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Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a B-cell lymphoma characterized by elevated monoclonal IgM level, hyperviscosity, and anemia. Rituximab has modest single-agent activity in WM patients, which may be associated with symptomatic flare in IgM levels.
Now, investigators have conducted an industry-sponsored, multicenter, randomized, phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining rituximab with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib, which has been approved for relapsed WM, versus rituximab alone in 150 relapsed or untreated symptomatic patients
At a follow-up of 30 months, progression-free survival (the primary endpoint) was improved with rituximab plus ibrutinib versus rituximab alone (82% vs. 28%; P<0.001), as were…