Although Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is incurable, it responds to treatment and can be controlled long-term.1 Survival rates have increased since the development of effective treatments.1
According to UK registry data, the 5-year overall survival rate is 86.6% for patients with symptomatic WM, and 94.5% for asymptomatic WM.2 However, individuals with this disease suffer from a vast range of unique clinical complications that can be uncomfortable and debilitating.2 Therefore, Quality of Life (QoL) is an important factor to consider as part of disease management.1
QoL outcomes were assessed for BRUKINSA®▼ in the ASPEN study using the and the EQ-5D and EORTC QLQ-C30.3 In Cohort 1, patients treated with BRUKINSA trended towards a greater improvement in most quality of life assessments, compared with ibrutinib, especially for patients who achieved VGPR, as determined by the EQ-5D and EORTC QLQ-C30 (Figure 1).3,4
Patients treated with BRUKINSA had reduced dyspnoea and fatigue, and improved appetite, physical functioning, and role functioning in comparison with patients treated with ibrutinib.3 The symptom subscale for diarrhoea trended better for patients treated with BRUKINSA than for patients treated with ibrutinib, which was consistent with the frequency of diarrhoea reported in the respective treatment arms.3
Figure 1. QoL measures over time for patients treated with BRUKINSA versus ibrutinib: A, ED-5D, and B, EORTC QLQ-C30 values.4
Abbreviations: EORTC QLQ-C30, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30; EQ-5D, European Quality of Life Five Dimensions Questionnaire.