Dr. Lee on the Safety, Efficacy of Cirmtuzumab/Ibrutinib Combo in MCL

Hun Ju Lee, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, and the Jeffrey Brue Endowed Professor of Lymphoma Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses responses to cirmtuzumab (UC-961) plus ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Cirmtuzumab is a novel antibody, says Lee. In the dose-finding portion of a phase 1/2 trial, investigators enrolled patients with both MCL and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The trial had a rapid enrollment, which can be attributed to exciting preliminary data, says Lee.

The combination achieved an overall response rate of 83%, with a complete response rate of 58% in patients with MCL; this is a significant improvement over ibrutinib alone, says Lee. Additionally, the regimen was found to be well tolerated, which is important as patients with MCL tend to be older with many comorbidities. No additive toxicities with cirmtuzumab were observed, Lee concludes.