Dr. John Byrd Discusses the Treatment Landscape for CLL

John C. Byrd, MD, a professor of Medicine at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the promising treatment landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

This is currently an incredibly exciting time for patients with CLL, as a result of all of the novel therapies that are now available, Byrd notes. In the past year, the FDA has approved obinutuzumab (GA101), idelalisib, and ibrutinib as treatments for patients with CLL, representing a dramatic shift in the standard of care for this disease.

The next step in CLL will be to combine these active therapies, which could induce deep complete remissions and potentially cures. The administration of multi-drug cocktails could change CLL into a potentially chemotherapy-free disease, believes Byrd.