This is a phase II trial, with the aim of developing a chemotherapy-free regimen for untreated patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Acalabrutinib (ACP-196) is a next generation bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, more selective than ibrutinib, and without in vitro antagonism of anti-CD20 directed immunotherapies, indicating that its combination with rituximab may be more active than the combination of ibrutinib and rituximab.

In this trial proposal, we will also assess the activity of this combination in comparison to a historical control of ibrutinib + rituximab, consisting of the experimental arm of ibrutinib + rituximab in the randomized ENRICH trial (EudraCT number 2015-000832-13), and data from our previous trial with R-bendamustine-lenalidomide (NLG-MCL4).

The duration of treatment will be a minimum of 12 months. Patients in molecular remission in blood and bone marrow and in complete remission according to CT, will then stop acalabrutinib, but continue on rituximab for a maximum of 36 months. Patients that are minimal residual disease positive (MRD+) will be evaluated again every 6 months and continue on acalabrutinib for a maximum of 36 months.

Patients without a molecular marker, that cannot be followed with MRD, will stop treatment if in CR with PET at 12 months, and be followed by PET-CT every 6 months for a maximum of 36 months.

Patients who convert back to MRD positive after stopping acalabrutinib are reinstalled on acalabrutinib until progression.

Patients with TP53 aberrations and/or blastoid histology, will monitor MRD but continue with treatment until progression regardless of MRD results.

A planned interim analysis will be performed when 40 patients have undergone response assessment after 6 months, for futility and efficacy.

If less than 16 of 40 patients obtain a CR, the trial will be stopped due to futility.

This study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the combined use of acalabrutinib and ACP-319, for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

The study will measure the safety, tolerability, and efficacy with acalabrutinib in combination with rituximab in treatment-naïve elderly and/or frail patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), who are otherwise unsuitable for standard front line chemoimmunotherapy treatments.

Chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) is a common adult leukemia that has been treated with chemoimmunotherapy, which has significant toxicity among patients. Advances in CLL understanding have led to targeted therapies, such as Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. Acalabrutinib is one of the second-generation BTK inhibitors and offers improved selectivity, reducing off-target effects. This systematic review and meta-analysis analyze data from multiple clinical trials to assess acalabrutinib efficacy and safety among patients with CLL. A literature search was carried out in PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), and Ovid databases for articles published until 2024. The outcomes included the overall response rate (ORR), complete response rate (CRR), 24-month progression-free survival rate, and grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs). Meta-analysis was performed using jamovi software. The search strategy yielded 823 records. After assessing the eligibility of the retrieved studies, the systematic review finally included six clinical trials, including 808 patients. The findings demonstrated significant efficacy of acalabrutinib, with a pooled ORR (P < 0.001) and a pooled CRR (P = 0.001). The pooled 24-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate showed a significant improvement in maintaining patient safety and treatment effectiveness (P <0.001). However, hematological AEs such as neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were reported across studies. The pooled grade ≥ 3 AEs rate was 0.51 (95% CI.: 0.21-0.81, I² = 98.21%, P <0.001), indicating a notable incidence of severe side effects. Acalabrutinib is an active drug in treating CLL that induces significant clinical benefits concerning response rates and PFS. However, acalabrutinib should be managed carefully to mitigate the risk of severe AEs. Further trials should be focused on assessing and modulating the safety of acalabrutinib.

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Fixed-duration regimens containing combinations of venetoclax with CD20 targeting agents are expected to soon become standard practice in first-line patients with chronic lymfocytic leukemia (CLL). The advantage of a fixed duration venetoclax combination as part of first-line treatment is the potential to retreat with venetoclax in patients who develop relapsed disease after a treatment free period. However, efficacy of venetoclax retreatment following a fixed duration venetoclax combination is still hypothetical as clinical data are lacking. Thus, there is an urgent need for data proving efficacy of venetoclax combinations following venetoclax treatment cessation. Testing of a novel venetoclax-containing regimen for relapsed CLL without the repeat of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) is a rational approach.

BTK inhibition and checkpoint blockade are promising classes of therapy for central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma and have demonstrated efficacy with acceptable toxicity. A multidrug approach may carry a higher chance of durable efficacy in this aggressive disease that carries significant morbidity and mortality. Given the poor outcomes and limited options for patients who are not candidates for high-dose methotrexate, the investigators seek to evaluate the combination in this patient population.

08/30/2022: The study was originally designed for those with primary and secondary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma. However, the first three patients who were enrolled all had secondary CNS lymphoma and most had germinal center phenotype disease with double hit phenotypes. In these three patients, two dose limiting toxicities were seen including 1 patient with grade 4 neutropenia at the time of disease progression and one with pneumonia in the setting of disease progression and worsening of existing heart disease. The third patient came off for clinical progression within cycle 1. Given the lack of response in patients with secondary CNS lymphomas, who do not exhibit the same biology as primary CNS lymphoma patients, Amendment 3 updates the study to only include patients with primary CNS lymphomas.

