Practical Management of Cardiovascular Adverse Events with BTKi Treatment in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Consensus Report by Hematologists and Cardiologists.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) adverse events (AEs), especially atrial fibrillation (AF) and hypertension, have been reported in patients receiving treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), including Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKis). Although these AEs are managed effectively in most cases and AE management guidelines exist, practical management approaches are inconsistent across regions and practices. We aimed to address these inconsistencies by developing consensus recommendations.

Summary: A European expert panel was assembled comprising eight hematologists and six cardiologists. Literature analysis, expert interviews, and the Delphi method were used to gain consensus on screening, monitoring, and treatment of AF and hypertension statements.

Key messages: Maintaining BTKi treatment is paramount to maximize time to next treatment; for patients at high risk of progression, this can be achieved by appropriately treating hypertension and AF and adjusting the BTKi dose. Patients should be risk-stratified as low, moderate, high, or very-high risk of cancer therapy-related CV toxicity and treated according to their disease status so that CLL treatment can be maintained. Patient education on symptom monitoring, home blood pressure monitoring, and electrocardiograms (baseline, every 3 months) are recommended to detect/monitor AF and hypertension. Close collaboration between hematologists and cardiologists is vital to achieve optimal patient outcomes.