John F. Seymour, MBBS, FRACP, PhD

John F. Seymour, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, from the Department of Hematology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in East Melbourne, Australia, discusses the results of the PRIMA study, which evaluated the benefit of maintenance therapy with rituximab after induction of response with chemotherapy plus rituximab in comparison with no maintenance therapy in patients with advanced follicular lymphoma.

In this study, patients with high-volume follicular lymphoma were treated with chemoimmunotherapy and then randomized to either maintenance or observation, Seymour says. The maintenance arm was given therapy once every 2 months for 2 years.

At the 2013 ASH Annual Meeting, the 6-year follow-up results were presented. Seymour says results have shown that the patients are still showing an approximately 20% improvement in progression free survival (PFS). Seymour believes these results reinforce the durable benefit of maintenance rituximab after primary chemoimmunotherapy. The results of this follow-up have shown that maintenance rituximab prolongs benefit and does not impair the ability to treat at subsequent progression, Seymour says.

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Dr. Seymour Discusses the Results of the PRIMA Study

John F. Seymour, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, from the Department of Hematology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in East Melbourne, Australia, discusses the efficacy of single-agent ABT-199 (GDC-0199), a novel Bcl-2 inhibitor, in high-risk relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

In the phase I trial, 56 patients received treatment with ABT-199 at doses from 150 mg to 1200 mg. The overall response rate for patients treated with ABT-199 was 84% with a complete remission rate of 23%, Seymour notes. In general, 90% of patients had received prior treatment with fludarabine with approximately 50% of patients developing fludarabine resistance. On average, patients received 4 median treatments prior to receiving ABT-199, representing a very heavily pretreated patient population.

Furthermore, Seymour says, response rates were sustained in patients with 17p deletions, which have conventionally indicated a poor response to treatment. In a phase I context, this agent has generated exciting response across poor prognostic groups, Seymour notes.

Although it was not a prospective objective of the trial, local labs completed 4-color flow cytometry. Overall, 8 patients tested negative for minimal residual disease. In the context of a single agent in relapsed and refractory CLL, this agent has demonstrated very encouraging efficacy, Seymour believes.

John F. Seymour, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, discusses the efficacy of single-agent ABT-199 (GDC-0199), a novel Bcl-2 inhibitor, in high-risk relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma.

Author | John F. Seymour, MBBS, FRACP, PhD

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Dr. Seymour Discusses the Results of the PRIMA Study

Dr. Seymour on the Efficacy of ABT-199 in High-Risk CLL