Study summary

Adding venetoclax to ibrutinib lengthened control of relapsed disease

SYMPATICO trial · 267 people, phase 3 · Published February 2025, Lancet Oncology

31.9 momedian progression-free survival, vs 22.1 months with ibrutinib alone

What was tested

Ibrutinib plus venetoclax (a BCL-2 inhibitor pill) for 2 years, then ibrutinib alone, against ibrutinib plus placebo, for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma.

What they found

Median progression-free survival was 31.9 vs 22.1 months (hazard ratio 0.65).
Severe neutropenia was more common with the combination (31% vs 11%).

What it means

Established BTK-plus-BCL-2 combinations, now being tested with newer drugs from both classes.

Lancet Oncol, via PubMed ↗ ← Back to the outlook

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