Dr. Al-Sawaf on Continual MRD Assessment ​After Venetoclax/Obinutuzumab in CLL

Othman Al-Sawaf, MD, discusses ongoing minimal residual disease assessment for patients in the phase 3 CLL14 study with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

At the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program, updated progression-free survival (PFS) data from the CLL14 study continued to show an improved PFS with venetoclax (Venclexta) plus obinutuzumab (Gazyva) versus chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab in patients with treatment-naïve CLL. 

After completing treatment, patients will have continual MRD monitoring through a longitudinal analysis, says Al-Sawaf. ​According to the analysis presented at 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program, 47.2% of patients had ​undetectable MRD 18 months after completing venetoclax/obinutuzumab versus ​7.4% who received chlorambucil/obinutuzumab.

Ultimately, these data show that half of patients lose undetectable MRD ​after stopping treatment while the other half are able to maintain MRD negativity approximately 2 years ​after stopping treatment, Al-Sawaf concludes.