Inhibition of B-cell receptor signalling via Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) has been a breakthrough for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).
Zanubrutinib is a next-generation BTK inhibitor that is designed for potent and sustained inhibition of BTK while minimising the off-target effects of first-generation inhibitors such as ibrutinib.
The activity and tolerability of zanubrutinib have been demonstrated in patients with CLL/SLL in early phase clinical trials.
The ALPINE study solidifies the findings of these pivotal trials by a head-to-head comparison of the safety and efficacy of zanubrutinib and ibrutinib in 415 patients with relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL.
Our interim analysis at 12 months after enrolment revealed that the overall response rate in zanubrutinib-treated patients was significantly higher than those treated with ibrutinib (78.3% vs 62.5%).
Similarly, overall progression-free survival and overall survival rates were higher in the zanubrutinib group and zanubrutinib outperformed ibrutinib in several safety outcomes including rate of atrial fibrillation/flutter, major bleeding, adverse events leading to discontinuation, and grade ≥3 infection.
However, zanubrutinib treatment increased the rate of neutropenia compared with ibrutinib (28.4% vs 21.7%).
In summary, zanubrutinib showed more selective inhibition of BTK resulting in improved efficacy and safety compared with ibrutinib.
The World Cancer Declaration recognises that to make major reductions in premature deaths, innovative education and training opportunities for healthcare workers in all disciplines of cancer control need to improve significantly.
ecancer plays a critical part in improving access to education for medical professionals.
Every day we help doctors, nurses, patients and their advocates to further their knowledge and improve the quality of care. Please make a donation to support our ongoing work.
Thank you for your support.