Dr. Vose on Acalabrutinib/Pembrolizumab Combo in DLBCL

Julia M. Vose, MD, professor and chief in the Division of Oncology/Hematology at University of Nebraska Medical Center, discusses the rationale for the phase I/II trial of acalabrutinib (Calquence) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

As single agents, both acalabrutinib and pembrolizumab have shown activity in other types of lymphoma and their toxicities do not overlap. This makes them the combination of choice for patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL, Vose explains.

She says that despite the low complete response rate and short duration of response seen overall in the study, several patients showed meaningful activity (>24 months) and the combination was well tolerated. This is rationale to explore the combination further.

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