Dr. Seymour on Role of Ibrutinib in CLL

Erlene Seymour, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, discusses the role of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In 2016, ibrutinib was FDA approved as a single agent for the frontline treatment of CLL. Ibrutinib has demonstrated high response rates in addition to durable remissions as monotherapy, particularly in patients with deletion 17p, but Seymour says the future of the first-generation BTK inhibitor lies in its combination with other novel therapies.

There have been promising data in ongoing trials looking at ibrutinib used in combination, Seymour notes. For example, preliminary results of a phase II trial evaluating ibrutinib in combination with venetoclax (Venclexta) and obinutuzumab (Gazyva), showed the triplet to be safe and effective as initial therapy for patients with CLL. Investigators hypothesize that use of ibrutinib in combination with other therapies may result in robust minimal residual disease-negative responses or even a potential cure in this patient population.