Authored by Ann Liu, PhD
Medically Reviewed by Brian Koffman, MDCM (retired), MSEd
The Bottom Line:
Patients with CLL treated with fixed-duration ibrutinib plus venetoclax had a life expectancy similar to that of the general population.
Who Performed the Research and Where Was it Presented:
Dr. Paolo Ghia from Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milano, Italy, and colleagues presented the results at the American Society for Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting 2024.
Background:
Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and BCL2 inhibitors are highly effective in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). Previous research has shown that continuous ibrutinib extended the life expectancy of patients with CLL to levels similar to healthy people in the general population of the same age. In recent years, combination treatments that are only given for a limited time have become more common and have shown promising efficacy results. Researchers wanted to know if a fixed-duration treatment combining BTK inhibitor ibrutinib with BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax would extend patient survival and how patient survival is compared with the general population.
Methods and Participants:
This study pooled data from two clinical trials of fixed-duration ibruntinib-venetoclax (GLOW and CAPTIVATE-FD) in patients with treatment-naïve CLL / SLL. The overall survival of patients treated with ibrutinib-venetoclax was compared with age-matched survival rates of the general European population using age at randomization.
Results:
- A total of 265 patients were included in the analysis.
- Overall survival (OS) for patients treated with fixed-duration ibrutinib-venetoclax was similar to that of the age-matched general population.
- The estimated survival rates for all those treated with fixed-duration ibrutinib-venetoclax population were 95%, 93%, and 91% at 36, 48, and 60 months, respectively.
- Overall survival rates were similar regardless of whether patients were older (≥65 years) or younger (<65 years).
- The overall survival of patients with unmutated IGHV treated with ibrutinib-venetoclax was similar to that of the age-matched general population.
Conclusions:
Combination ibrutinib and venetoclax given for a fixed-duration extended life expectancy in patients with treatment-naïve CLL to levels similar to the general population. This was true irrespective of the patient’s age or the presence of high-risk features such as unmutated IGHV. It is encouraging to see these improvements in life expectancy with both continuous and fixed-duration treatments.
Links and Resources:
Watch the interview on the abstract here:
You can read the actual ASH abstract here: Initiating First-Line (1L) Fixed-Duration (FD) Ibrutinib and Venetoclax (Ibr+Ven) in Patients (Pts) with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Improves Overall Survival (OS) Outcomes to Rates Approximating an Age-Matched General European Population
