There have been major strides in the field of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment over the last few yearswith four new CLL medicines getting approval for use. All of these developments are incredible for a rare disease like CLL, but the new options have made it more difficult for doctors trying to decide which treatment to use.
There is no one size fits all approach for patients with CLL, according to Dr. Nicole Lamanna, a leukemia specialist at Columbia University Medical Center, but new oral chemotherapy drugslike Ibrutinib, Idelalisib and Venetoclaxare really transforming the way this disease is treated. Even patients that have historically had a poor prognosis that did not respond to more traditional chemotherapy treatments are doing much better with these newer therapies.
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