Leukemia & lymphoma
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Feb 2014
ReviewIbrutinib in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and B cell malignancies.
Recent clinical data suggest remarkable activity of ibrutinib, the first-in-class covalent inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), as well as excellent activity in other B cell malignancies, including in particular mantle cell lymphoma and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. This review evaluates the data from ongoing clinical and correlative studies of ibrutinib in B cell malignancies with a particular focus on CLL, and considers these data in the context of other B cell receptor pathway inhibitors.
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Over the past 3 years, ibrutinib (PCI-32765) has emerged as a breakthrough in targeted therapy for patients with certain types of B cell malignancies. Early stage clinical trials found ibrutinib to be particularly active in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), providing the rationale for ongoing phase 3 trials. ⋯ Later, after weeks to months of continuous ibrutinib therapy, the growth- and survival-inhibitory activities of ibrutinib result in the normalization of lymphocyte counts and remissions in a majority of patients. This review discusses the discovery, preclinical and clinical development of ibrutinib, its pathophysiological basis, and outlines perspectives for future use of ibrutinib.
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Aug 2013
ReviewIbrutinib: a novel Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor with outstanding responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
New treatment options are urgently needed for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who fail to respond to currently available therapies or cannot achieve a sustained response. Moreover, targeted agents with less myelotoxicity are necessary to treat patients with multiple comorbidities who would otherwise be unable to tolerate standard regimens. ⋯ In phase I/II trials, ibrutinib 420 mg or 840 mg - given continuously as single agent or at a dose of 420 mg daily in combination with a monoclonal antibody or chemoimmunotherapy - has been associated with high response rates and durable clinical remissions. Phase II and III trials are currently under way for treatment-naive patients, relapsed/refractory patients, and for those patients harboring a 17p deletion.
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Leukemia & lymphoma · Apr 2013
ReviewMolecular mechanism of action of immune-modulatory drugs thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide in multiple myeloma.
Although several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the activity of thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide in multiple myeloma (MM), including demonstrable anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory effects, the precise cellular targets and molecular mechanisms have only recently become clear. A landmark study recently identified cereblon (CRBN) as a primary target of thalidomide teratogenicity. Subsequently it was demonstrated that CRBN is also required for the anti-myeloma activity of thalidomide and related drugs, the so-called immune-modulatory drugs (IMiDs). ⋯ CRBN is also implicated in several effects of IMiDs, such as down-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and T cell immunomodulatory activity, demonstrating that the pleotropic actions of the IMiDs are initiated by binding to CRBN. Future dissection of CRBN downstream signaling will help to delineate the underlying mechanisms for IMiD action and eventually lead to development of new drugs with more specific anti-myeloma activities. It may also provide a biomarker to predict IMiD response and resistance.
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Leukemia & lymphoma · May 2012
ReviewA critical review of the molecular pathophysiology of lenalidomide sensitivity in 5q - myelodysplastic syndromes.
Abstract The 5q deletion is a chromosomal abnormality that is observed in a subset of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). When isolated, this abnormality defines a specific clinical syndrome termed MDS associated with isolated deletion 5q, presenting with macrocytic anemia, normal platelet count or slight thrombocytosis, hypolobated megakaryocytes and fewer than 5% blasts in the bone marrow. MDS with the 5q deletion have a particular sensitivity to treatment with lenalidomide, a thalidomide analog. In this article, molecular changes in 5q- MDS derived from haploinsufficiency of genes encoded from the deleted region in 5q are reviewed, and mechanisms that link these molecular lesions with lenalidomide sensitivity are proposed.