Novel Chemotherapy Agent Bendamustine Significantly More Effective First-Line Therapy Than Chlorambucil in CLL
Blood Marrow Normalised in 31% (Versus 2%) of Patients, With Manageable Side-Effects
Nearly a third (31%) of all bendamustine-treated patients saw all clinical evidence of their advanced chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) disappear when used as a first-line treatment option, according to the results of a large new multicentre phase III study published by the Journal of Clinical oncology. Only 2% of patients treated with chlorambucil (the standard treatment) in the study achieved the same results.
In the study, patients treated with the chemotherapy agent bendamustine (162 of the total 319 patients) achieved a median progression-free survival of 21.6 months, compared to only 8.3 months for chlorambucil (p<0.0001), enabling them to live without worsening CLL for over a year longer.
An improvement in the duration of remission was also shown (median 21.8 months in the bendamustine group, versus 8.0 months in the chlorambucil group), and complete or partial responses were achieved in 68% of bendamustine-treated, and 31% of chlorambucil-treated patients (p<0.0001).
Haematological adverse events (grades III-IV Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC)) were more common with bendamustine than with chlorambucil (occurring in 40% versus 19% of patients). Severe infections (grades III-IV) occurred in 7% of bendamustine-treated patients and 3% of chlorambucil-treated patients. The side effects experienced by patients treated with bendamustine, were manageable and of short duration.
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