Dr. Ghia on the Clinical Implications of the CAPTIVATE Trial in CLL

Paolo Ghia, MD, PhD, full professor, Medical Oncology, head, Strategic Research Program on CLL, Università Vita Salute San Raffaele, deputy director, Division of Experimental Oncology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, discusses the clinical implications of the phase 2 CAPTIVATE trial (NCT02910583) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Findings from the primary analysis of the fixed-duration cohort of the CAPTIVATE trial, which were presented during the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, demonstrated a complete response (CR) rate of 56% with the fixed-duration combination of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) plus venetoclax (Venclexta) in patients with CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma without a 17p deletion. Moreover, a similar CR rate was observed in patients with high-risk features.

Novel, oral medications given continuously revolutionized the treatment of patients with CLL and extended median progression-free and overall survival, Ghia says. However, fixed-duration treatment could spare patients the long-term adverse effects associated with continuous medication, Ghia says. Also, these regimens could prevent gene mutation recurrences, which lead to drug resistance, concludes Ghia.