EHA 2022 | HOVON146ALL: blinatumomab added to prephase and consolidation therapy in precursor B-ALL

Anita Rijneveld, MD, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands, discusses the findings of the HOVON146ALL study (NCT03541083) evaluating the addition of blinatumomab to prephase and consolidation therapy in adult patients with newly diagnosed precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The trial aimed to determine the proportion of patients that achieve measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity after the first blinatumomab consolidation course. The study reported that the addition of blinatumomab led to 53% and 91% of patients achieving MRD negativity after prephase and after the first blinatumomab consolidation course respectively. In addition, Dr Rijneveld explains that Philadelphia-chromosome negative (Ph-) patients above 70 years of age had worse outcomes and experienced higher rates of toxicity, and Ph+ patients had very good outcomes overall. Dr Rijneveld then comments on the implications of these findings in the context of other clinical trials evaluating different blinatumomab-based regimens in patients with Ph+ ALL, and concludes that patients who are Ph- should be treated with blinatumomab and chemotherapy in first-line while Ph+ patients should be treated without chemotherapy. This interview took place at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress 2022 held in Vienna, Austria.