Dr. Younes Discusses Ibrutinib Plus Nivolumab in NHL

Anas Younes, MD, chief of Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the combination of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

In a study of patients with relapsed NHL or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the safety and efficacy of the combination of ibrutinib and nivolumab was assessed. This was based on preclinical data that showed synergy in mouse models of lymphoma and solid tumors. The combination seems to be safe, and both agents can be administered at full doses.

Overall response rate was 83.3% for CLL, 66.7% for small lymphocytic lymphoma, 60% for Richter’s transformation, 35.6% for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and 30.0% for follicular lymphoma. Younes says that there was an interesting response signal with the combination in the subset of patients with Richter’s transformation. The response rates for patients with Richter’s transformation were higher than what has been seen previously with single-agent ibrutinib in this population, which may support further clinical evaluation.