Dr. Kambhampati on Frontline Ibrutinib Plus Obinutuzumab in CLL

Suman Kambhampati, MD, co-medical director, Blood Cancer Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the combination of frontline ibrutinib (Imbruvica) plus obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In January 2019, the FDA approved this combination for use in patients with newly diagnosed CLL or small lymphocytic leukemia, based on positive data from the phase III iLLUMINATE trial. This is the first nonchemotherapy combination that has shown promise in all subgroups of CLL, including those with bulky disease and poor-risk genotype, Kambhampati says. He adds that the results of the study were outstanding, with impressive progression-free survival and a nearly 100% response rate.

The novel combination reduced the risk of progression or death by 77% compared with chlorambucil and obinutuzumab. Patients treated with the combination received 420 mg of continuous ibrutinib daily plus 1000 mg of obinutuzumab split days 1-2, and on days 8 and 15 of cycle 1, and then on day 1 of the subsequent 28-day cycles.