ASCO 2016: Dr. Susan O’Brien where she discusses frontline data on Acalabrutinib in CLL( chronic lymphocytic leukemia)

We are 8 weeks out from the 2016 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology and realize that we have quite a few interviews from the ASCO and EHA meetings that have not yet been posted, so we’ll be posting twice a week until they are all out the door on the CLL Society's website. 

If you have not yet participated in our Reader Poll to give us feedback about how we’re doing and what topics you would like to see covered in the future, please take 2 minutes and do so if you have time. You can access it here. https://q32016ask.questionpro.com/

We just posted an interview from ASCO 2016 with Dr. Susan O’Brien where she discusses frontline data on Acalabrutinib, a promising second-generation BTK inhibitor. You can access my article, the abstract and our interview here. http://cllsociety.org/2016/10/asco-2016-acalabrutinib-frontline-cll

NEW Patient & Caregiver Support Meetings

Tuesday, October 18^th at 6:30 PM at the Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC – the first meeting of a new CLL Patient & Caregiver Support and Education Group. Patients and family caregivers are welcome. Find out more about dates and registration here. http://cllsociety.org/docs/CLL%20Patient%20Caregiver%20Support%20Group%20Levine%20Cancer%20Center.pdf

Tuesday, November 1^st at 6:30 PM at the Moffitt McKinley Outpatient Center in Tampa, FL – the first meeting of a new CLL Patient & Caregiver Support and Education Group. Patients and family caregivers are welcome. You can find more information here! http://cllsociety.org/docs/Tampa%20Patient%20Support%20Group%20Flyer.pdf

If you’re aware of other CLL Patient Support Group meetings, let us know and we’ll post them.

Thanks.

10/6/16

http://cllsociety.org

ASCO 2016: Dr. Susan O'Brien on Acalabrutinib in Frontline CLL

Dr. Susan O'Brien from the University of California at Irvine share the important news from ASCO 2016 relating to CLL.

While ASH and EHA are solely focused on blood cancers, ASCO covers all malignancies, especially solid tumors, so there tends to be less CLL news to report from the Chicago ASCO meeting.

That said, there were several abstracts from ASCO 2016 that deserve our attention.

One involves acalabrutinib,  a promising second generation BTK inhibitor much like ibrutinib, but more selective.

The hope is that it will retain ibrutinib's efficacy and have fewer side effects

The early trial data is positive.

This abstract that gives frontline information for the first time. Response rate was an impressive 97% and there has been no progression.

Here is a link to the trial for all the details. Dr. Byrd was the lead author who also was the lead author on the pivotal ibrutinib article published in NEJM

Here is our interview with Dr. O'Brien;

The news is very encouraging, but we need more data with more patients to be sure what we are seeing bears out.  So far, so good

I am off to ASH 2015 to learn everything I can about CLL and I have a miserable cold.

I got my biannual cold that seems to come just as I am planning to get on the plane to the be the only family doctor among 30,000 or so hematologists and researchers from around the world.

Despite my aches and cough and runny nose, I am looking forward to learning all that I can on CLL, absorbing it and sharing it here and on the CLL Society website.

Highlights include the first data on an ew BTK inhibitor, ACP-196 (NEWS BREAK: now officially called acalabrutinib), more on other exciting drugs in development including venetoclax (ABT-199) and several promising new signal blockers and more on SYK inhibitors and new antibodies and new combos and more on approved drugs such as ibrutinib and idelalisib and obinutuzumab and ofatumumab and more smartly focused material on chemo and on new understandings of how CLL is treated in the real world and how it might be treated soon and so much more.

Plenty of interviews scheduled with experts from around the world, many whom are old friends and some who are new to me, but have published important research.

Hundreds of great abstracts (I have reviewed about 200 so far) and many oral presentations and press conferences.

I am also meeting with other patient advocates and friends from around the world to share best practices.

I will try to share some live updates from ASH 2015 because it is so exciting, but mostly I like to digest the research over a few weeks so that it can be understood and put in meaningful perspective.

The only thing missing is lots of sleep.

So now I am going to bed. Flight tomorrow AM.