Fixed-duration venetoclax plus obinutuzumab improves quality of life and geriatric impairments in FCR-unfit patients with CLL

This study out of the HOVON group from the Netherlands found that baseline geriatric impairments were present in > 90% of patients at baseline, and that the presence of two or more geriatric impairments was associated with an increased risk for grade > 3 nonhematologic toxicity. Despite this, the authors found that frontline fixed-duration venetoclax plus obinutuzumab was associated with improved quality of life in elderly patients with CLL considered to be unfit for FCR-based therapy. The authors report that total number of geriatric impairments decreased significantly with treatment, and improvements in overall health status, physical and emotional functioning, and fatigue, among other health-related patient reported outcomes (PROs) were also noted. Therefore, the authors conclude that frontline fixed-duration venetoclax plus obinutuzumab can improve health-related quality of life amongst elderly CLL patients with comorbidities.