For Immediate Release
December 11, 2007 at 8:15 am

BUFFALO, NY – Asher A. Chanan-Khan, MD, Department of Medicine, at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, will report on two studies demonstrating the clinical efficacy of lenalidomide in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) characterized by chromosomal abnormalities, at the 49^th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Society of Hematology, December 8, at 5:30 pm*, in the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA.

Specific chromosomal abnormalities, such as a deletion of 17p or 11q, are associated with aggressive CLL and a poor prognosis. Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory agent that has shown clinical efficacy in patients with relapsed or refractory CLL in two phase II clinical trials.

Based on those studies, Dr. Chanan-Khan reviewed data from two clinical studies that investigated the clinical activity of lenalidomide in patients with high-risk cytogenetics (17p or 11q abnormalities). Among the 80 patients treated, deletion of 17p or 11q was identified in 40 patients. The overall response rate in patients carrying a deletion of 17p or 11q was 35%, and the median duration of response was 12 months.

“Based on our experience, single agent lenalidomide induces complete and partial responses in patients with unfavorable genomic aberrations, a group characterized by a poor outcome in several studies,” concludes Dr. Chanan-Khan. “The activity of this agent warrants further investigation in this population.”

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

 

*Dr. Chanan-Khan’s presentation (Abstract 754) will be part of a Simultaneous Session titled “CLL: Salvage Therapies and Treatment Precautions,” December 11, 8:15 am.

 

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