In a nutshell
This study evaluated the cardiovascular (CV; heart and blood vessels) side effects in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who received acalabrutinib (Calquence) treatment. The data showed that the occurrence of CV side effects with acalabrutinib treatment is very low in patients with CLL.
Some background
CLL is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) is a type of targeted therapy known as a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. It is very effective in the treatment of CLL. However, ibrutinib has also been associated with cardiovascular (CV; heart and blood vessels) side effects. Other treatment options are needed for these patients.
Acalabrutinib is a newer BTK inhibitor approved for the treatment of patients with CLL. It appears to cause fewer side effects compared to ibrutinib. However, the overall occurrence of CV side effects in patients with CLL who received acalabrutinib treatment is still unknown.
Methods & findings
This study involved 762 patients with CLL from 4 clinical trials. Patients were treated with acalabrutinib orally at total daily doses of 100-400 mg and then later to 100mg twice daily until disease progression or intolerance. The average follow-up time was 25.9 months.
129 (17%) patients experienced CV side effects. The most common CV side effects were irregular heart rhythm (5%), palpitations (3%), and faster heartbeats (2%). Overall, 91% of the patients with CV side effects had CV risk factors before acalabrutinib treatment. Among 38 patients with irregular heart rhythm, (18%) had a previous history of irregular heart rhythm.
67 (9%) patients experienced high blood pressure. Among them, 43 (64%) patients had a previous history of high blood pressure.
None of the patients stopped treatment due to high blood pressure. No sudden cardiac deaths were reported.
The bottom line
This study concluded that the occurrence of new CV side effects with acalabrutinib treatment is very low in patients with CLL.
The fine print
This study was sponsored by AstraZeneca, the manufacturers of acalabrutinib.
Published By :
Haematologica
Date :
Sep 30, 2021
