ASCO: Chronic leukemia treatment transformation is cancer advance of the year

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has announced that the transformation of treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is its Cancer Advance of the Year.

Until recently, many patients with CLL had limited effective treatment options for their disease, but four newly Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies will significantly alter the prognosis for patients with the disease.

Those drugs include: obinutuzumab, ofatumumab, ibrutinib, and idelalisib. Obinutuzumab and ofatumumab are each to be used in combination with standard chemotherapy for those with previously untreated CLL, while ibrutinib and idelalisib are for relapsed or refractory CLL. For older patients particularly, these new therapies may be their first chance at treatment as other therapies were toxic for many to tolerate.

According to the American Cancer Society, there was estimated to be 15,720 cases of CLL in 2014 and 4,600 deaths from CLL. CLL accounts for approximately one-third of new cases of leukemia and mainly occurs in older adults with the average age of diagnosis being 72 years.