Drug trial a ‘milestone’ in leukaemia treatment
INNOVATION
A new drug pathway is “transforming” the lives of people with leukaemia and could revolutionise how the disease is treated, scientists said this week.
The comments came in response to a study that found that a new combination drug therapy significantly outperformed chemotherapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
The FLAIR trial followed 786 people with previously untreated CLL across 96 health centres in the UK. Participants were randomly assigned to receive standard chemotherapy, a single targeted drug – ibrutinib – or two targeted drugs taken together, ibrutinib and venetoclax. Doses were guided by personalised blood tests.
The study found that after five years, 94% of patients who received ibrutinib plus venetoclax were alive with no disease progression, compared to 79% for those on ibrutinib alone and 58% for those on standard chemotherapy.
Dr Talha Munir, consultant haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which led the trial, said it was a “milestone”.
“We have shown that a chemotherapy-free approach can be not only more effective but also more tolerable for patients,” he added. “By tailoring individualised treatment based on how well the cancer responds, we’re moving into an era of truly personalised medicine.”
Image: National Cancer Institute
Source: positive news