Dr. Ghia on the Efficacy of Ibrutinib/Venetoclax in CLL

Paolo Ghia, MD, PhD, a professor of Medical Oncology and the director of the Strategic Research Program on CLL and the B Cell Neoplasia Unit at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, discusses results seen with the combination of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and venetoclax (Venclexta) as a first-line treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Results from the phase 3 GLOW trial (NCT03462719) showed that the combination of ibrutinib and venetoclax was very effective among elderly patients with CLL, according to Ghia. Many were able to achieve undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD), yielding deep responses in the peripheral blood were reported in approximately 80% of patients at any time during treatment, with similar results seen in the bone marrow, Ghia says.

Interestingly, the durability of response may possibly be more important than the depth of response, Ghia notes. Of the patients who achieved undetectable MRD, 80% were still MRD-negative after 12 months of follow up, Ghia concludes.