In a nutshell
This study aimed to investigate the outcomes and side effects of ibrutinib in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the real-world setting.
This study concluded that the outcomes for these patients in the real-world setting were similar to clinical trials but the rate of side effects was higher.
Some background
Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) is an approved treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) as a front-line and later-line treatment. Ibrutinib is a type of targeted therapy known as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI).
Most of the information existing on ibrutinib outcomes comes from clinical trials. Participants in clinical trials tend to be fitter and younger than the overall CLL patients. The outcomes and side effects of ibrutinib in CLL patients in the real world are unknown.
Methods & findings
This study involved 205 patients with CLL. 19% of patients had not been previously treated. All patients were treated with ibrutinib. Patients were followed up for an average of 21.4 months.
The estimated overall survival (OS) rate at 12 months was 88.8% and at 24 months was 76.8%. The average OS time was 48.3 months. The estimated survival rate without cancer getting worse at 12 months was 86.3% and at 24 months was 71.5%. The average survival time without cancer getting worse was 41.2 months.
97.6% of patients had at least one side effect. 48.8% of patients had at least one serious side effect. The most common serious side effects were bleeding, diarrhea, and muscle pain. 66.8% of patients experienced infections such as urinary, respiratory, or skin infections.
42% of patients stopped ibrutinib treatment. Of these patients, 54.7% stopped treatment due to side effects and 22.1% had disease progression of CLL.
The bottom line
This study concluded that the outcomes for CLL patients treated with ibrutinib in the real-world setting were similar to those reported in clinical trials but the rate of side effects and treatment stopping was higher.
The fine print
This study had a small number of participants and a short follow-up period. Further studies are needed.
Published By :
European Journal of Haematology
Date :
Jul 31, 2020
