Prof. Stephan Stilgenbauer from the University of Ulm in Germany, in an interview with the Polish Press Agency, pointed out that the use of new drugs in the fight against leukemia makes it possible to move away from chemotherapy and immunochemotherapy (chemotherapy with antibodies). And patients can be treated outside the hospital.
infographic - leukemia, photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnueuY3PltM
– Currently, the use of chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy is no longer standard, because studies have shown that targeted therapies - such as Bruton's kinase inhibitors and BCL2 protein inhibitors - are more effective and better tolerated by patients - he said.
– Currently, therapies are recommended as the first line of treatment for CLL patients. One of them are Bruton's kinase inhibitors - acalabrutinib or zanubrutinib, used continuously until the therapy is effective. The second option is to use a BCL2 protein inhibitor (venetoclax) with an anti-CD20 antibody (obinutuzumab). This therapy is used for a year, but it contributes to long-term remission of the disease - explained Prof. Stilgenbauer.
The third option for CLL patients is the latest therapy, registered by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). – It is a combination of the Bruton's kinase inhibitor inbrutinib with venetoclax. Its advantages include: high effectiveness, the fact that it is completely oral and the fact that it is administered for a limited period of 15 months - said the specialist.
The effectiveness of this treatment results from the fact that it combines the two most effective classes of drugs, and consequently, a large percentage of CLL patients achieve the so-called undetectable minimal residual disease, said prof. Stilgenbauer. This translates into an extension of their overall survival. Therefore, there is currently a tendency to use the most effective therapy options from the first line of treatment.
In Poland, from January 2024, CLL patients can receive venetoclax with obinutuzumab in the first line of treatment. This also applies to younger patients, in better health and without poor prognostic factors, who so far could only be treated with chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy in the first line. Moreover, the possibility of treatment with Bruton's kinase inhibitors has expanded, as zanubrutinib, in addition to acalabrutinib, has been included in the drug program.
Based on PAP
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