Dr. Pinilla-Ibarz on Ibrutinib's Efficacy in Treating High-Risk Patients With CLL

Javier Pinilla-Ibarz, MD, PhD, associate member, Malignant Hematology and Immunology Program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the outcomes of patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and how ibrutinib (Imbruvica) targets these patients.

High-risk patients with CLL has always been a challenge for patients being treated with chemoimmunotherapy, as they present with molecular features such as TP53, 17p, 11q, or heavy-chained unmutated IGHV. These patients don't respond very well to standard chemoimmunotherapy regimens.

However, with the introduction of new BCR inhibitors such as ibrutinib and idelalisib (Zydelig), patients are able to be successfully treated and can experience an improvement in progression-free survival.