Current Treatment Landscape for CLL

Javier Pinilla-Ibarz, MD, PhD, senior member of the Department of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the current treatment landscape of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Over the last 5 to 10 years, Pinilla-Ibarz says the landscape has changed dramatically. In the past, there were only monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy, but now a number of new treatments have been introduced to this patient population, including B-cell receptor inhibitors.

The use of ibrutinib (Imbruvica), a BTK inhibitor, is increasing in the first- and second-line. Pinilla-Ibarz says this is where the change of paradigm began for the treatment of CLL. There was also the introduction and approval of other B-cell receptor inhibitors like idealisib. Acalabrutinib (Calquence), which is approved for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma, is also showing promise in CLL, as well as PI3K delta inhibitors like umbralisib and duvelisib.