New treatment for lymphoma and leukemia proposed in HonorHealth clinical trial

For the first time, the HonorHealth Research Institute is offering a promising clinical trial for patients with specific types of lymphoma and leukemia blood cancers who no longer respond to currently FDA-approved treatments.

Dr. M. Rizwan Khawaja, clinical research associate in the Division of Oncology Research at HonorHealth Research Institute, is leading the trial, a press release explains. The trial is investigating a new way to control B-cell lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemia through the use of a daily pill, BGB-16673, made by global oncology company BeiGene.

Lymphoma is a cancer associated with the lymphoid component of the immune system and CLL is a cancer of lymphocytes circulating in the blood.

This year, lymphoma will claim the lives of more than 21,000 Americans and leukemia will kill another 23,000, making it one of the top 10 causes of cancer death in the country, the release said.

There is no cure for CLL and many types of lymphoma. Other treatment options may require extensive preparation, hospitalization and are associated with significant toxicities, Khawaja explained.

“Many elderly patients, or those with other medical conditions, are not eligible for such intense therapies,” Khawaja said.

The BGB-16673 trial aims to provide these patients with a simple treatment option to control their disease, with fewer side effects and is a pill they can take at home, he said. he added. Lymphoma and CLL primarily involve the lymph nodes, which are part of the immune system and present throughout the body.

Lymphoma can cause lymph nodes to swell to the size of a grape or larger. Patients also experience unexplained fevers, night sweats, fatigue and weight loss, according to the release. Enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen can put pressure on nearby vital organs, such as the liver or kidneys, affecting their function and causing severe pain.

Like other cancers, lymphoma can spread to other organs, such as the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and even the central nervous system.

For most patients, the cause of lymphoma is unclear. Sometimes this develops in cases where patients have a weakened immune system.

A crucial protein in the formation of B-cell lymphoma and CLL is called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase.

“There are already BTK inhibitor drugs approved by the FDA to control lymphoma and CLL,” Khawaja said. “But the problem arises when the BTK protein develops mutations, leading to resistance to BTK inhibitors.

He explained that the drug BGB-16673 is a degrader of BTK, completely destroying this protein, thereby overcoming any attempts to mutate the cancer and evade treatment. Even in patients whose cancer was resistant to BTK inhibitors, this drug has shown promising results so far.

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