PERSEUS and ELEVATE-TN Trials Are Potential Game-Changers in MM and CLL

John M. Burke, MD, hematologist, medical oncologist, blood cancer specialist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, discusses 2 phase 3 trials which were presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting showing potential to be practice changing for patients with multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The first study, the phase 3 PERSEUS trial (NCT03710603), assessed subcutaneous daratumumab (Darzalex) followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), daratumumab, bortezomib (Velcade), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (D-VRd) consolidation and daratumumab/lenalidomide (DR) maintenance. According to findings presented by lead study author Pieter Sonneveld, MD, of the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in Rotterdam, Netherlands, induction therapy with subcutaneous daratumumab followed by ASCT and D-VRd consolidation and daratumumab/lenalidomide maintenance improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs VRd induction, ASCT, VRd consolidation, and lenalidomide maintenance in patients with newly diagnosed, transplant-eligible multiple myeloma.

Burke also highlights 6-year follow-up data from the ELEVATE-TN trial (NCT02475681) which evaluated acalabrutinib (Calquence), in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) or as a monotherapy, for the treatment of treatment-naive patients with CLL. Findings showed that used in combination or as a monotherapy, acalabrutinib led to superior rates of PFS vs obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil.

Transcription:

0:09 | There's a trial called the PERSEUS trial that demonstrates that the addition of daratumumab to induction therapy for multiple myeloma, in a large randomized phase 3 trial is confirming clinical benefit in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma, proving progression-free survival. I think that trial really may push those who have not yet fully adopted that regimen as frontline therapy for myeloma toward adopting it. I think that trial will really have an impact.

0:43 | My colleague, Dr. Sharman presented results of a trial of acalabrutinib and obinutuzumab, suggesting that the combination is improving survival compared with an older standard. I think, perhaps as initial therapy, more doctors might start using the combination as opposed to single agent acalabrutinib as initial therapy for CLL. Those are some of the potentially practice changing findings that I've seen at the meeting so far.