Dr. Sweet on Key Findings From the OPTIC Trial With Ponatinib in CML

Kendra Sweet, MD, an assistant member of the Department of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center, as well as an assistant professor in the Department of Oncologic Sciences at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, discusses key findings from the OPTIC trial with ponatinib (Iclusig) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Findings from the interim analysis of the randomized phase 2 OPTIC trial, which were presented during the 2020 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition, showed high response rates with good survival outcomes in patients with CML who progressed on prior second-generation TKIs. Moreover, the study evaluated various doses of ponatinib. Patients were started at 45 mg of daily ponatinib, which was decreased to 15 mg daily in the presence of a response. The data suggest that patients require a 45-mg starting dose of ponatinib, Sweet explains. Additionally, the safety results confirmed that toxicity was significantly improved with the 15-mg dose compared with the 45-mg dose.

Another key takeaway was that patients with T315I mutations, who are known to respond well to ponatinib, may benefit from earlier integration of the agent. The survival advantage may be because these patients receive fewer prior lines of therapy compared with patients who do not harbor T315I mutations and receive additional second-generation TKIs.