CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS OF IBRUTINIB: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Ibrutinib is an irreversible inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, a component of the B-cell receptor signalling pathway. Ibrutinib has recently been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia / small lymphocytic lymphoma and other B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases and is likely to become a paradigm-shifting therapy. Early clinical trials reported increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and bleeding in patients on ibrutinib when compared with alternative therapies. The objectives of this systematic review are 1) to characterize the incidence rate of AF and bleeding in clinical trials of ibrutinib, and 2) to estimate the risk of atrial fibrillation and bleeding among patients treated with ibrutinib compared with alternative treatments.