According to a story from Hematology Times, a recent phase 2 study found that a three-part combination treatment could be a valuable treatment option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The course of treatment begins with bendamustine followed by long term maintenance treatment with venetoclax and obinutuzumab. The data from the study suggests that this three part treatment could become a standard therapy for treating this type of cancer.
About Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of blood cancer that affects lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. B cell lymphocytes are the most frequently affected, and accumulate in the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. As a chronic leukemia, it typically progresses at a slow rate. Risk factors for this type of cancer include being male, family history, old age, certain insecticides, and Agent Orange. Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, anemia, fatigue, enlargement of the spleen, weight loss, and fever. Treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia can vary widely depending on the staging of the cancer. Such treatments can include chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, radiation, surgery, and immunotherapy. As a slow progressing cancer, five year survival rates are fairly high at 83 percent in the US. To learn more about chronic lymphocytic leukemia, click here.
About The Trial
In the phase 2 trial, the combination treatment was able to elicit a 95 percent overall response rate. The study included a total of 63 patients and included patients that had yet to receive treatment and patients whose cancer had already relapsed. 25 patients were able to achieve some degree of remission from their chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, 35 patients only obtained a partial response. Generally, the treatment seemed to be more effective for patients who had not been treated before. At 15 months, these patients had 100 percent progression free survival; this same measure was 83 percent for relapsed patients.
The most important safety risk of the combination appears to be infection. In fact, three patients in the relapsed group died from sepsis, which was determined to be connected to treatment.
Overall, the combination of bendamustine, obinutuzumab, and venetoclax definitely has the potential to be a valuable approach for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia. To learn more about this study, click here.
