Barbara Eichhorst

Novel combinations in relapsed or refractory (r/r) and treatment-naive disease, as well as positive outcomes from pirtobrutinib triplet therapy, are among the highlights in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) presented at the European Hematology Association 2026 Congress. Prof Barbara Eichhorst, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany, opens by discussing final results from the CLL14 study of fixed-duration venetoclax-obinutuzumab (Ven-Obi) vs chlorambucil-obinutuzumab.

Abstract Activation of oncogenes by hijacking immunoglobulin gene loci (IG) enhancers via chromosomal translocation is a common pathogenetic mechanism in B-cell malignancies, affecting 5–10% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The oncogenic partners in many of these cases remain unidentified. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 144 CLL samples with IGH-translocation excluding IGH::BCL2, IGH::CCND1, IGH::BCL3 and IGH::MYC.

Notes This article was published on December 6, 2025, at NEJM.org. A data sharing statement provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org. Supported by the University of Cologne; AbbVie, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Roche Pharmaceuticals (funding and study drugs); and the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; project no. 524342988). Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org.