Dr. Ian Flinn on the Changing Treatment Paradigm for CLL and Low-Grade Lymphoma

Ian Flinn, MD, PhD, director of the hematologic malignancies program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses how the approvals of idelalisib and ibrutinib has changed the treatment paradigms for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and low-grade lymphoma.

The treatments of CLL and low-grade lymphoma are undergoing a large shift, says Flinn. He predicts that idelalisib and ibrutinib could change the standard of care and replace what is currently being used to treat these cancers.

When it comes to newer drugs with similar mechanisms of action, such as duvelisib, it is unclear which drugs will be used for which patients, Flinn notes. This will be based largely on which drug proves to be the most tolerable with the broadest activity. There is also the potential to use these newer drugs for patients who develop resistance to ibrutinib or idelalisib.