Ibrutinib + Rituximab Benefits Patients With Pre-Treated
Lymphoma and Leukemia
The combination of ibrutinib and rituximab is a promising
treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory
blood cancers, according to results of two studies presented at the 56th ASH Annual Meeting.
“Ibrutinib as a single agent is well known to cause a redistribution lymphocytosis during the first months of therapy, due to
mobilization of [abnormal] cells from the tissue sites into the peripheral blood,” said Ekaterina Kim, MS, from the Department
of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center in Houston. Dr. Kim and other investigators targeted this
transient lymphocytosis with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab, with the hopes of improving ibrutinib efficacy
in relapsed/refractory lymphoma or leukemia.
“For patients who need this drug, it is a lifesaver,” said
Mitchell Smith, MD, PhD, in his discussion of ibrutinib during
the Special Education Session on Newly Approved Drugs. “At
this point, a lot of patients with CLL and MCL are in remission
from their previous therapy and ibrutinib is in our back pocket,
waiting for that patient to need therapy.”
Ibrutinib + Rituximab in Relapsed/Refractory MCL
In a single-center, phase 2 trial of 50 relapsed or refractory
mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients, the ibrutinib + rituximab
combination was found to be efficacious and well tolerated. At
an oral abstract presentation, Michael Wang, MD, from the
Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma at The U