A groundbreaking trial has shown that a personalized treatment approach can outperform traditional chemotherapy for leukemia patients, offering significantly better outcomes and more hope for thousands of people in the UK.
Researchers at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds have found that combining two targeted drugs – ibrutinib and venetoclax – with treatment guided by blood tests provides better survival rates, fewer long-term side effects, and the possibility of life without chemotherapy for many patients.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common form of leukemia in adults, affects around 3,800 people in the UK each year. Symptoms include persistent illness, weight loss, swelling, fatigue, and anemia. The trial, coordinated by Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit and led by Dr. Talha Munir, has shown that personalized treatment can lead to better survival rates.
The FLAIR trial followed 786 patients with previously untreated CLL across 96 centers in the UK. After five years, 93.9% of patients who received ibrutinib plus venetoclax were alive with no disease progression, compared to 79.0% for those on ibrutinib alone and 58.1% for those on standard chemotherapy.
This breakthrough treatment approach has been hailed as a “milestone” by Dr. Talha Munir, Consultant Haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. “By tailoring individualized treatment based on how well the cancer responds, we’re moving into an era of truly personalized medicine,” he said.
The trial’s findings are set to power new treatment options for leukemia and other blood cancers, thanks to the efforts of researchers in Leeds and across the UK working together on this trial.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-kinder-smarter-leukemia-treatment.html