Dr. Jennifer Brown on RESONATE 2 Trial in CLL

Jennifer Brown MD, PhD, Director, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Center, Senior Physician, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, discusses RESONATE 2 and frontline ibrutinib use in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In March, ibrutinib received FDA approval for the frontline treatment of CLL based on data from the RESONATE-2 trial. In the phase III study, ibrutinib improved progression-free survival (PFS) by 84% versus chlorambucil in previously untreated patients over 65 with CLL or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

Chlorambucil was not a good comparative arm for this trial, as it is not typically used as the standard of care in this patient population, says Brown. The patients included in the RESONATE 2 trial were also low risk, and only about 30% had comorbidities, she adds.

However, ibrutinib is still an effective treatment option for patients with CLL in the frontline setting. Brown says she would restrict its use to patients over 70. The drug should be applicable in patients with comorbidities, despite not being studied significantly in this patient population, says Brown.

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