The advent of Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) therapy with ibrutinib introduced a highly effective targeted therapy in the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, due to the adverse effect profile some patients cannot tolerate this novel therapy. Newer, more potent and targeted BTK inhibitors such as acalabrutinib have been developed. Acalabrutinib is an irreversible and second generation BTKi that covalently inhibits BTK with greater selectivity than ibrutinib. As novel BTKis are developed, a greater understanding of their efficacy and adverse effect rates can assist clinicians and patients in the shared clinical decision-making process. A search was conducted using the PICOS model and PRISMA guidelines. PubMeb, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched using the keywords: Acalabrutinib, Acalabrutinib Monotherapy, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, and Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) CLL. After initial literature review 12 studies were chosen for evaluation in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis and follow up meta-regression models were completed. The results were as follows: ORR 82% (95% CI 74%-90%, I2 = 84.14%, p < 0.01), CR 4% (95% CI 2%-6%, I2 = 0.00%, p = 0.99), mortality rate 12% (95% CI 6%-19%, I2 = 87.23%, p < 0.01), mortality rate due to adverse effect 7% (95% CI 3%-10%, I2 = 67.67%, p = 0.01), mortality due to pneumonia 2% (95% CI 1%-3%, I2 = 0.00%, p = 0.43), mortality due to CLL progression 4% (95% CI 2%-6%, I2 = 61.03%, p = 0.04), neutropenia (≥ grade 3) 18% (95% CI 15%-20%, I2 = 0.00%, p = 0.70), thrombocytopenia (≥ grade 3) 7% (95% CI 4%-11%, I2 = 54%, p = 0.09), anemia (≥ grade 3) 9% (95% CI 6%-12%, I2 = 36.93%, p = 0.18), pneumonia (≥ grade 3) 10% (95% CI 6%-14%, I2 = 66.37%, p = 0.02) and atrial fibrillation 7% (95% CI 3%-11%, I2 = 80.13%, p = 0.00). The results demonstrate that acalabrutinib shows efficacy in the treatment of R/R CLL with tolerable adverse reaction rates.

BACKGROUND:

Whether fixed-duration acalabrutinib-venetoclax (with or without obinutuzumab) would result in better progression-free survival than chemoimmunotherapy in patients with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is unknown.

METHODS:

In this phase 3, open-label trial, we included patients 18 years of age or older who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance-status score of 0 to 2 (range, 0 to 5, with higher numbers indicating greater disability) and who did not have a 17p deletion or TP53 mutation. Patients were randomly assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, to receive acalabrutinib-venetoclax (acalabrutinib, cycles 1 to 14; venetoclax, cycles 3 to 14), acalabrutinib-venetoclax-obinutuzumab (as above, plus obinutuzumab, cycles 2 to 7), or chemoimmunotherapy with the investigator's choice of fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab or bendamustine-rituximab (cycles 1 to 6). The primary end point was progression-free survival (acalabrutinib-venetoclax vs. chemoimmunotherapy) in the intention-to-treat population, assessed by blinded independent central review.

RESULTS:

A total of 867 patients underwent randomization: 291 were assigned to receive acalabrutinib-venetoclax, 286 acalabrutinib-venetoclax-obinutuzumab, and 290 chemoimmunotherapy (of whom 143 received fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab and 147 bendamustine-rituximab). The median age of the patients was 61 years (range, 26 to 86), 64.5% were men, and 58.6% had unmutated IGHV. Estimated 36-month progression-free survival at a median follow-up of 40.8 months was 76.5% with acalabrutinib-venetoclax, 83.1% with acalabrutinib-venetoclax-obinutuzumab, and 66.5% with chemoimmunotherapy (hazard ratio for disease progression or death with acalabrutinib-venetoclax vs. chemoimmunotherapy, 0.65 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.49 to 0.87], P = 0.004; for the comparison of acalabrutinib-venetoclax-obinutuzumab with chemoimmunotherapy, P<0.001). Estimated 36-month overall survival was 94.1% with acalabrutinib-venetoclax, 87.7% with acalabrutinib-venetoclax-obinutuzumab, and 85.9% with chemoimmunotherapy. Neutropenia, the most common adverse event of clinical interest of grade 3 or higher, was reported in 32.3%, 46.1%, and 43.2% in the three groups, respectively; death from coronavirus disease 2019 was reported in 10, 25, and 21 patients in the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

Acalabrutinib-venetoclax with or without obinutuzumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival as compared with chemoimmunotherapy in fit patients with previously untreated CLL. (Funded by AstraZeneca; AMPLIFY ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03836261.).

This phase II trial studies the side effects of acalabrutinib and rituximab and its effect in treating patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma. Acalabrutinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to a protein called CD20, which is found on B-cells, and may kill cancer cells. Giving acalabrutinib and rituximab may help to control mantle cell lymphoma in elderly patients.