Vemurafenib plus rituximab for relapsed or refractory hairy-cell leukemia

A phase 2, single-center trial in Italy evaluated the short, chemotherapy-free, nonmyelotoxic regime of vemurafenib plus rituximab for relapsed or refractory hairy-cell leukemia. The treatment was tolerated well, and resulted in complete response in 26 of 30 patients (87%), of whom 17 (65%) were cleared of minimal residual disease. Progression-free survival rate was 78% among all 30 patients at a median follow-up of 37 months, and 85% at a median follow-up of 34 months among the 26 patients with complete response.