ATLANTA, Dec.8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The promising investigational targeted therapy ibrutinib and its mechanism of silencing gene communication pathways critical to the development of cancer may be an effective way to combat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to studies presented today at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

CLL is a blood cancer that causes abnormal white blood cells called lymphocytes to accumulate in the blood, bone marrow, and in the lymph nodes or other organs, causing these organs to enlarge. Approximately 15,000 Americans are diagnosed with CLL every year; nearly 70 percent of those affected are 65 and older.[1], [2]For some patients with slower growing disease, physicians employ "watch and wait" strategies to minimize unnecessary treatment. However, patients with high-risk features such as rapidly progressing disease require prompt treatment to manage symptoms and reduce organ damage.

Ibrutinib is a specialized anti-cancer therapy that targets the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK, an enzyme important in the development of CLL). As an inhibitor of BTK, ibrutinib selectively targets leukemia cells, promoting their death and preventing them from growing while leaving normal cells unharmed. Studies suggest this design allows the drug to more effectively treat the disease, with encouraging early results in harder-to-treat patient groups such as elderly untreated patients and those whose disease has become resistant to other therapies or those who have experienced disease recurrence after receiving other therapies. Two studies will present efficacy and safety results testing the compound alone and in combination with other currently used therapies for CLL.

"The evidence collected to date on ibrutinib demonstrates that it may have the potential to improve long-term prognosis for patients who are not sensitive to standard treatment," said Claire E. Dearden, MD, moderator of the press conference, Consultant Hematologist and Head of the CLL Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London. "Equally important, the exciting efficacy and safety data that we are seeing for this drug in these studies underscore the significant progress we are making in our quest to better understand and attack the specific cellular targets responsible for CLL, particularly in these vulnerable patient populations."

This press conference will take place on Saturday, December 8, at 8:00 a.m. EST.

The Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) Inhibitor Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) Promotes High Response Rate, Durable Remissions, and is Tolerable in Treatment Naive (TN) and Relapsed or Refractory (RR) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) Patients including Patients with High-Risk (HR) Disease: New and Updated Results of 116 Patients in Phase Ib/II Study [Abstract 189]

New research demonstrates that a novel investigational therapeutic agent called ibrutinib may be an effective and safe targeted treatment option for previously untreated, hard-to-treat, and relapsed patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Primary treatment for CLL includes a combined chemotherapy-based regimen with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, along with the immune therapy rituximab. While rituximab is effective, it is generally not well tolerated among elderly patients. Treatment with this drug also compromises the immune system by attacking both cancerous and normal cells, putting patients at risk for a range of infections and increasing their risk of developing treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia.

To understand if ibrutinib may be effective for elderly CLL patients and to identify which patients might benefit most from the drug, researchers enrolled 116 CLL patient participants in several treatment cohorts: patients who were never treated (the treatment-naive group), those who had received two or more prior therapies (the relapsed/refractory group), those who had relapsed within two years of treatment (the high-risk group), and those over age 65. Two oral dosing regimens (420 mg or 840 mg daily) of ibrutinib were used. The primary goal of the study was to determine the safety of the low and high doses; secondary objectives included efficacy, measures of the intensity of the drug's effect in the body, and the long-term safety of administering this therapy continuously until relapse.

The study found that response to therapy was high across the cohorts, with largely manageable toxicities. Previously untreated elderly patients responded best to the agent, with 71 percent experiencing a complete or partial response at either treatment dose. The same response was observed in 67 percent of the relapsed patients and 50 percent of the high-risk patient cohort. After 22 months of follow-up, the disease had not progressed in 96 percent of previously untreated patients and 76 percent of relapsed and high-risk patients.

Go here to see the original:
New Investigational Agent Targets Gene Signaling Pathways to Improve Therapeutic Response for Patients with Chronic ...

Comments are closed.