ASH 2015: Ibrutinib as first-line treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Prof John Gribben (Queen Mary University of London and Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) and Prof Stephan Stilgenbauer (University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany) discuss the latest advances in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) presented at ASH 2015 and share their opinions on treatment selection and considerations for different patients.

Ibrutinib has previously been largely used as a treatment for high-risk patients with refractory CLL but data from the RESONATE-2 trial presented at the meeting by Dr Alessandra Tedeschi (Azienda Ospedaliera Niguarda Cà Granda, Milano, Italy) suggests that earlier use of the drug in treatment-naïve patients would also be of benefit.

This programme has been supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Janssen Pharmaceutica (A Johnson & Johnson Company).