Comparison of real-world treatment patterns in chronic lymphocytic leukemia management before and after availability of ibrutinib in the province of British Columbia, Canada

We performed a retrospective study comparing treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients with the advent of ibrutinib to provide current real-world data. Methods Using a provincial population-based database, we analyzed CLL patients who received upfront treatment in British Columbia before ibrutinib availability (1984–2014), during ibrutinib access for: relapse only (2014–2015) and for upfront treatment of patients (with 17p deletion or unfit for chemotherapy) (2015–2016). Analysis included up to third-line treatment. Results Of 1729 patients meeting inclusion criteria (median age, 66 years; 1466, period 1; 140, period 2; 123, period 3), FR was the most common first-line therapy (35.8 %, 54.3 % and 40.7 %, periods 1–3, respectively) and 18.7 % received ibrutinib upfront in period 3. The most common therapies in relapse were chemoimmunotherapy (36.1 % and 55.6 %, periods 1 and 2, second-line; 29.2 %, period 1, third-line) and ibrutinib (69.8 %, period 3, second-line; 46.4 % and 70.3 %, periods 2 and 3, third-line). OS improved for patients treated in periods 2–3 over period 1 (median OS not reached vs. 11.9 years, p < 0.001; no difference in OS for periods 2–3, p = 0.385). Conclusion Ibrutinib has replaced chemoimmunotherapy as the preferred therapy in relapse. Overall survival has improved over time with access to ibrutinib.