Dr. Ghia on Lack of OS Advantage With Acalabrutinib Per ASCEND Trial in CLL

Paolo Ghia, MD, PhD, a professor of Medical Oncology and the director of the Strategic Research Program on CLL and the B Cell Neoplasia Unit at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, discusses overall survival (OS) data with acalabrutinib (Calquence) in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the phase 3 ASCEND trial.

At the moment, an OS advantage was no observed with acalabrutinib compared with idelalisib (Zydelig) plus rituximab (Rituxan) or bendamustine plus rituximab, says Ghia. Nowadays, this is typical in the new trials because patients on the control arm, upon disease progression, had the opportunity to switch over to acalabrutinib, explains Ghia. This crossover affected the OS and showed the relevance of the treatment that is provided to these patients, concludes Ghia.