Blinatumomab improves event-free survival in pediatric B-ALL
Blinatumomab (Blincyto; Amgen) compared with consolidation chemotherapy before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in pediatric patients with high-risk first-relapse B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) improved event-free survival, according to data from a Phase 3 study published in JAMA.
After a median follow-up of 22.4 months, 69% of patients treated with blinatumomab compared to 43% of patients treated with chemotherapy were alive and event-free. Of the patients who had Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) at baseline, 93% achieved MRD negative remission following treatment with blinatumomab compared to 24% of those treated with chemotherapy.
The 36-month overall survival estimate was 81.1% and 55.8% in the blinatumomab and chemotherapy groups, respectively.
“Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. Unfortunately, approximately 15% of children with high-risk B-ALL relapse after frontline chemotherapy,” said David M. Reese, MD, executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen in a press release. “There remains an urgent need for novel treatment options for these patients, and the study results support BLINCYTO as a new standard of care consolidation therapy for patients with this aggressive disease.”
Read the full press release here.
