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In the chemotherapy era, clinicians observed patients with asymptomatic, early-stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and did not give anti-CLL therapy until treatment was indicated by symptom onset or clinically significant disease progression. Investigators from Germany now report long-term outcomes with a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in patients with Binet stage A CLL and intermediate-to-high risk for early progression according to a multifactorial risk score.
In this industry-sponsored, prospective, multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 trial, 363 patients received oral ibrutinib (420 mg daily) or placebo until disease progression or treatment intolerance. Another 152 patients with low-risk CLL underwent watchful waiting and reg…