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Mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Calquence (acalabrutinib) for the treatment of adults with mantle cell lymphoma who have received at least one prior therapy.
For patients who have not responded to treatment or have relapsed, Calquence provides a new treatment option that has shown high rates of response for some patients in initial studies. Mantle cell lymphoma is a rare and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Mantle cell lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system, which is part of the body’s immune system and is made up of lymph tissue, lymph nodes, the spleen, thymus, tonsils and bone marrow. By the time mantle cell lymphoma is diagnosed, it usually spread to the lymph nodes, bone marrow and other organs.
Calquence is a kinase inhibitor that works by blocking an enzyme needed by the cancer to multiply and spread.
The trial measured how many patients experienced complete or partial shrinkage of their tumors after treatment. In the trial, 40 percent of the patients had a complete response and 41 percent for partial response.
Common side effects of Calquence include headache, diarrhea, bruising, fatigue, muscle pain, reduced levels of red blood cells and neutrophils in the blood. Serious side effects include bleeding, infections and irregular heartbeat.
Additional cancers, known as second primary malignancies, have occurred in some patients taking Calquence. Women who are breastfeeding should not take Calquence because it may cause harm to a newborn baby.
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