ASCO Declares CLL Regimens Cancer

Nearly 120,000 Americans are living with CLL, and approximately 90% are diagnosed over age 55. The newly approved treatments for CLL include:

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for the first time announced its cancer Advance of the Year: the transformation of treatment for the most common form of adult leukemia. Until now, many patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have had few effective treatment options. Four newly approved therapies, however, are poised to dramatically improve the outlook for patients with the disease.

• Two immunotherapy drugs for previously untreated CLL, obinutuzumab and ofatumumab (in combination with standard chemotherapy)
• Two molecularly targeted drugs for treatment-resistant or relapsed CLL, ibrutinib and idelalisib

“These new therapies fill an enormous need for thousands of patients living with CLL,” said Gregory Masters, MD, FACP, FASCO, ASCO expert and co-executive editor of the report. “For many older patients, especially, these drugs essentially offer the first chance at effective treatment, since the side effects of earlier options were simply too toxic for many to handle.”

Link to the press release: http://bit.ly/1AIOZ5q