Dr. Jain on the Responses Elicited With Ibrutinib/Rituximab in Previously Untreated MCL

Preetesh Jain, MD, PhD, a clinical fellow in medical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the efficacy of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and rituximab (Rituxan) in a study with elderly patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

The combination of ibrutinib plus rituximab has been shown to elicit a best overall response rate of 96%, with a complete response rate of 62% in this patient population, says Jain. These response rates were significant when considering the elderly patient population included on the study, according to Jain. Most of the participants had comorbidities and were not candidates for transplant, adds Jain. 

The responses observed are particularly encouraging for a chemotherapy-free regimen, Jain concludes.