Welcome.

CLL Topics Updates is dedicated to the education and empowerment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients and their caregivers. If you want to learn more about CLL, its therapy options, prognostics, potential complications, interesting clinical trials and cutting-edge research, we can help. We are not affiliated with any company or institution in the healthcare business. Please take a few minutes to learn more about us and our mission.

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Chaya Venkat
President, CLL Topics

Newly diagnosed?

CLL can be a very confusing disease. Newly diagnosed patients can use a little extra help understanding the jargon and making sense of their choices. This page is just for you. It has information we think you can use right away.

Kinase Inhibitors

Developments to watch: two targeted, designer-made oral drugs currently in clinical trials for CLL: CAL-101 and PCI-32765.

Recent Articles

Date Article
05/07/2012 CAL-101: Phase 3 Trial in Combination With Rituxan

This article reviews an important phase-3, large scale, double arm trial that has just opened for recruiting previously treated patients.  The trial looks to compare CAL-101 + Rituxan vs. Rituxan alone.  Before you sign up, you really, truly need to understand the details of the design of this trial.
04/01/2012 A Happy Ending

I must confess, happy endings are not as frequent as I would wish in high risk patients undergoing mini-allo stem cell transplants.  Here is a real-life case history.  On this lovely spring day, it is good to remind ourselves of health, renewal and hope.  I think you will like Jane’s story.
03/12/2012 Skin Cancer and Vitamin A

That is not a typo, I do indeed mean Vitamin A and not the usual Vitamin D story that we have discussed umpteen times before.  It seems Vitamin A may help reduce risk of aggressive melanoma.  Who knew.  And have you heard of Merkl Cell Carcinoma, a skin cancer just as deadly as malignant melanoma?
02/20/2012 FC + Campath for Chemo-Naive Patients

Here is a perfect example of a drug therapy regimen that is more dangerous than the disease.  You are all familiar with FCR, the present day gold standard. This French clinical trial substituted Campath in place of of Rituxan.   Big mistake.  Don’t let anyone talk you into this combination – it might kill you sooner than the CLL.
01/31/2012 Erivedge: Brand new FDA approved drug for aggressive basal cell carcinoma

The risk of basal cell carcinoma is significantly higher in CLL patients than in the general public.  Given our immune dysfunction, it is also likely to be more aggressive and harder to treat.  I am pleased to report FDA approval of a brand new drug (“Erivedge“)for aggressive basal cell carcinoma.
01/19/2012 Controversies in Communication

You think it is hard to talk to teenagers?  Try to walk in the shoes of an oncologist trying to talk to a cancer patient with unrealistic expectations.  Conversely, imagine talking to a dismissively paternalistic physician who is tone deaf to the needs of his patients.  The article we review below does an excellent job of discussing these tough issues.
01/15/2012 How to Treat Elderly CLL Patients

Even for the young at heart, age does make a difference.  This is of particular importance when we consider therapy options for elderly patients.  Here is a review of a “best practices” paper that discusses the special needs of elderly CLL patients.
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