ASH 2020 | Debulking regimens prior to venetoclax therapy in CLL
Ian Flinn, MD, PhD, Tennessee Oncology, Nashville, TN, outlines the interim results of a Phase IIIb study (NCT03406156) investigating obinutuzumab monotherapy, with or without bendamustine, as a debulking therapy in untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, prior to venetoclax treatment. Venetoclax shows strong efficacy in CLL, but there is a risk of tumor lysis syndrome, especially in patients with a high tumor burden. To examine the benefits of debulking prior to venetoclax, disease restaging was performed every 2 cycles of debulking therapy. Venetoclax was administered once low tumor burden was reached. After 2 cycles of debulking therapy, low tumor burden was achieved in 85% of patients. Early efficacy results have shown consistent response rates to previous venetoclax studies, highlighting the benefits of this debulking strategy in allowing more patients to have venetoclax ramp-up as an outpatient. This interview took place during the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, 2020.
Disclosures
Consultancy: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Great Point Partners, Iksuda Therapeutics, Janssen, Juno Therapeutics, Kite Pharma, MorphoSys, Nurix Therapeutics, Pharmacyclics, Roche, Seattle Genetics, Takeda, TG Therapeutics, Unum Therapeutics, Verastem, Yingli Pharmaceuticals
Research Grants: AbbVie, Acerta Pharma, Agios, ArQule, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Calithera Biosciences, Celgene, Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Curis, Forma Therapeutics, Forty Seven, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, IGM Biosciences, Incyte, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Juno Therapeutics, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Kite Pharma, Loxo, Merck, MorphoSys, Novartis, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Rhizen Pharmaceuticals, Roche, Seattle Genetics, Takeda, Teva, TG Therapeutics, Trillium Therapeutics, Triphase Research & Development Corp., Unum Therapeutics, Verastem.
All payments made to Sarah Cannon Research Institute, not to the physician
