<p>The Impact of Age on Survival in CLL Patients Receiving Ibrutinib as Initial Therapy</p>

Abstract

Introduction: Recent randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of ibrutinib-based therapy in the treatment of patients with CLL. In Alliance A041202, a higher than expected number of unexplained deaths were reported with front-line ibrutinib in a patient population aged at least 65 years compared to ECOG 1912, which included patients up to 70 years of age. Methods: Therefore, we conducted a retrospective analysis to investigate whether ibrutinib was associated with a greater mortality in older patients outside of a clinical trial setting. This multicenter analysis was performed by investigators at 20 academic and community practices. Results: Amongst the 391 patients included, there was no correlation between age and response rate, PFS, or OS. However, there was a trend to higher rate of deaths in patients >65years-old (8.7% vs 3.8%, p=0.097), with an increased number of early deaths (13 vs 4, p=0.3). Conclusion: These data suggest greater intolerance, and possibly mortality, with ibrutinib in an older population. Patients should be educated regarding the potential complications related to ibrutinib and symptoms of concern to report.

Clinical characteristics of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in young versus old age patients in Kurdistan region- Iraq

“…This finding is similar to results of many national and international works of literature such as Hasan study in the Kurdistan region-Iraq and Parikh et al study in the USA which all found that younger age CLL patients (age ≤55 years) had significantly longer survival duration than older age CLL patients (age >55 years). On other hand, a multicenter analysis study carried in the USA out by Ujjani et al 37 reported no effect of age on treatment response and survival of CLL patients treated by Ibrutinib, but revealed that elderly age patients died more and earlier than younger age patients. The difference might be due to concentrating on outcome of single treatment agent and not including other treatment types or untreated patients.…”