Neil E. Kay, MD, professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic, discusses the genetic investigations being conducted in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and more specifically, monoclonal b-cell lymphocytosis, which resembles CLL but does not meet the same criteria.

Jeffrey Jones, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, discusses the long-term outcomes associated with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Susan M. O'Brien, MD, associate director for Clinical Science for the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, medical director of the Sue and Ralph Stern Center for Cancer Clinical Trials and Research, UC Irvine Health, discusses how ibrutinib (Imbruvica) compares with chemoimmunotherapy as a frontline treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and idelalisib (Zydelig) have become standard of care treatments for patients with relapsed or high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with ongoing studies in progress to move ibrutinib into the frontline setting.

The CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy CTL019 induced responses in 53% of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, including complete remissions in 35% of patients.

The treatment landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia continues to evolve, as long-term data become available from pivotal studies that led to the FDA approvals for the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and the PI3K inhibitor idelalisib (Zydelig).

John Byrd, MD, director of the Division of Hematology, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the mechanism of acalabrutinib, a next-generation BTK inhibitor as a potential treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Francesco Forconi, MD, associate professor of Hematology, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, discusses the role of the B-cell receptor (BCR) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Francesco Forconi, MD, discusses his research into the B-cell receptor structure and its function in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a negative opinion to ofatumumab regarding its potential use in the maintenance setting for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.