Dr. Kumar on the Clinical Implications of the AIM Study in Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Anita Kumar, MD, medical oncologist, Regional Care Network Medical Site Director, MSK Basking Ridge, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the improved efficacy of venetoclax (Venclexta) when used in combination with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) compared with venetoclax or ibrutinib alone in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). 

Venetoclax, when administered after BTK inhibitor failure, is associated with lower rates of efficacy, according to Kumar. Both BTK inhibitors and BCL-2 inhibitors have high overall response (OR) rates, but low complete response (CR) rates, providing an opportunity to improve the durability of response associated with venetoclax.

The AIM study (NCT02471391) was an investigator-initiated, open-label, single-group, phase 2 trial. The study examined the combination of ibrutinib with venetoclax in patients with MCL to observe the potential synergy when BTK and BCL-2 inhibitors are combined, Kumar says. The results of this combination showed a high CR rate of 62%. Notably, the combination of venetoclax and ibrutinib together showed clinical activity in high-risk patients, such as patients with p53 mutations. In this subset, the overall and CR rate was approximately 50%, concludes Kumar.