Category: Clinical Trials

New Clinical Trial: A Phase 1/2 Study to Assess the Safety & Tolerability of Durvalumab as Monotherapy & in Combination Therapy in Subjects with Lymphoma or CLL

The Weill Cornell Medicine Lymphoma Program has recently opened a new clinical trial for men and women with relapsed/refractory lymphoma or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The study sponsor is Celgene International, and the principal investigator at Weill Cornell is Jia Ruan, M.D., Ph.D. For more information about the study, please call Catherine Babaran, RN at 212-746-2651 or e-mail Catherine at cmb9017@med.cornell.edu.

Key Eligibility

  • Men and women age 18 years and older.
  • Patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma or relapsed/refractory CLL previously treated with at least one systemic therapy.
  • Detailed eligibility reviewed when you contact the study team.

Study Summary

This clinical trial is for men and women with relapsed/refractory lymphoma or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) previously treated with at least one systemic therapy.

The purpose of this study is to test the safety and effectiveness, as well as to define the appropriate dose and schedule of an investigational drug and investigational combinations of drugs. Durvalumab is an antibody (a protein that works with your immune system) that attaches to a molecule known as “programmed-cell-death ligand 1” (PD-L1). Signals from PD-L1 help cancers avoid detection by the immune system. Durvalumab blocks these signals, interfering with the cancer’s ability to escape the immune system.

The study will consist of 3 parts: dose findings, dose confirmation, and dose expansion. Four treatment arms will be investigated:

  • Arm A (durvalumab plus lenalidomide and ritxuimab)
  • Arm B (durvalumab plus ibrutinib)
  • Arm C (durvalumab plus bendamustine and rituximab)
  • Arm D (durvalumab monotherapy)

Study subjects will receive treatment for approximately one year and be in follow-up for anywhere from two to five years after treatment.

During each 28-day treatment cycle, subjects will receive durvalumab infusion on Day 1 of Cycles 1 through 13 at a fixed dose of 1500 mg every 4 weeks in combination with:

  • Arm A: Lenalidomide orally once daily on Days 1 to 21 of each cycle for 12 months or until disease progression plus rituximab infusion on Days 2, 8, 15 and 22 of Cycle 1 and on Day 1 of Cycles 2 through 5.
  • Arm B: Ibrutinib continuous, once daily until disease progression.
  • Arm C: Bendamustine infusion on Days 1 and 2 of Cycles 1 through 6 plus rituximab infusion on Day 2 of Cycles 1 through 6.
  • Arm D: Durvalumab monotherapy arm.

Dr. John Leonard Discusses Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Therapy for Patients with Advanced B-Cell Lymphoma

In an article from Healio HemOnc Today, Lymphoma Program Director Dr. John Leonard commented on a study presented at the 2016 ASCO meeting, which reported that for patients with advanced B-cell lymphoma, remission could be induced through a combination of low-dose chemotherapy and genetically modified T-cells. These genetically modified T-cells are known as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. They are modified to specifically target the CD-19 proteins found on the surface of B-cells. On the findings of the study he said,

“These represent additional data that show that this treatment regimen has potential in the treatment of patients with resistant, aggressive lymphoma. As far as follow-up is concerned, we need additional studies with larger groups of patients, with longer follow-up periods, to see if these responses are going to be durable.”

Look to this space for additional information on CAR T-cell therapy at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Acalabrutinib for Patients with Previously Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

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By Richard Furman, M.D.

Acalabrutinib is a second generation Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor that targets the B-cell receptor signaling and is considered a prime target for the treatment of CLL. Acalabrutinib inhibits BTK activity preventing the activation of the B-cell antigen receptor pathway, and leads to CLL cell death. Recently at the 2016 ASCO annual meeting researchers presented preliminary results from an ongoing phase 1-2 study using acalabrutinib to treat patients with previously untreated CLL. Of the 74 patients enrolled in the trial 72 were evaluable for response. Acalabrutinib was well tolerated, with 72 of 74 patients remaining on treatment at time of analysis and evaluable for response. Neither of the two patients discontinued treatment for drug related adverse events.

The most common side effects were headaches, diarrhea, arthralgia, contusion, nausea, and weight increase, all characterized as mild. Treatment related lymphocytosis occurred in 53% of patients and was resolved in 97% of the affected patients at a median of 7 weeks. Patients who took acalabrutinib experienced a 96% overall response rate (PR=86%, PR-L=10%) with the median time to response being 2-8 months. For patients with untreated CLL the initial safety profile and high response rates are promising. Based on these results a phase 3 trial of acalabrutinib versus ibrutinib has commenced to further study the use of acalabrutinib in the treatment of patients with CLL.