EHA 2022 | Venetoclax-obinutuzumab is superior to chemoimmunotherapy in frontline CLL: updates from GAIA/CLL13

In unfit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), targeted treatment with Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and fixed duration venetoclax plus obinutuzumab have become standard treatment approaches, however, chemoimmunotherapy remains the standard of care for fit patients. In this video, Barbara Eichhorst, MD, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, discusses updates from the GAIA/CLL13 trial (NCT02950051), drawing focus on the progression-free survival (PFS) co-primary endpoint of this study. In this trial, patients were randomized to receive either chemoimmunotherapy, or one of three venetoclax-based regimens: venetoclax plus rituximab (RV), venetoclax plus obinutuzumab (GV), or venetoclax plus obinutuzumab and ibrutinib (GIV). Overall, 926 patients were enrolled, and results indicated that GIV is superior to chemoimmunotherapy. In patients with unmutated IgHV, three-year PFS rates were 86.6% in the GIV arm versus 65.5% in the chemoimmunotherapy arm. Dr Eichhorst also highlights some of the adverse events (AEs) observed, including infection rates and febrile neutropenia. Overall, time-limited targeted therapy with venetoclax plus obinutuzumab +/- ibrutinib is superior to chemoimmunotherapy with respects to PFS and undetectable measurable residual disease (uMRD). This press briefing was recorded at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress 2022 held in Vienna, Austria.