Disease Flare During Temporary Interruption of Ibrutinib Therapy in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

CONCLUSION: Temporary interruptions in ibrutinib treatment of patients with CLL are common, and one quarter of patients who held ibrutinib in this study experienced a disease flare. Resolution with resuming ibrutinib underscores the importance of awareness of this phenomenon for optimal management.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Ibrutinib is a very effective treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) but needs to be taken continuously. Side effects, such as increased bleeding risk with procedures, require temporary interruptions in this continuous treatment. Rapid CLL progression following ibrutinib discontinuation has been increasingly recognized. This study demonstrates that similar flares in disease signs or symptoms may occur during ibrutinib holds as well. Importantly, management with restarting ibrutinib led to quick clinical improvement. Awareness of this phenomenon among clinicians is critical to avoid associated patient morbidity and premature cessation of effective treatment with ibrutinib if the flare is misidentified as true progression of disease.
PMID: 32886416 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: The Oncologist - September 3, 2020 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Hampel P, Call TG, Rabe KG, Ding W, Muchtar E, Kenderian SS, Wang Y, Leis JF, Witzig TE, Koehler AB, Fonder AL, Schwager SM, Van Dyke DL, Braggio E, Slager SL, Kay NE, Parikh SA Tags: Oncologist Source Type: research