What the trial was testing
The BRUIN enrolled 166 patients with mantle cell lymphoma. The study was sponsored by Loxo Oncology and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was an early-stage trial — researchers are still confirming safety and getting an early look at how well the treatment works. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
58% of patients responded after their previous BTK inhibitor stopped working.
Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2023 · NCT03740529
These findings — that saw their mantle cell lymphoma respond to pirtobrutinib after other BTK inhibitors stopped working — were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 166 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with mantle cell lymphoma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca) received FDA accelerated approval in January 2023 for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma after at least two prior therapies, including a BTK inhibitor. It's a daily pill taken at home — a meaningful option when standard BTK drugs stop working, and when CAR-T therapy isn't right for you. Ask your oncologist whether you qualify.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open mantle cell lymphoma trials
Zanubrutinib in Combination With Sonrotoclax for the Treatment of Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Minorities With Relapsed or Refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
This phase I trial tests zanubrutinib in combination with sonrotoclax for treating underrepresented ethnic and racial minorities with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has come back after a period of improvement (relapsed) or that has not responded to previous treatment (refractory). Many racial and ethnic minorities face additional treatment challenges which may lead to poorer outcomes, however, there are fewer racial and ethnic minorities participating in clinical trials. Zanubrutinib, a type of tyrosine kinase inhibitor, blocks a protein called Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK), which may help keep cancer cells from growing. Sonrotoclax works by blocking a protein called B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). This protein helps certain types of blood cancer cells to survive and grow. When sonrotoclax blocks Bcl-2, it slows down or stops the growth of cancer cells and causes them to die. Zanubrutinib and sonrotoclax have been shown to be an effective treatment for B-cell cancers. Giving zanubrutinib in combination with sonrotoclax may be effective in treating ethnic and racial minorities with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
ZR2 Sequential Immunochemotherapy for Newly Treated MCL
Patients with newly diagnosed MCL were treated with ZR2 regimen for 3 cycles, followed by 3 cycles of immunochemotherapy, and zebrutinib maintenance therapy for 2 years after the end of induction therapy, in order to improve the remission rate and prognosis of patients with induction therapy.