Dasatinib Plus Venetoclax Effective, Safe for Chronic Phase CML

A phase II trial has evaluated the combination of dasatinib plus venetoclax and found it to be an effective and safe management approach for chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). These findings were recently published in Cancer.

Lead trial investigator Elias Jabbour, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, highlighted that “[t]he cumulative response rates with the combination were similar to those with single-agent dasatinib.”

The trial cohort comprised 65 patients with chronic or accelerated phase CML and had a median age of 46 years. They received dasatinib 50 mg/day for three courses, and on course 4, began three years of venetoclax at an initial dose of 200 mg/day, which was then reduced. After three years of this combination, patients switched to maintenance single-agent dasatinib.

At 12 months of receiving the dual-agent combination, the patient cohort had a major molecular response (MMR) rate of 86%, a molecular response (MR)4 rate of 53%, and an MR4.5 rate of 45%. Comparing the combination against a single-agent dasatinib approach, each produced a cumulative 12 month MMR rate of 79%.

After a median follow-up of 42 months, the cohort’s calculated 4-year event-free survival rate was 96%, and it had a 100% overall survival rate.

“Further follow-up is needed to evaluate the rates of durable deep molecular response and treatment-free remission,” Dr. Jabbour noted.

Comparing occurrence of grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, the incidence rate was 22% with the combination and 11% with single-agent dasatinib (P < .001).

Reference

Jabbour E, Haddad FG, Sasaki K, et al. Combination of dasatinib and venetoclax in newly diagnosed chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia. Cancer. 2024;130(15):2652-2659. doi:10.1002/cncr.35317