Video

Dr. Wiestner Discusses Findings From the Phase III HELIOS Trial

Adrian Wiestner, MD, PhD, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Services, discusses findings from the phase III HELIOS trial, which explored the addition of ibrutinib to bendamustine and rituximab for patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Adrian Wiestner, MD, PhD, Senior Investigator, Laboratory of Lymphoid Malignancies, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Services, discusses findings from the phase III HELIOS trial, which explored the addition of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to bendamustine and rituximab (BR) for patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In the study, 578 patients with relapsed/refractory CLL were treated with BR plus ibrutinib (n = 289) or placebo (n = 289). BR was administered for a maximum of 6 cycles. After this point, patients could continue to receive ibrutinib until disease progression.

At a median follow-up of 17.2 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached in the ibrutinib arm compared with 13.3 months with BR alone (HR = 0.203; 95% CI, 0.150-0.276; P <.0001). The objective response rate was 82.7% in the ibrutinib arm versus 67.8% in the control group (P <.0001).

These were exciting results, Wiestner notes, since the addition of a targeted therapy improved outcomes seen with chemotherapy. The dramatic improvement in PFS was achieved by maintaining treatment with ibrutinib, Wiestner believes, an approach that could be labeled either maintenance or continuation therapy.

Researchers are now questioning whether another therapy needs to be added to an agent that targets the B-cell signaling pathway, Wiestner suggests. It is unclear whether combination approaches have significantly improved outcomes over single-agent ibrutinib. As a result, the treatment paradigm in CLL could shift toward the use of monotherapy, as opposed to combination strategies.

<<<

View more from the 13th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma

Newsletter

Stay up to date on the most recent and practice-changing oncology data

Latest CME

View All
Tumor Board: Expert Insights on Managing Classical 𝘌𝘎𝘍𝘙 Mutations, 𝘌𝘎𝘍𝘙 Exon 20 Insertions, and Atypical 𝘌𝘎𝘍𝘙 Mutations in Metastatic NSCLC
Video

Tumor Board: Expert Insights on Managing Classical 𝘌𝘎𝘍𝘙 Mutations, 𝘌𝘎𝘍𝘙 Exon 20 Insertions, and Atypical 𝘌𝘎𝘍𝘙 Mutations in Metastatic NSCLC

Jun 6th 2025 - Jul 12th 2025

online-activity
Medical Crossfire®: Expert Perspectives on Targeting c-Met Overexpression and 𝘔𝘌𝘛 Genomic Alterations in NSCLC – Unveiling the Complexities of 𝘔𝘌𝘛 Dysregulation
Video

Medical Crossfire®: Expert Perspectives on Targeting c-Met Overexpression and 𝘔𝘌𝘛 Genomic Alterations in NSCLC – Unveiling the Complexities of 𝘔𝘌𝘛 Dysregulation

Jun 6th 2025 - Jul 12th 2025

online-activity
Evolving Treatment Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer: Current Standards, Emerging Targets, and the Role of Molecular Testing
Video

Evolving Treatment Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer: Current Standards, Emerging Targets, and the Role of Molecular Testing

Jun 5th 2025 - Jul 12th 2025

online-activity