UK Clinical Trial Signals Major Advancement in Chemotherapy-Free Leukaemia Treatment

A UK-wide clinical trial has demonstrated that a targeted, chemotherapy-free treatment approach for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) results in improved patient outcomes and greater tolerability compared to traditional chemotherapy. The Flair trial, conducted at 96 cancer centres across the United Kingdom, enrolled 786 previously untreated patients with CLL and represents a significant step toward personalised cancer therapy.

The study evaluated the efficacy of combining two targeted cancer therapies—ibrutinib and venetoclax—against standard chemotherapy and ibrutinib monotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment arms, and the course of therapy was guided by individualised blood test results, allowing treatment to be tailored based on disease response.

After a five-year follow-up period, 94% of patients who received the combination of ibrutinib and venetoclax were alive without disease progression. This outcome was markedly higher than the 79% observed in the ibrutinib-only group and 58% in those who received standard chemotherapy. Additionally, two years into treatment, 66% of patients in the combination group showed no detectable cancer in their bone marrow. By contrast, none of the patients treated with ibrutinib alone and 48% of those on chemotherapy achieved this level of disease clearance.

Ibrutinib acts as a cancer growth inhibitor by blocking key signalling pathways that facilitate cancer cell division and proliferation. Venetoclax, meanwhile, targets a protein critical for the survival of CLL cells, enhancing cancer cell death. The dual therapy demonstrated not only superior clinical outcomes but also improved tolerability compared to conventional treatments
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The trial was sponsored by the University of Leeds and supported by Cancer Research UK in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the European Hematology Association congress in Milan.

CLL, the most common form of leukaemia in adults, affects white blood cells and compromises the immune system’s ability to fight infection. Approximately 4,000 new cases are diagnosed in the UK each year. The success of this trial may significantly influence future treatment protocols and represents a critical advancement in the shift toward targeted, patient-specific cancer therapies.

Source- The Guardian