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Highlights in Leukemias and Lymphomas From the 2026 EHA Congress

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Released: August 11, 2026

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The EHA 2026 Congress was a platform to compelling data for a potential new standard-of-care pirtobrutinib combination for R/R CLL (BRUIN CLL-322), promising use of menin inhibitors with induction therapy for AML (KOMET-007), final long-term update for CLL14, treatment optimization approaches for AML (OPTI-AML) and LR-MDS (MAXILUS, EPO-PRETAR), and early data for surovatamig for FL (SOUNDTRACK-F1), a BTK degrader for CLL (CaDAnCe-101), and a type II JAK2 inhibitor for myelofibrosis (AJX-101).

Matthew S. Davids
Matthew S. Davids, MD, MMSc
Eunice S. Wang
Eunice S. Wang, MD
EHA 2026 Leukemias and Lymphomas Highlights

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Key Takeaways
  • Long-term phase I results of the KOMET-007 trial suggest that adding ziftomenib, a menin inhibitor, to 7+3 induction therapy could benefit patients with newly diagnosed NPM1-mutated or KMT2A-rearranged AML.
  • Combination regimen of pirtobrutinib plus venetoclax and rituximab could be a new standard-of-care treatment for R/R CLL/SLL, according to an interim analysis of the phase III BRUIN CLL-322 trial.

During the 2026 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress, important and exciting data from many studies in leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), and lymphomas were presented. In this independent EHA Congress coverage commentary, Matthew S. Davids, MD, MMSc, and Eunice S. Wang, MD, highlight the clinical implications of some of the studies with the potential to change clinical practice for patients with leukemia, MDS, MPN, or lymphoma.

The downloadable slides summarizing the data from these studies are available on the Decera Clinical Education website. These studies will also be covered in more detail by Dr Davids and Dr Wang as part of Decera Clinical Education’s Independent Highlights of the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting and EHA 2026 Congress.

Remember to check the Decera Clinical Education website often to review the CME-certified expert analysis text module with experts’ perspectives on the current and potential future clinical implications of these new datasets.

Top Picks
The following key studies in leukemias, MDS, and MPNs were picked by Dr Eunice Wang:

  • AJX-101: preliminary analysis of results from the phase I study of AJ1-11095, a type II JAK2 inhibitor, in patients with myelofibrosis after previously receiving a type I JAK2 inhibitor. These phase I data demonstrated promising results with the novel type II JAK2 inhibitor, AJ1-11095, in reducing spleen size and controlling symptoms in most patients with myelofibrosis after the failure of a prior JAK inhibitor therapy. These data offer hope in that next-generation targeted therapies for MPNs are now on the horizon.
  • OPTI-AML: phase II trial of 28-day vs 14-day regimen of venetoclax plus azacitidine for 2 cycles for patients aged 60 years or older with newly diagnosed genomically agnostic acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study demonstrated that the benefits of using a 14-day vs 28-day schedule of venetoclax in combination with azacitidine for AML are not equivalent in newly diagnosed patients who are unfit to receive intensive chemotherapy. For instance, improved complete response rates were observed following the 28-day schedule vs the 14-day schedule of venetoclax plus azacitidine among patients with AML harboring NPM1 or IDH2 mutations. These data suggest that the 28-day treatment schedule of venetoclax plus azacitidine should remain the standard-of-care therapy for older patients with newly diagnosed AML.
  • KOMET-007: long-term efficacy and safety results from the phase I trial of ziftomenib, a menin inhibitor, plus 7+3 intensive induction therapy for patients with NPM1-mutated or KMT2A-rearranged AML. In the cohort of patients with newly diagnosed NPM1-mutated or KMT2A-rearranged AML, the combination of ziftomenib plus 7+3 induction chemotherapy led to composite complete response rates close to 100%, with a median overall survival that has not yet been reached after a median follow-up of 17.6 months for patients with NPM1-mutated AML and 11.0 months for patients with KMT2A-rearranged AML. These data suggest that the addition of ziftomenib to 7+3 may improve upon outcomes with 7+3 alone in these subsets of patients with AML with the potential to lead to the routine incorporation of menin inhibitors into the upfront treatment of patients with NPM1-mutated or KMT2A-rearranged AML.
  • MAXILUS: primary analysis of results from the phase III trial of luspatercept initiation at the maximum approved dose of 1.75 mg/kg every 3 weeks in erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA)–naive and ESA-relapsed/refractory (R/R) or intolerant patients with lower-risk MDS (LR-MDS) requiring red blood cell transfusions after 24 weeks of treatment. In this trial, subcutaneous administration of luspatercept, an erythroid maturation agent, at the highest approved dose led to a high rate (81.5%) of transfusion independence with a concurrent increase in hemoglobin levels among patients with LR-MDS and anemia. These data support the efficacy and safety of using the FDA-approved agent at the 1.75-mg/kg dose for patients with LR-MDS requiring red blood cell transfusions.
  • EPO-PRETAR: final efficacy and safety results with early vs delayed initiation of ESAs in patients with LR-MDS and nontransfusion-dependent anemia. This study demonstrated that for patients with LR-MDS, early ESA administration for those with higher hemoglobin levels (9.0-10.5 g/dL) vs delayed ESA administration for those with lower hemoglobin levels (<9 g/dL) improves transfusion independence without worsening disease progression or promoting leukemic transformation. This dataset has the potential to encourage healthcare professionals to administer ESAs earlier in the course of MDS disease instead of waiting for hemoglobin levels to fall (and quality of life to decline).

