Ibrutinib and Standard Immuno-Chemotherapy in Younger, High-Risk Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Encouraging results have been achieved in younger high-risk patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOEP. However, more than one fourth of patients still relapse or show primary progressive disease. The outcome of such patients is poor, in particular if first-line therapy contained rituximab. In order to avoid such detrimental situations, we seek to further improve progression-free survival and overall survival by combining R-CHOEP with ibrutinib. Ibrutinib is a first-in-class, orally administered, potent, small-molecule inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase, a mediator of critical B-cell signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of B-cell cancers.