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Categories: Leukemia
December 2009 Volume 7, Issue 12 , Supplement No.21
Kanti R. Rai, MD, Wolfgang U. Knauf, MD, PhD, and John G. Gribben, MD, DSc
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a relatively common form of adult leukemia that results in the overproduction of lymphocytes. Because it is generally an indolent malignancy, it is often treated with a watchful waiting approach. Several molecular and cytogenetic prognostic factors have been identified, which, when combined with existing staging systems specific for CLL, can help physicians determine patient prognosis and whether there is a need for additional treatment over observation alone. For more advanced stages of CLL, treatment options generally include chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody therapy, and low-dose external radiation therapy. Standard medications currently used for the treatment of CLL include fludarabine, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, bendamustine, and rituximab; alemtuzumab is also approved as salvage therapy in the setting of resistant and/or refractory disease. For younger patients considered to be medically fit, stem cell transplantation is an alternative and potentially curative strategy. The Thirteenth International Workshop on CLL (iwCLL) was held October 16–18, 2009, in Barcelona, Spain, where many recent advances in the management of CLL were presented. Several important studies from the 2009 iwCLL are discussed in detail in this roundtable. Topics in this roundtable include current and emerging prognostic factors for CLL, the role of bendamustine in the treatment of CLL, and the impact of recent clinical trials on the controversial use of stem cell transplantation in CLL patients.
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