Autoimmune cytopenias (AIC) affect 5-9% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Targeted drugs - ibrutinib, idelalisib and venetoclax - have a prominent role in the treatment of CLL, but their impact on CLL-associated AIC is largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics and outcome of pre-existing AIC, and described the incidence, quality and management of treatment-emergent AIC during therapy with targeted drugs in patients with CLL. We collected data from 572 patients treated with ibrutinib (9% in combination with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody), 143 treated with idelalisib-rituximab and 100 treated with venetoclax (12% in combination with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody). A history of pre-existing AIC was reported in 104/815 patients (13%). Interestingly, 80% of patients whose AIC was not resolved at the time of targeted drug start experienced an improvement or a resolution during therapy. Treatment-emergent AIC occurred in 1% of patients during ibrutinib therapy, in 0.9% during idelalisib and in 7% during venetoclax, with an estimated incidence rate of 5, 6 and 69 episodes per 1000 patients per year of exposure in the three treatment groups, respectively. The vast majority of patients who developed treatment-emergent AIC carried unfavorable biological features such as an unmutated IGHV, and a del(17p) and/or TP53 mutation. Notably, despite AIC, 83% of patients were able to continue the targeted drug, in some cases in combination with additional immunosuppressive agents. Overall, treatment with ibrutinib, idelalisib and venetoclax appears to have a beneficial impact on CLL-associated AIC, inducing an improvement or even a resolution of pre-existing AIC in most cases and eliciting treatment-emergent AIC in a negligible portion of patients.

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Functional reserve of organs and systems is known to be relevant in predicting immunochemotherapy tolerance. Age and comorbidities, assessed by the cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS), have been used to address chemotherapy intensity. In ibrutinib era it is still unclear whether age, CIRS and ECOG-PS retain their predictive role on treatment vulnerability. In this 712 CLL patients series treated with ibrutinib outside clinical trials, baseline ECOG-PS and neutropenia, resulted as the most accurate predictors of treatment feasibility and outcomes. Age did not independently influence survival and ibrutinib tolerance, indicating that not age per se, but age-related conditions may affect drug management. We confirmed the role of CIRS>6 as a predictor of a poorer progression and event-free survival (PFS, EFS). The presence of a severe comorbidity was significantly associated with permanent dose reductions (PDR), not translating into worse outcomes. As expected, del(17p) and/or TP53mut and previous therapies affected PFS, EFS and overall survival. No study so far has analyzed the influence of concomitant medications and CYP3A-inhibitors with ibrutinib. In our series, these factors had no impact, though CYP3A4 inhibitors use correlated at Cox regression analysis, with an increased risk of PDR. Despite the limitation of its retrospective nature, this large study confirmed the role of ECOG-PS as the most accurate predictor of ibrutinib feasibility and outcomes and importantly neutropenia emerged as a relevant tool influencing patients vulnerability. Although CIRS>6 retained a significant impact on PFS and EFS its value should be confirmed by prospective studies.