The latest treatment for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) – an aggressive and incurable B-cell lymphoma – includes Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors such as acalabrutinib. Acalabrutinib is a second-generation BTK inhibitor with high specificity. In the Phase III international ECHO trial, researchers led by Michael Wang, M.D., evaluated adding either acalabrutinib or placebo to the standard of care for 598 patients with MCL. At a median follow-up of 44.9 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 66.4 months with acalabrutinib and 49.6 months with placebo.
The combination was well tolerated and significantly improved PFS, with a trend toward improving overall survival time, highlighting the clinical benefit of acalabrutinib. The Food and Drug Administration has approved this combination for frontline treatment of patients with MCL, and it has become the new standard therapy for older patients with newly diagnosed MCL.