Trials of a follicular lymphoma treatment have had remarkably positive results. Photo: Sergii Kolesnikov.
A Western Australia-led clinical trial has produced exciting results from a new chemotherapy-free approach to treating follicular lymphoma, showcasing the state’s medical research capacity, particularly in cancer.
LEVERAGE is a Western Australian clinical trial testing a new treatment for people recently diagnosed with advanced follicular lymphoma, the most common slow-growing lymphoma in the Western world.
The trial is led by Professor Chan Cheah of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH).
By investigating a combination of three medicines — obinutuzumab, venetoclax and lenalidomide — the trial seeks to gain an understanding of how the drugs target the disease.
This phase of the investigation involved 50 patients with previously untreated, advanced-stage follicular lymphoma and it has garnered encouraging results.
Data revealed that 92 per cent of patients responded to treatment and 86 per cent achieved a complete response, meaning that there was no detectable evidence of lymphoma after treatment.
After a median follow-up of a year and a half, 92 per cent of patients remained free from disease progression at two years, with an overall survival of 100 per cent of subjects.
Clinical trials such as LEVERAGE provide Western Australians with vital access to innovative treatments in their home state while also allowing researchers opportunities to generate evidence with potentially global importance.
“LEVERAGE demonstrates the strength of Western Australia’s clinical research capability and our ability to lead investigator-initiated research with national and international relevance,” Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson said.
“WA is not simply providing access to clinical trials. Our clinicians and researchers are developing the ideas, designing the studies, and leading research that could help shape the future of blood cancer treatment.”
Professor Cheah and the haematology team at SCGH lead a growing program of clinical trials aimed at working on new treatments for patients with blood cancers.
Trials such as this receive investment from the state through ClinicalTrialsWA, part of the government’s commitment to strengthening a coordinated clinical trials system across WA Health.
