Will leukemia increase after taking ibrutinib?

Ibrutinib (Ibrutinib) is a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and other drugs for B cell malignancies. Its function is to inhibit a tyrosine kinase in the B cell signaling pathway, thereby reducing the growth and division of leukemia cells. Although ibrutinib is effective in controlling the progression of these leukemias, its treatment may cause side effects, some of which may involve leukemic cell responses.

In some patients, ibrutinib treatment may cause an increase in leukemia cells early in treatment. This is called "reactive lymphocytosis (Richter transformation)"or"Ibrutinib treatment-related CLLexacerbation". This is a treatment reaction that usually occurs in the early stages of treatment, and not all patients experience it.

Reactive lymphocytosis may manifest as worsening of leukemia symptoms, such as lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, anemia, etc. However, the condition usually gets controlled after continued treatment with ibrutinib for a period of time, and patients' leukemia symptoms often improve during subsequent stages of treatment.

It is important that if you are being treated with ibrutinib and are concerned about any changes caused by treatment, you should contact your doctor or treatment team promptly. They can provide you with detailed information about treatment response and how to manage possible side effects to ensure you get the best results from your treatment. Additionally, treatment plans may need to be tailored to the patient's specific circumstances.

Ibrutinib is currently on the market in China and is included in medical insurance. The domestic price ranges from 10,000 to 20,000. Due to different medical insurance policies in different places, the price is also different. For specific reimbursement information, please consult the local hospital pharmacy or medical insurance bureau. The cheaper types of ibrutinib abroad are generic drugs, mainly Indian generic drugs, Bangladeshi generic drugs and Laos generic drugs, with prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand yuan. And the ingredients of generic ibrutinib drugs are basically the same as those of domestic ibrutinib drugs.