OBINUTUZUMAB FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA PATIENTS: SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting CD20 molecule on B lymphocyte are of great importance in the treatment of B-cell malignancies. In recent years a great effort has been put in developing novel mAbs that can provide greater efficacy than the well-known rituximab. A second class of mAbs obinutuzumab has been presented as a more powerful tool in the treatment of this group of patients. In this retrospective study 70 patients with symptomatic CLL were included. CLL patients were diagnosed and treated at the University Clinic for Hematology between January 2018 and January 2022. All patients were evaluated for traditional clinical and laboratory prognostic factors and newer prognostic factors including IGHV mutation status and CLL prognostic and predictive genetic abnormalities. Most of the patients treated with obinutuzumab had Binet B stage (56%). Mutational status of the immunoglobulin variable region heavy chain (IGHV) in most of CLL patients treated with obinutuzumab was unmated IGHV gene. The most frequently encountered adverse events were tumor lysis syndrome and leukopenia. The analysis of the initial results of the application of obinutuzumab-based therapy allows us to conclude that this therapeutical modality is not associated with severe adverse events that would limit the administration of therapy.