Category: CLL News

Dr. Richard Furman Discusses the Treatment of CLL

Dr. Richard Furman, M.D.
Dr. Richard Furman, M.D.

Recently the director of the CLL Research Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Richard Furman sat down with Targeted Oncology to discuss how he treats patients with CLL. Although he emphasized the importance of physician autonomy in the selection of treatments they should be willing to use the latest treatments approved by the FDA. Referring to venetoclax, which received FDA approval earlier this year for CLL patients with del 17p CLL he said,

“If you have a patient with CLL of any type and you believe venetoclax is best for [that patient], you absolutely should use it. There’s nothing about the specificity of the FDA approval that should prevent you. Insurance coverage may be another matter, but clinically speaking, you’re on solid ground.”

Additionally he noted the importance of progression free survival (PFS), which refers to the length of time during and after a treatment in which a disease has not gotten worse. He said,

“Hands down, PFS is the single most important thing to patients. As oncologists who must balance many clinical concerns, it can be easy for us to forget that fact.”

You can continue reading about Dr. Furman’s treatment options in the article.

Ofatumumab Approved for Use in Combination with Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide to Treat Patients with Relapsed CLL

The Backstory

Last month, the FDA approved the use of ofatumumab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide to treat patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

This is the 4th FDA approval received by ofatumumab for the treatment of patients with CLL. Ofatumumab was initially approved in 2009 for the treatment of patients with CLL who are refractory to fludarabine and alemtuzumab, and subsequently approved in April 2014 for use in combination with chlorambucil for previously untreated patients with CLL. In January 2016 ofatumumab was approved for the treatment of patients with recurrent or progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who are in complete or partial response following at least two prior treatment therapies.

What is ofatumumab?

Ofatumumab is a human monoclonal antibody designed to target the CD20 molecules found on the surface of CLL cells and B-cell lymphocytes. CD20 molecules are found in over 90% of B-cell lymphomas. Ofatumumab is an immunotherapy that works by attaching itself to the CD20 molecule found on the surface of B-cells and directs the immune system to kill the cancerous B-cells.

Why was ofatumumab granted FDA approval?

The latest approval for ofatumumab was based on improved progression free survival (PFS) results in the phase III COMPLEMENT-2 study. PFS refers to the length of time following the course of treatment, that a patient’s disease does not get worse, or progress. In this study the median PFS of ofatumumab combined with chemotherapy was 28.9 months compared to 18.8 months for only the fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combination.

Were there any side effects?

Side effects were similar to the side effects found in previous trials. They included infusion reactions, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, nausea, leukopenia, vomiting, pyrexia, rash, fatigue, and pneumonia.

How can you access ofatumumab now?

While all available WCM trials with ofatumumab for people with CLL have recently closed, our understanding of how best to use ofatumumab continues to increase. You can look to this space for further updates on CLL trials examining the use of ofatumumab.

A full list of trials open at WCM for patients with CLL is available on our Joint Clinical Trials website.

Immunotherapy Targeting Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor with Durvalumab for the Treatment of Relapsed/Refractory Lymphoma or CLL

Picture2By Jia Ruan, M.D., Ph.D.

A functional immune system is vital to control the growth of many types of cancers. Tumors can grow when tumor cells evade the immune system by modulating the tumor microenvironment through expression of inhibitory molecules such as PD-1 and PD-L1. Interaction of PD-1 receptor on T-cells with its ligand PD-L1 on tumor cells leads to T-cell exhaustion, immune dysfunction, and tumor progression. Recently therapeutic targeting of inhibitory checkpoint molecules like PD-1 and PD-L1 have shown promise as effective immunotherapy across a number of tumor types including solid tumors and lymphomas. These immunotherapies work by augmenting the patient’s immune system. The first generation of these new inhibitors include anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies nivolumab and pembrolizumab, which have gained FDA approval for the treatment of melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer.

Durvalumab, also known as MEDI4736, is a human immunoglobulin (Ig) G1к monoclonal antibody (mAb) that selectively binds to human PD-L1 with high affinity and blocks its ability to bind to programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor on the T-cells. As a PD-L1 inhibitor, durvalumab activates the tumor-infiltrating T-cells, allowing them to destroy the tumor cells. Essentially durvalumab acts a catalyst to reactivate the body’s immune system and destroy cancerous tumor cells.

Clinical Trial Summary 

Weill Cornell Medicine has recently opened a clinical trial for patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma or released/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 of durvalumab, a monoclonal antibody against PD-L1, in combination with other specific anti-lymphoma therapies, including lenalidomide plus rituximab, ibrutinib, and bendamustine plus rituximab.

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

-Arm A (durvalumab plus lenalidomide and rituximab);

-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.