ASH 2012: Dr. Richard Furman Discusses What is Known and What Isn't About the New Treatments in Trials

In the final part of Dr. Furman's interview from ASH 2012, the doctor who had the most early experience with GS-1101 (idelasilib) and ibrutinib discusses the still limited experience of disease progression with these new small molecules. He reminds of the real risks of bone marrow damage (MDS) and transformation to a more aggressive cancer (Richter's) and offers an interesting hypothesis on why Richter's might be found more often with these treatments.
He reviews the open pivotal for idelasilb (GS1101) and the associated crossovers, plus the trial for ibrutinib versus ofatumumab.
But there are other trials out there too that he didn't mention, especially for patients in special categories, such as 17p deletion or age  > 65.
So always remember to check what clinical trials might be a fit for you at http://clinicaltrials.gov when you are considering treatment. Don't count on your doctor to know all the latest. See my prior post on clinical trials.
Dr. Furman candidly outlines what is known and not known about how these drugs work.
What I really like is the strategy he outlines of using these drugs one after another as stepping stones to a normal life expectancy.

More to come from ASH 2012.