Blood Res 2023; 58(4):
Published online December 31, 2023
https://doi.org/10.5045/br.2023.2023208
© The Korean Society of Hematology
Correspondence to : Sang Eun Yoon, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06351, Korea
E-mail: starload0326@gmail.com
#These authors contributed equally to this work.
*This study was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HI22C0999). This study was also supported by grants from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (HR20C0025); a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean government (2022R1F1A1064058); and the Bio&Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. RS-2023-00222838).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background
While treatment strategies for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) have evolved, patients often experience disease progression and require additional treatment therapies. Ibrutinib presents a promising option for relapsed or refractory MCL (RR-MCL). This study investigated real-world treatment outcomes of ibrutinib in patients with RR-MCL.
Methods
A single-center retrospective analysis investigated clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of patients with RR-MCL, treated with ibrutinib.
Results
Forty-two patients were included, with 16 received rituximab and bendamustine, and 26 receiving anthracycline-based regimens as front-line treatment. During a median follow-up of 46.0 months, the response rate to ibrutinib was 69%, with 12 CRs and 8 partial responses. Disease progression (54.8%) and adverse events (11.9%) were the primary reasons for discontinuation. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were approximately 16.4 and 50.1 months, respectively. Patients older than 70 years (P=0.044 and P=0.006), those with splenomegaly (P=0.022 and P=0.006), and those with a high-risk simplified Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (sMIPI) (P<0.001 and P<0.001) exhibited siginificantly inferior PFS and OS. Notably, patients with a high-risk sMIPI relapsed earlier. Post-ibrutinib treatment yilded an OS of 12.2 months, while clinical trial participants demonstrated superior survival compared to those receiving chemotherapy alone.
Conclusion
This study underscores the importance of considering patient characteristics before administering ibrutinib as salvage therapy. Early relapse was associated with poor outcomes, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies.
Keywords: Ibrutinib, Mantle-cell, Lymphoma, Relapsed or refractory
Blood Res 2023; 58(4): 208-220
Published online December 31, 2023 https://doi.org/10.5045/br.2023.2023208
Copyright © The Korean Society of Hematology.
Yong-Pyo Lee1#, Ye Ji Jung2#, Junhun Cho3, Young Hyeh Ko3, Won Seog Kim2,4, Seok Jin Kim2,4, Sang Eun Yoon2
1Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Departments of 2Medicine, 3Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 4Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence to:Sang Eun Yoon, M.D., Ph.D.
Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06351, Korea
E-mail: starload0326@gmail.com
#These authors contributed equally to this work.
*This study was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HI22C0999). This study was also supported by grants from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (HR20C0025); a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean government (2022R1F1A1064058); and the Bio&Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. RS-2023-00222838).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background
While treatment strategies for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) have evolved, patients often experience disease progression and require additional treatment therapies. Ibrutinib presents a promising option for relapsed or refractory MCL (RR-MCL). This study investigated real-world treatment outcomes of ibrutinib in patients with RR-MCL.
Methods
A single-center retrospective analysis investigated clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of patients with RR-MCL, treated with ibrutinib.
Results
Forty-two patients were included, with 16 received rituximab and bendamustine, and 26 receiving anthracycline-based regimens as front-line treatment. During a median follow-up of 46.0 months, the response rate to ibrutinib was 69%, with 12 CRs and 8 partial responses. Disease progression (54.8%) and adverse events (11.9%) were the primary reasons for discontinuation. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were approximately 16.4 and 50.1 months, respectively. Patients older than 70 years (P=0.044 and P=0.006), those with splenomegaly (P=0.022 and P=0.006), and those with a high-risk simplified Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (sMIPI) (P<0.001 and P<0.001) exhibited siginificantly inferior PFS and OS. Notably, patients with a high-risk sMIPI relapsed earlier. Post-ibrutinib treatment yilded an OS of 12.2 months, while clinical trial participants demonstrated superior survival compared to those receiving chemotherapy alone.
Conclusion
This study underscores the importance of considering patient characteristics before administering ibrutinib as salvage therapy. Early relapse was associated with poor outcomes, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies.
