What are the goals of CLL?

Though there is no cure for CLL, some goals of treatment are to: Relieve symptoms. Keep the disease from advancing. Get the disease into remission.

At what point does CLL require treatment?

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (chronic lymphoid leukemia, CLL) do not need drug therapy until they become symptomatic or display evidence of rapid progression of disease, as characterized by the following: Weight loss of more than 10% over 6 months.

What is the most effective treatment for CLL?

For years, the standard treatment for CLL has been a combination of chemotherapy (fludarabine [Fludara]/cyclophosphamide [Neosar]) and targeted therapy (rituximab [Rituxan]). Most older adults, though, are unable to tolerate standard treatment because of severe, even life-threatening, side effects.

Can CLL go into remission without treatment?

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can rarely be cured. Still, most people live with the disease for many years. Some people with CLL can live for years without treatment, but over time, most will need to be treated. Most people with CLL are treated on and off for years.

Can CLL just go away?

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) often develops very slowly. You might need little or no treatment. Although it is not usually curable, the disease can be under control for many years. But CLL can progress more quickly in some people.

How do I know if my CLL is in remission?

CLL is considered to be in complete remission (CR) if your blood tests no longer show the presence of CLL and you don’t have symptoms such as swelling in your lymph nodes or spleen. CLL is considered to be in partial remission (PR) if you’re symptom-free, but some amount of CLL remains in your blood.

What is considered a high WBC for CLL?

At the time of diagnosis, patients can have very, very high white blood cell counts. Typically a healthy person has a white blood cell count of about 4,000-11,000. Patients with acute or even chronic leukemia may come in with a white blood cell count up into the 100,000-400,000 range.

What is first line treatment for CLL?

Chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) has been the standard first-line therapy for CLL. Age and comorbidities can help decide which patients may benefit from a CIT approach. FCR (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab) is the current standard treatment option for younger patients with CLL.

What percentage of CLL patients need treatment?

Around 30-50% of people diagnosed with CLL never require any treatment for their disease and can survive for many years despite their diagnosis.

What is new in CLL treatment?

In May 2019, the FDA approved venetoclax (Venclexta) in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) to treat people with previously untreated CLL as a chemotherapy-free option. In April 2020, the FDA approved a combination therapy of rituximab (Rituxan) and ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for adult patients with chronic CLL.