Zanubrutinib vs Ibrutinib in TB CLL: Implications for Interpreting Fixed-Duration Treatment Outcomes from CLL17

At the 2026 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress, Wojciech Jurczak, MD, PhD, reviewed emerging data supporting the use of continuous BTK inhibitor therapy with zanubrutinib in the frontline treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). He discussed how updated EHA guidelines and findings from the phase 3 SEQUOIA trial reinforce the role of continuous BTK inhibition, particularly for patients with high-risk disease. Jurczak also highlighted a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) evaluating zanubrutinib versus ibrutinib, which suggested improved progression-free survival and numerically favorable overall survival with zanubrutinib while emphasizing the limitations of unanchored indirect analyses. Additionally, he examined how these findings may influence interpretation of results from the CLL17 trial and the broader discussion of continuous versus fixed-duration treatment strategies. The presentation concludes with a look at ongoing studies evaluating zanubrutinib-based combinations that may further shape frontline CLL treatment.