Keywords: Ibrutinib, Mantle-cell, Lymphoma, Relapsed or refractory
Baseline demographics and disease characteristics at diagnosis..
Characteristics | Total (N=42) | BR (N=16) | Anthracycline-based regimen (N=26) | P | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (yr) | Median (range) | 62 (38–78) | 63 (50–78) | 61 (39–70) | |
<60 | 17 (40.5%) | 2 (12.5%) | 15 (57.7%) | 0.004 | |
≥60 | 25 (59.5%) | 14 (87.5%) | 11 (42.3%) | ||
Gender | Male | 30 (71.4%) | 11 (68.7%) | 19 (73.0%) | 0.763 |
Female | 12 (28.6%) | 5 (31.2%) | 7 (27.0%) | ||
ECOG-PS | 0–1 | 39 (92.9%) | 14 (87.5%) | 25 (96.2%) | 0.290 |
2–4 | 3 (7.1%) | 2 (12.5%) | 1 (3.8%) | ||
B symptom | Absence | 37 (88.1%) | 13 (81.2%) | 24 (92.3%) | 0.283 |
Present | 5 (11.9%) | 3 (18.7%) | 2 (7.7%) | ||
Leukocytosis | Absence | 31 (73.8%) | 8 (50.0%) | 23 (88.5%) | 0.006 |
Present | 11 (26.2%) | 8 (50.0%) | 3 (11.5%) | ||
Anemia | Absence | 33 (78.6%) | 9 (56.2%) | 24 (92.3%) | 0.006 |
Present | 9 (21.4%) | 7 (43.7%) | 2 (7.7%) | ||
Thrombocytopenia | Absence | 36 (85.7%) | 11 (68.7%) | 25 (96.2%) | 0.014 |
Present | 6 (14.3%) | 5 (31.2%) | 1 (3.8%) | ||
Serum LDH | Absence | 23 (54.8%) | 7 (43.7%) | 16 (61.5%) | 0.261 |
Elevated | 19 (45.2%) | 9 (56.2%) | 10 (38.5%) | ||
Serum β-2 microglobulin | Absence | 23 (54.8%) | 5 (31.2%) | 18 (69.2%) | 0.016 |
Elevated | 19 (45.2%) | 11 (68.7%) | 8 (30.8%) | ||
Bone marrow involvement | Absence | 13 (31.0%) | 2 (12.5%) | 11 (42.3%) | 0.042 |
Present | 29 (69.0%) | 14 (87.5%) | 15 (57.7%) | ||
Number of extra-nodal involvement | Less than one | 11 (26.2%) | 2 (12.5%) | 9 (34.6%) | 0.113 |
More than two | 31 (73.8%) | 14 (87.5%) | 17 (65.4%) | ||
Bulky (≥7 cm) mass | Absence | 33 (78.6%) | 10 (62.5%) | 23 (88.5%) | 0.046 |
Present | 9 (21.4%) | 6 (37.5%) | 3 (11.5%) | ||
Pathology | Classic type | 41 (97.6%) | 16 (100.0%) | 25 (96.2%) | 0.427 |
Pleomorphic/blastoid type | 1 (2.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (3.8%) | ||
Ki-67 | <30% | 33 (78.6%) | 12 (75.0%) | 21 (80.8%) | 0.658 |
≥30% | 9 (21.4%) | 4 (25.0%) | 5 (19.2%) | ||
Ann Arbor stage | I/II | 5 (11.9%) | 1 (6.3%) | 4 (15.4%) | 0.375 |
III/IV | 37 (88.1%) | 15 (93.7%) | 22 (84.6%) | ||
sMIPI score | Low (0–3) | 19 (45.2%) | 3 (18.7%) | 16 (61.5%) | 0.002 |
Intermediate (4–5) | 18 (42.9%) | 8 (50.0%) | 10 (38.5%) | ||
High (6–11) | 5 (11.9%) | 5 (31.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
Abbreviations: ASCT, autologous stem cell transplantation; BR, bendamustine plus rituximab; ECOG-PS, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; sMIPI, simplified mantle cell lymphoma international prognostic index..
