Dr. Patel Discusses Promise of Acalabrutinib in MCL

Krish Patel, MD, oncologist, Swedish Cancer Institute, discusses the promise of acalabrutinib (Calquence) in the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

In October 2017, the FDA approved the second-generation BTK inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with MCL following at least 1 prior line of therapy. The approval was based on findings from the phase II ACE-LY-004 trial, in which the objective response rate (ORR) was 81% in those who received acalabrutinib. The complete response (CR) rate with acalabrutinib was 40% and the partial response rate was 41%. These data were first reported after 15 months of follow-up, Patel says.

At the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting, 2-year follow-up from the same study was presented, showing a sustained benefit with acalabrutinib. ORR was still over 80%, Patel notes, with about half of those patients achieving a CR. In addition, the toxicity profile seemed similar to what had been observed with the earlier follow-up. A total of 124 patients were enrolled in the study. Participants received 100 mg acalabrutinib twice daily.