SOHO 2026 Sessions Reveal Key Updates Across Leukemia Populations

Editor’s Note: The article has been updated for clarity and accuracy after its initial publication.

The 2026 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting shared notable developments, talking points, and clinical trial data across a variety of hematologic malignancies and blood disorders. Among these sessions, researchers and clinicians highlighted findings and analyses that may help shape the management of different leukemia subtypes, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

From studies on investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) to real-world data elucidating adverse effect (AE) incidence across established standards of care, here are some of the key takeaways that emerged from the leukemia poster sessions.

Olverembatinib Combination May Offer New Chemotherapy-Free Option in AML

Combining olverembatinib (HQP1351), a novel third-generation BCR-ABL TKI, with blinatumomab (Blincyto) produced favorable responses among patients with lymphoid blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-LBP) or Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–positive B-cell precursor ALL in a phase 1b study (NCT04260022).¹

Among 13 enrolled patients, a complete response (CR) occurred in 90.9% (n = 10/11) of the population, and 66.7% (n = 8/12) experienced a molecular response (MR) 4.0. Minimal residual disease negativity (MRD) at 10^–4 sensitivity was reported in 80% (n = 8/10) of patients.

Regarding safety, 46% (n = 6/13) of patients had grade 3/4 treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) associated with olverembatinib, and 39% (n = 5/13) had grade 3/4 TRAEs associated with blinatumomab. Neutropenia (23.1%) was the most common grade 3/4 TRAE, and investigators observed no instances of grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome (CRS), immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), or arterial occlusive events.

“This treatment strategy was a successful bridge to CAR-T and transplantation in several patients,” lead study author Elias Jabbour, MD, from the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, wrote with coauthors in the poster.¹ “The combination had a manageable safety profile, with no new safety signals.”

What Long-Term Outcomes Did Ziftomenib Show in AML?

Longer follow-up for the phase 1a/1b KOMET-007 trial (NCT05735184) showed robust activity with ziftomenib (Komzifti) in patients with relapsed/refractory AML harboring NPM1 mutations or KMT2A rearrangements.²

With a median follow-up of 17.6 months for the NPM1-mutated population (n = 49) and 11.0 months for the KMT2A-rearranged population (n = 50), the composite CR (CRc) rates were 96% (n = 47/49) and 90% (n = 45/50), respectively. Among those with a CRc, the central NPM1 MRD negativity rate was 79% at the less than 0.1% threshold and 56% at the less than 0.01% threshold; all evaluable patients (100%) experienced central MRD negativity by cycle 2.

Investigators noted 4 instances of grade 3 differentiation syndrome, including in 1 patient with NPM1-mutated disease and 3 with KMT2A-rearranged disease, which all resolved with protocol-defined mitigation. There were 3 investigator-assessed instances of QTC prolongation, including in 1 with NPM1-mutated disease and 2 with KMT2A-rearranged disease, which all successfully resolved. Overall, data showed no new or unexpected toxicities after longer follow-up.

“Taken together, these data support the ongoing phase 3 registrational trial of ziftomenib in combination with intensive chemotherapy in newly diagnosed AML [KOMET-017; NCT07007312],” lead study investigator Amer Zeidan, MBBS, MHS, professor of medicine at Yale University and chief of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Yale Cancer Center, wrote with coauthors in the poster.²

How Safe Are Different BTK Inhibitors in CLL?

Compared with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and acalabrutinib (Calquence), zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) emerged with the most favorable real-world safety profile among patients with CLL, according to findings from a propensity score-matched analysis.³

The analysis included 1:1 propensity score-matched comparisons for ibrutinib vs zanubrutinib (n = 1622 each), acalabrutinib vs zanubrutinib (n = 1618 each), and acalabrutinib vs ibrutinib (n = 3132 each). When comparing ibrutinib vs zanubrutinib, the latter showed lower rates of death (32.0% vs 11.8%; P <.001), infection (44.1% vs 18.3%; P <.001), heart failure (16.0% vs 5.7%: P = .004), atrial fibrillation (20.5% vs 4.9%; P <.001), ventricular arrhythmia (4.9% vs 1.4%; P <.001), and transaminase elevation (4.7% vs 2.1%; P <.001). For acalabrutinib vs zanubrutinib, the latter showed lower rates of death (16.0% vs 11.9%; P = .001), infection (29.0% vs 18.3%; P <.001), heart failure (8.4% vs 5.6%; P = .004), atrial fibrillation (9.7% vs 4.9%; P <.001), ventricular arrhythmia (2.1% vs 1.3%; P = .101), and transaminase elevation (3.5% vs 2.1%; P = .015).

“Zanubrutinib demonstrated the most favorable real-world safety profile, significantly reducing cardiotoxic, infectious, and hepatic complications compared with ibrutinib and acalabrutinib,” Vishw Patel, MD, from SUNY Update Medical University, wrote with coauthors in the poster.³ “Acalabrutinib remains safer than ibrutinib, which exhibited the highest toxicity burden. Although both next-generation agents are superior to ibrutinib, they are not safety-interchangeable, findings that can help guide treatment selection for patients at high risk for off-target complications.”

References

1. Jabbour E, Baer MR, Hunter AM, et al. Olverembatinib combined with blinatumomab in patients with lymphoid blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia or Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Presented at: 2026 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting; September 9-12, 2026; Houston, TX. Abstract ALL-589.
2. Zeidan AM, Wang E, Erba H, et al. Ziftomenib combined with intensive induction (7+3) for newly diagnosed NPM1-m or KMT2A-r acute myeloid leukemia: long-term results from the KOMET-007 trial. Presented at: 2026 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting; September 9-12, 2026; Houston, TX. Abstract AML-1217.
3. Patel V, Avaiya NS, Patel D, Kanpariya A, Varsadiya K, Avaiya A. Real-world safety comparison of BTK inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a propsensity score-matched analysis of acalabrutinib, ibrutinib, and zanubrutinib. Presented at: 2026 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting; September 9-12, 2026; Houston, TX. Abstract CLL-1019.