Univariate and multivariate analyses for progressiong-free survival and overall survival with salvage ibrutinib treatment..
Variables | Overall survival | Progression-free survival | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Univariate | Multivariate | Univariate | Multivariate | ||||||||
HR (95% CI) | P | HR (95% CI) | P | HR (95% CI) | P | HR (95% CI) | P | ||||
Age (≥70 yr) | 3.419 (1.340–8.726) | 0.010 | 0.380 (0.106–1.358) | 0.137 | 3.158 (1.395–7.146) | 0.006 | 0.578 (0.201–1.661) | 0.308 | |||
sMIPI score (high score) | 5.325 (2.111–13.428) | <0.001 | 6.249 (2.067–18.892) | 0.001 | 4.681 (2.086–10.501) | <0.001 | 2.874 (1.171–7.055) | 0.021 | |||
Splenomegaly | 3.303 (1.345–8.111) | 0.009 | 1.983 (0.439–8.961) | 0.374 | 2.338 (1.107–4.936) | 0.026 | 1.373 (0.506–3.720) | 0.534 | |||
Anthracycline-contai- ning front-line treatment | 0.197 (0.075–0.516) | 0.001 | 1.282 (0.354–4.647) | 0.705 | 0.159 (0.063–0.402) | <0.001 | 0.273 (0.081–0.921) | 0.036 | |||
POD 24 of front-line treatment | 3.013 (1.190–7.625) | 0.020 | 0.991 (0.242–4.070) | 0.991 | 2.858 (1.336–6.117) | 0.007 | 1.895 (0.737–4.876) | 0.185 | |||
Previous number of treatments (≥2 lines ) | 0.730 (0.263–2.024) | 0.546 | 1.230 (0.576–2.626) | 0.593 | |||||||
Underwent ASCT before ibrutinib treatment | 0.692 (0.230–2.086) | 0.513 | 1.068 (0.468–2.439) | 0.876 | |||||||
Duration of ibrutinib >12 months | 0.023 (0.003–0.179) | <0.001 | 0.011 (0.001–0.110) | <0.001 | 0.041 (0.011–0.154) | <0.001 | 0.042 (0.010–0.180) | <0.001 | |||
Grade 3/4 adverse events | 3.185 (1.203–8.433) | 0.020 | 1.884 (0.612–5.798) | 0.269 | 1.977 (0.789–4.953) | 0.146 |
Abbreviations: ASCT, autologous stem cell transplantation; POD 24, disease progression within 24 months; sMIPI, simplified mantle cell lymphoma international prognostic index..
Comparison of patients with and without early disease relapse..
Characteristics | Early relapse (N=13) | Late relapse or no relapse (N=29) | P | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age (yr) | Median (yr), range | 67 (51–77) | 67 (45–81) | |
<70 | 6 (46.2%) | 21 (72.4%) | 0.101 | |
≥70 | 7 (53.8%) | 8 (27.6%) | ||
Gender | Male | 10 (76.9%) | 20 (69.0%) | 0.598 |
Female | 3 (23.1%) | 9 (31.0%) | ||
ECOG-PS | 0–1 | 12 (92.3%) | 29 (100.0%) | 0.131 |
2–4 | 1 (7.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | ||
sMIPI score | Low (0–3) | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (24.1%) | 0.033 |
Intermediate (4–5) | 6 (46.2%) | 14 (48.3%) | ||
High (6–11) | 7 (53.8%) | 8 (27.6%) | ||
Splenomegaly (≥11 cm) | Absence | 7 (53.8%) | 11 (37.9%) | 0.335 |
Present | 6 (46.2%) | 18 (62.1%) | ||
Prior number of treatment | Prior 1 line | 9 (69.2%) | 20 (69.0%) | 0.986 |
Prior ≥2 lines | 4 (30.8%) | 9 (31.0%) | ||
Front-line treatment | Anthracycline-based | 6 (46.2%) | 20 (69.0%) | 0.159 |
Bendamustine-based | 7 (53.8%) | 9 (31.0%) | ||
ASCT | Received | 3 (23.1%) | 7 (24.1%) | 0.941 |
Not received | 10 (76.9%) | 22 (75.9%) | ||
Ibrutinib dose adjustment | Dose reduction | 1 (7.7%) | 5 (17.2%) | 0.414 |
No dose reduction | 12 (92.3%) | 24 (82.8%) | ||
Ibrutinib discontinuation | Discontinuation | 13 (100.0%) | 24 (82.8%) | 0.111 |
No discontinuation | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (17.2%) |
Abbreviations: ASCT, autologous stem cell transplantation; ECOG-PS, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status; sMIPI, simplified mantle cell lymphoma international prognostic index..
