How Effective is Venetoclax Retreatment?
Venetoclax Retreatment Response for CLL
If your first treatment was venetoclax in combination with a monoclonal antibody, you may wonder if venetoclax can be used again to treat CLL.
In a 2022 study, researchers explored the outcomes of retreating people with CLL with venetoclax. The data below is a combination of patients treated with venetoclax plus a monoclonal antibody (obinutuzumab/rituximab) or venetoclax alone.
| Response Type | Efficacy |
| Average time of progression-free survival after retreatment | 2.1 years |
| The percentage of patients who experienced undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) after finishing retreatment | 41.7% |
| Percentage of patients who experienced a complete response (two months after retreatment, patients' blood counts returned to normal, and the spleen and lymph nodes were not enlarged) | 33.3% |
| Percentage of patients who experienced a partial response (CLL cells were partially reduced) after retreatment | 46.2% |
| Percentage of patients who experienced stable disease (CLL remained the same despite retreatment) | 18.0% |
| Progressive disease (CLL advanced despite retreatment) | 2.6% |
Retreatment with venetoclax shows a lower rate of response and shorter time controlled than what is seen when venetoclax is used as a first-time treatment.
If CLL comes back less than a year after your first venetoclax treatment, CLL specialists recommend other treatments, such as a BTK inhibitor, rather than being treated again with the same therapy.
Want to learn more? Click Guide (16/57): Understanding CLL/SLL Treatments: Fixed and Continuous-Duration Therapy Guide