In a nutshell
This looked at the safety and effectiveness of copanlisib (Aliqopa) for B-cell lymphoma that returned after previous treatment. This study found that long-term copanlisib treatment was safe and effective.
Some background
Indolent (painless) B-cell lymphoma is a slow-growing blood cancer. B-cell lymphoma that comes back or stops responding to treatment (refractory) can be difficult to treat. Targeted therapy is one treatment option for these patients.
PI3K inhibitors are a targeted therapy. These agents block cancer cell growth. Although they are effective, PI3K inhibitors are associated with serious side effects, such as infections. Copanlisib is a PI3K inhibitor with fewer side effects. Whether long-term treatment with copanlisib is safe remains unclear.
Methods & findings
This study followed 142 patients with B-cell lymphoma who relapsed after at least two previous treatments. Most patients (104) had follicular lymphoma (FL). In this study, patients received at least 4 cycles of copanlisib. Patients were followed for an average of 2 years.
Overall, 60.6% of patients responded to treatment. 16.9% of patients had no signs of cancer after treatment. 43.7% of patients had tumor shrinkage.
Overall, patients survived for an average of 42.6 months. Patients survived for an average of 12.5 months before the cancer began to get worse.
98.6% of patients had at least one side effect. The most common ones were low blood glucose levels (50.0%), diarrhea (35.2%), and low white blood cell levels (28.9%). Fever (28.9%) and fatigue (26.1%) were also reported.
55.6% of patients had serious side effects. These included pneumonia (11.3%), fever (6.3%), and low blood glucose levels (4.9%). Among patients who were treated for more than 1 year, no new side effects or worsening side effects were reported.
The bottom line
The study concluded that copanlisib is an effective long-term treatment for patients with relapsed B-cell lymphoma, with manageable side effects.
The fine print
This study was supported by Bayer AG, the manufacturer of copanlisib.
Published By :
American Journal of Hematology
Date :
Dec 23, 2019
