New hope for tough leukemias: targeted pill shows promise in Late-Stage trial

This study tested a daily pill called ibrutinib in 154 people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), or B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) that had come back or stopped responding to prior treatments. The goal was to see if the drug could control the disease for at least two years. Ibrutinib works by blocking a protein that helps cancer cells grow, but it is not a cure — patients need to keep taking it to maintain control.