Enduring undetectable MRD and updated outcomes in relapsed/refractory CLL after fixed-duration venetoclax-rituximab

John F. Seymour, Thomas J. Kipps, Barbara F. Eichhorst, James D'Rozario, Carolyn J. Owen, Sarit Assouline, Nicole Lamanna, Tadeusz Robak, Javier de la Serna, Ulrich Jaeger, Guillaume Cartron, Marco Montillo, Clemens Mellink, Brenda Chyla, Anesh Panchal, Tong Lu, Jenny Q. Wu, Yanwen Jiang, Marcus Lefebure, Michelle BoyerArnon P. Kater

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73 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The MURANO trial (A Study to Evaluate the Benefit of Venetoclax Plus Rituximab Compared With Bendamustine Plus Rituximab in Participants With Relapsed or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia [CLL]; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier #NCT02005471) reported superior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with venetoclax-rituximab (VenR) vs bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL. Patients were randomized to 2 years of VenR (n = 194; rituximab for the first 6 months) or 6 months of BR (n = 195). Although undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) was achieved more often with VenR, the long-term implications of uMRD with this fixed-duration, chemotherapy-free regimen have not been explored. We report MRD kinetics and updated outcomes with 5 years' follow-up. Survival benefits with VenR vs BR were sustained (median PFS [95% confidence interval]: 53.6 [48.4, 57.0] vs 17.0 [15.5, 21.7] months, respectively, P <. 0001; 5-year OS [95% confidence interval]: 82.1% [76.4, 87.8] vs 62.2% [54.8, 69.6], P <. 0001). VenR was superior to BR, regardless of cytogenetic category. VenR-treated patients with uMRD at end of treatment (EOT; n = 83) had superior OS vs those with high-MRD+ (n = 12): 3-year post-EOT survival rates were 95.3% vs 72.9% (P =. 039). In those with uMRD at EOT, median time to MRD conversion was 19.4 months. Of 47 patients with documented MRD conversion, 19 developed progressive disease (PD); median time from conversion to PD was 25.2 months. A population-based logistic growth model indicated slower MRD median doubling time post-EOT with VenR (93 days) vs BR (53 days; P = 1.2 × 10−7). No new safety signals were identified. Sustained survival, uMRD benefits, and durable responses support 2-year fixed-duration VenR treatment in R/R CLL.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)839-850
Number of pages12
JournalBlood
Volume140
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Aug 2022

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