Dr. Wang on the Results of the Phase 3 SHINE Study in MCL

Michael Wang, MD, professor, Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, director, Mantle Cell Lymphoma Program of Excellence, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the results of the phase 3 SHINE trial (NCT01776840) in older patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Investigators of the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the combination of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) with bendamustine/rituximab (Rituxan) followed by rituximab maintenance as a firstline treatment among patients aged 65 years or older.

Moreover, this is the first phase 3 clinical trial in patients with MCL that utilizes ibrutinib with bendamustine/rituximab, Wang says. The median progression-free survival with the addition of ibrutinib combination therapy was 6.7 years and the safety proved to be tolerable, Wang explains.

The durable and significant clinical outcomes with the addition of the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor should set a new benchmark for elderly patients with a newly diagnosed MCL, Wang concludes.