LLM 2021 | Fixed duration treatment strategies in CLL

Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD, UC San Diego, Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, explains that newly developed agents attack leukemia in its distinctive features, as opposed to standard chemotherapy. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) depends heavily on its microenvironment for proliferation. In CLL, B-cell life or death is controlled by proteins whose molecular pathways are targeted by therapeutic agents such as Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. New drugs similar to ibrutinib can prevent the resistance acquired by some patients to BTK inhibitors, suppress proliferation signals, and prevent migration of B cells. Results show these agents are highly effective against disease progression, allowing a proportion of patients to undergo fixed-term treatments. Since not all patients will respond equally, mainly depending on the type of CLL, discontinuation of the treatment might allow leukemic cells to return to the microenvironment and commit patients to a life-long therapy. This interview took place at the Lymphoma, Leukemia & Myeloma Congress 2021.