“Targeted Combination Therapy Without Chemotherapy Found More Effective and with Fewer Side Effects in CLL Patients: GAIA/CLL13 Study”

Targeted combination therapy without chemotherapy is more effective than chemotherapy in young and fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and also produces fewer side effects. This is the conclusion of a study led by the University of Cologne, Amsterdam UMC and University of Copenhagen, the results of which have been published in NEJM.

The GAIA/CLL13 study enrolled a total of 920 fit CLL patients in 159 hospitals in 9 European countries and Israel. About a quarter of the patients came from the Netherlands. The patients were divided into 4 groups and received treatment with either chemotherapy and a monoclonal antibody (standard treatment) or venetoclax in combination with a monoclonal antibody (rituximab or obinutuzumab). The fourth group received ventoclax, obinutuzumab and ibrutinib.

It turned out that all groups with venetoclax had fewer side effects, and that the combinations of venetoclax with obinutuzumab were more effective than the standard treatment with chemotherapy. The treatment was found to be particularly effective in patients with the IGHV-unmutated variant, occurring in 50% of patients. On average, after 3 years in the more aggressive disease group, 35% had a recurrence after chemotherapy and less than 18% after the experimental treatments.

Bron:

Amsterdam UMC