Dr. Kay Discusses the Role of Ibrutinib in CLL

Neil E. Kay, MD, professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic, discusses the role of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Once a patient relapses after primary therapy, their responses are short-lived based on data from prior clinical trials. With newer drugs such as ibrutinib or venetoclax (Venclexta), which are FDA approved for patients with relapsed/refectory CLL, there is less emphasis on prognostic factors, explains Kay. However, it is important to know the parameters of the treatment.

If a patient has relapsed and is shown to have 17p deletion via fluorescence in situ hybridization, they would respond well to these agents, says Kay, but their responses would be less robust if they did not have the defect. The current progression-free survival (PFS) for patients receiving ibrutinib with 17p deletion is around 26 months, whereas for the more favorable groups, the PFS has not been reached. This is an improvement over prior drugs, but having that genetic defect may not allow for a long response, he explains.