Multicenter phase 2 study of ibrutinib maintenance following first-line chemotherapy for PCNSL in elderly patients

Elderly patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) cannot tolerate aggressive treatment and have poor prognosis with a median progression-free survival of 6-16 months and a median overall survival of less than 2 years. Ibrutinib penetrates the blood-brain barrier and has shown activity in PCNSL. A multicenter phase 2 study in Israel evaluated ibrutinib maintenance therapy after response to first-line high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy for PCNSL in patients aged 60-85 years. Median time on ibrutinib was 12.5 (range 2-46) months. The 1- and 2- year PFS rates were 90.0% and 72.6%, respectively, while the 2-year OS rate was 89%.