Summary of previous studies on ibrutinib therapy in relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma..
Study | Pt. number | Front-line Tx. | Refractory to front-line Tx. | Upfront ASCT | Prior Tx. | ORR | PFS (median) | OS (median) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 2 | 111 | R-containing therapy (N=99, 89%) | 50 (45%) | 8 (13%) | 3 (1–5) | 67% (CR, 23%) | 13 mo | 22.5 mo | [5, 6] |
Phase 3 | 280 | R-containing therapy (N=280, 100%) | 36 (26%) | N/A | 2 (1–9) | 72% (CR, 19%) | 14.6 mo | Not reached | [7] |
Retrospective | 97 | Intensive induction therapy (N=52, 54%) (R±hyper-CVAD, R-maxi CHOP) | 7 (7%) | 38 (39%) | 2 (1–8) | 65% (CR, 33%) | 15 mo | 22 mo | [8] |
Phase 2 | 16 | R-containing therapy (N=16, 100%) | 1 (6.2%) | N/A | 2.5 (1–4) | 87.5% (CR, 12.5%) | N/A | N/A | [9] |
Retrospective | 33 | R-CHOP (N=33) | N/A | 6 (18.1%) | 1 (33.3%). 2 (36.4%). ≥3 (30.3%). | 64% (CR, 15%) | 27.4 mo | 35.1 mo | [10] |
Retrospective | 65 | R-CHOP, R-bendamustine and R-hyper-CVAD (87%) | N/A | N/A | 2 (1–6) | N/A | 12.0 mo | 18.5 mo | [11] |
Retrospective | 88 | R±CHOP (N=63). R±hyper-CVAD (N=13). BR (N=6). VR-CAP (N=3). CVP/bendamustine (N=3). | N/A | 5 (5.6%) | 1 (1–6) | 64.8% (CR, N/A) | 20.8 mo | 2-yr OS rate 79.5% | [12] |
Retrospective | 211 | R-CHOP/mini-CHOP (N=70, 33%). Cytarabine-based regimen (N=60, 28%). R-bendamustine (N=45, 21%). VR-CAP (N=5, 2%). Others (N=31, 15%). | 38 (18%) | 53 (25%) | 1 | 69% (CR, 27%) | 17.8 mo | 23.9 mo | [13] |
Retrospective | 77 | CHOP/CHOP-like (N=42, 54%). Cytarabine-based regimen (N=25, 33%). Non-anthracycline regimen (N=10, 13%). | 15 (20%) | 19 (25%) | 1 (29%). 2 (30%). ≥3 (41%). | 66%. (CR, 31%). | 10.3 mo | 23.1 mo | [14] |
Retrospective | 42 | R-CHOP (N=18, 43%). R-hyper-CVAD (N=8, 19%). R-bendamustine (N=16, 38%). | 20 (47.6%) | 6 (14.3%) | 1 (1–5) | 69% (CR, 50%) | 19.2 mo | 50.1 mo | Current study |
Abbreviations: ASCT, autologous stem cell transplantation; BR, rituximab, bendamustine; CHOP, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone; CVP, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone; Hyper-CVAD, hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin dexamethasone; LOT, line of therapy; N/A, non-available; ORR, objective response rate; OS, overall survival; PFS, progression-free survival; Pt., patient; R, rituximab; Tx., treatment; VR-CAP, bortezomib, rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisolone..
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