Dr. Byrd Discusses the Prognosis of Patients With CLL

John C. Byrd, MD, D. Warren Brown Chair of Leukemia Research, professor of medicine, Medicinal Chemistry and Veterinary Biosciences, director, Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, discusses the prognosis of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

This is an exciting time in the treatment of CLL, says Byrd. A good number of patients will be able to stay on therapy and live with their CLL as long as they would if they did not have the disease, Byrd adds. Although, there is still a small subset of patients who have IGHV mutations that will continue to get chemoimmunotherapy.

With recent advancements in the field, most patients can go onto BTK inhibitor therapy or venetoclax (Venclexta) and achieve a long remission, says Byrd. An interim analysis from a recent phase II trial showed that patients with relapsed/refractory CLL who failed on previous treatment with a BCR-signaling pathway inhibitor had an overall response rate of 65% following treatment with venetoclax.