ASH 2016 | Overview of research in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia therapies
Véronique Leblond, MD, PhD, of Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, Paris, France gives an overview of research in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) therapies. She first explains data regarding the last meeting discussing WM looking at resistance to treatment with BTK inhibitor, ibrutinib, in WM patients (NCT01614821). Prof. Leblond suggests the mechanism of resistance seen in patients treated with ibrutinib in WM is like what has previously been seen in chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) patients. This raises questions about the next treatment for patients resistant to BTK inhibitors. In addition, Prof. Leblond talks about a randomized study which compares the tolerability and efficacy of FCR chemotherapy (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, rituximab) to BCR (bendamustine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab) in WM (NCT01592981). This shows that FCR is more toxic, but also more effective. Looking to the future, new BTK inhibitors will be compared to ibrutinib, in a randomized study next year. Prof. Leblond concludes that there are now many choices to treat BTK inhibitor resistant WM patients, and this is hopeful for the WM community. Recorded at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, held in San Diego, CA.
