BSH 2018 | Novel CLL therapies: the future

The multitude of novel therapies in the field of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) paves the way for exciting future possibilities. In this interview, Jennifer Woyach, MD, of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, discusses some of these possibilities at the British Society for Haematology (BSH) 2018 Annual Meeting, held in Liverpool, UK. Explored is the use of novel therapies earlier in the treatment pathway and in combination, with the goal of discontinuing therapy in the future, avoiding the toxicity and excessive cost of taking agents for extended periods of time. Moreover, Dr Woyach touches upon a variety of exciting trials: the Phase III ALLIANCE A041202 trial comparing the efficacy of bendamustine and rituximab vs. ibrutinib and rituximab in high-risk elderly CLL (NCT01886872); the ECOG-E1912 Phase III trial comparing a combination of ibrutinib and rituximab vs. fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab in younger patients (NCT02048813); and a German CLL Study Group trial exploring the effect of early intervention with rituximab for high-risk patients.