The following key studies in lymphomas were picked by Dr Matthew Davids:

  • BRUIN CLL-322: interim analysis of the phase III trial of fixed-duration pirtobrutinib plus venetoclax and rituximab (PVR) vs venetoclax plus rituximab for previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL). PVR produced a clear progression-free survival (PFS) benefit compared with venetoclax plus rituximab, reducing the risk of progression or death by approximately 46% (HR: 0.54) after just over 2 years of follow-up. The benefit appeared particularly pronounced among patients previously treated with a covalent BTK inhibitor (HR: 0.51), including those who had progressed during covalent BTK inhibitor therapy (HR: 0.44), supporting PVR as an effective second-line treatment option following frontline BTK inhibitor treatment. Pirtobrutinib added relatively little toxicity, although grade ≥3infections and minor bleeding were somewhat more frequent, without an apparent increase in major bleeding or atrial fibrillation. These findings support fixed-duration PVR as a potential new standard of care for R/R CLL/SLL.
  • CLL14: final analysis of the phase III trial of fixed-duration venetoclax plus obinutuzumab vs chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab for previously untreated CLL. With nearly 10 years of follow-up, venetoclax plus obinutuzumab continued to demonstrate long-lasting disease control (median PFS: 76.6 months), particularly among patients with mutated IGHV, for whom median PFS approached 9 years (104.9 months) after only 1 year of treatment. Efficacy was less durable in genetically high-risk disease, with median PFS of 4.1 years in patients with TP53 aberrations and 5.4 years in those with unmutated IGHV. These long-term results reinforce the importance of assessing IGHV mutation status and support venetoclax plus obinutuzumab as an especially attractive frontline option for patients with low-genetic-risk CLL who prefer a time-limited therapy.
  • CaDAnCe-101: updated phase I results of the BTK degrader tacabrutideg (BGB-16673) in patients with R/R CLL/SLL. Tacabrutideg demonstrated an overall response rate of 85% and median PFS of 24.4 months across tested doses in a population with particularly difficult-to-treat disease that is enriched for TP53-aberrant disease and includes patients refractory to both covalent BTK inhibitors and venetoclax. Responses also were observed among triple-refractory patients who were previously treated with pirtobrutinib, addressing an important area of unmet need. These outcomes suggest that BTK degradation may remain effective after exposure to both covalent and noncovalent BTK inhibition and support a role for tacabrutideg in the post-pirtobrutinib setting. Ongoing randomized studies will help define whether BTK degraders could ultimately be used earlier in the CLL/SLL treatment sequence.
  • SOUNDTRACK-F1: initial safety and efficacy analysis of the phase III trial for CD19xCD3 bispecific antibody surovatamig plus rituximab for previously untreated follicular lymphoma. This safety run-in analysis suggests the combination treatment was generally manageable when the surovatamig was administered with a 3-step dose-escalation schedule intended to reduce the risks of cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). The frequency of ICANS was low (5%), which was reassuring given concerns about neurotoxicity observed earlier in the drug’s development. Significant cytopenias were common and infections were primarily low-grade and similar in frequency to what has been observed with other bispecific antibodies in this population. Together with encouraging early efficacy data (overall response rate: 96%-100%), these findings support the feasibility of bringing surovatamig into the frontline setting for follicular lymphoma.

Find our experts’ thoughts on the ASC4FIRST, frontMIND, BRUIN CLL-313/314, and BGB-11417-101 (sonrotoclax) trials in our highlights of the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Your Thoughts
Will these data presented at EHA 2026 influence your treatment decision-making in your clinical practice? What additional data would you like to see, or what questions do you have about these therapeutic approaches before talking with your patients about ongoing clinical trials? Answer the polling question and join the conversation in the discussion box below.

Remember to check the Decera Clinical Education website often to review the CME-certified expert analysis text module of key data in leukemias, MDS, MPNs, and lymphomas from ASCO and EHA 2026!

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Which of the studies discussed in this commentary are you most excited about for its current or potential future impact on your care of patients?

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