Meghan Thompson, a doctor and 3rd year fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has recently explained all of the emerging treatments using BTK inhibitors to treat CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The Therapies

There are currently 2 single agent BTK inhibitors for CLL patients. Zanubrutinib may be a 3rd.

Researchers think that this emerging inhibitor may be a safer option than the current two inhibitors ibrutinib and acalabrutinib.

Further, Thompson explains that non-covalent BTK inhibitors may be on the horizon as a potential treatment option. These are currently under investigation. Thompson clarifies that more data is necessary to understand exactly where these non-covalent inhibitors will fit within the covalent sequencing and venetoclax.

Researchers are looking at combining different strategies, including BTK inhibitors, to improve CLL outcomes.

Captivate Study

Captivate study was a Phase 2 investigation (NCT02910583) recently presented. In this investigation those with CLL who had not yet been treated, and those with small lymphocytic lymphoma who had not yet been treated, all were given a 3-cycle dose of the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib. Following this, they were given 12 cycles of the same therapy with venetoclax.

This study found an overall response rate of 96%.

They concluded that a fixed-duration treatment may be an advantageous strategy for those diagnosed with CLL looking for remission that does not require ongoing treatment as opposed to continuous therapies.

You can read more about these research updates for BTK inhibitors in CLL here.