Haematologica Reports 2005; 1(issue 2): 13-18 [prev][index][next]

?The role of alemtuzumab in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and the achievement of minimal residual disease negativity in relapsed/refractory CLL
?Peter Hillmen
?Pinderfields General Hospital, Department of Pathology, Wakefield, UK

?Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult hematologic malignancy in the developed world, predominantly affecting the elderly. It is a disease with a very heterogeneous outcome, with some patients surviving for many years without any evidence of progression and others rapidly developing aggressive disease, associated with early bone marrow failure and repeated infections. In recent years, the recognition of novel prognostic markers (e.g. mutational status of the variable region of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene [VH],^1-4 zeta-associated protein 70 [ZAP70],^5-8 and p53 deletion or mutation resistance)^9-10 has greatly improved the stratification of patients on the basis of their clinical risk profile, allowing treatment to be tailored accordingly, particularly in patients likely to develop progressive disease. [>Read full article in PDF]