Blinatumomab + Chemo Ups Survival in B-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

MONDAY, July 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For adult patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) who have measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative remission, blinatumomab in addition to consolidation chemotherapy is associated with improved overall survival, according to a study published in the July 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Mark R. Litzow, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 trial involving patients aged 30 to 70 years with BCR::ABL1-negative BCP-ALL (:: indicating fusion) who had MRD-negative remission after induction and intensification chemotherapy. Of the 224 patients, 112 were randomly assigned to receive four cycles of blinatumomab in addition to four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy, and 112 were assigned to receive four cycles of consolidation chemotherapy alone.

The researchers found that at a median follow-up of 43 months, there was an advantage in the blinatumomab group versus the chemotherapy-only group with respect to overall survival (85 versus 68 percent at three years; hazard ratio for death, 0.41) and in three-year relapse-free survival (80 versus 64 percent; hazard ratio for relapse or death, 0.53). Compared with the chemotherapy-only group, the incidence of neuropsychiatric events was higher in the blinatumomab group.

“We found a significant improvement in overall survival among patients 30 to 70 years of age who had an MRD-negative remission of BCP-ALL and received blinatumomab plus chemotherapy in consolidation, as compared with chemotherapy alone,” the authors write.

The study was partly funded by Amgen, the manufacturer of blinatumomab.

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