Efficacy and Safety of Zanubrutinib in Patients with Treatment-Naive (TN) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) with del(17p): Follow-up Results from Arm C of the SEQUOIA (BGB-3111-304) Trial.

Background: Patients (pts) with CLL/SLL whose tumor exhibits the deletion of chromosome 17p13.1 [del(17p)] have an unfavorable prognosis and respond poorly to standard chemoimmunotherapy. Zanubrutinib (BGB-3111) is an investigational, next-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. In the ASPEN study of pts with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, zanubrutinib was associated with important safety advantages compared to ibrutinib, especially regarding cardiovascular toxicity (Blood; in press). The initial results from Arm C of the SEQUOIA (BGB-3111-304) trial of zanubrutinib in a large cohort of TN CLL/SLL pts with del(17p) were recently presented with a median follow-up of 10 months (Blood 2019;134:851). Presented here is an updated analysis for safety and efficacy in this cohort. Method(s): The SEQUOIA trial (NCT03336333) is an open-label, global, multicenter, phase 3 study that includes a nonrandomized cohort (Arm C) of TN pts with del(17p) CLL/SLL treated with zanubrutinib (160 mg twice daily). Adult pts with CLL/SLL who met International Workshop on CLL (iwCLL) criteria for treatment (Blood 2008;111:5446) were eligible if they were aged >=65 y or unsuitable for treatment with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab. Use of long-term anticoagulation was permitted. Central verification of del(17p) by fluorescence in situ hybridization with a minimum of 7% aberrant nuclei present was required for entry into Arm C. Response was evaluated by investigator for CLL...Copyright © 2020 American Society of Hematology