New drug therapy can significantly improve survival chances for CLL patients

Combined therapy appears to improve adult leukemia suffers' chances of survival

A new drug therapy can greatly improve the prospects of survival for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), according to a new study.

The first-of-its-kind drug, GA101, was found to reduce the relative risk of cancer worsening or fatality during a study follow-up by 86 per cent when combined with chlorambucil chemotherapy.

Results of the CLL11 study are set to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's cancer conference.

A statement from Roche explained that 22 per cent of patients taking GA101 with chlorambucil were disease-free after treatment, in comparison to a lack of remission in patients receiving chemotherapy alone.

In fact, 75.5 per cent of patients administered GA101 alongside chlorambucil responded to treatment, compared to just 30.2 per cent only given chlorambucil.

Professor Chris Fegan, of the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in the UK, said: "These significant data mark an exciting step forward in the treatment of this disease."