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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
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.
01/05/2012 “Doc, How Long Do I Have?”

That is the first question that pops into our brains, when we are first diagnosed with cancer.  CLL patients are no different in that respect.  So, what can early stage CLL  patients expect, by way of both quality and quantity of life?
12/30/2011 PCI-32765 trial at the NIH – Update

This is an important trial – one that we really need to monitor going forward.
12/19/2011 A Well Designed PCI-32765 Clinical Trial – just about to open

Kinase inhibitors such as PCI-32765 are going to play an important role for CLL patients.  How important?  How best to use them? What are realistic adverse effects?  Who is most likely to benefit?  This well designed NIH / NCI clinical trial will help answer these questions – without conflict of interest or good science taking a backseat to commercial hype. We really need this trial.  Merry Christmas to us all! 
12/16/2011 PCI-32765: ASH2011 Update

PCI-32765 is a very interesting kinase inhibitor drug, similar to CAL-101.  Here is the latest information on this drug presented at ASH2011 (December, 2011) conference.  This and other next generation designer drugs like it may change the whole ballgame for CLL patients living today.
12/13/2011 CAL-101: Update at ASH-2010

This year’s ASH (American Society of Hematology) conference has a number of interesting presentations for CLL patients.  I will be reviewing some of them in the next few days.  This first review deals with CAL-101 single agent study, followed by combination drug studies in a few days.
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