Marlise Luskin,MD, MSCE- Medical Oncology- Dana-Farber/Mass General Brigham Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program and education director for the adult leukemia program.
The presentation focused on the use of the drug venetoclax (and its related drugs) in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), particularly relapse refractory ALL. The speaker outlined the significant progress that has been made in the treatment of this disease, including various therapies like blinatumomab, iituzumab, and CAR T cell therapy, which have shown improvements but still leave certain subsets of patients with unmet needs.
The discussion centered around how BCL2 and BCLXL inhibitors, such as venetoclax and midiclax, might address these gaps in treatment. Venetoclax is a BCL2 inhibitor used in several hematologic diseases. Preclinical data and early clinical trials suggest its potential in ALL treatment, especially in combination with other therapies like chemotherapy. The presentation touched on various studies exploring venetoclax’s efficacy, safety, and potential for combination therapy in both relapsed and upfront settings.