Pursuing Additional Options for Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

For patients living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), every day can bring a new challenge – even before the treatment starts, patients with a new cancer diagnosis will want to know what options are available to them and what lies ahead. While research advances have been made, CLL remains an incurable disease that calls for potentially life-long treatment – leaving many patients with a challenging, uncertain road ahead.

CLL patients may ultimately need multiple lines of therapy due to the indolent but incurable nature of the disease. For many years, the standard of care for CLL was chemoimmunotherapy until knowledge of the biological and genetic biomarkers of CLL led to the development of targeted treatments.¹ These advances have launched a new era for patients with CLL including a number of chemotherapy-free options, with targets such as proteins of the BCL-2 and BTK families.¹

With this scientific progress, there are more options to choose from and increasingly patient preference is playing a key role. With a median age of first diagnosis of CLL of 70 years², many patients may still be working or lead very active lives with family and friends. Choosing a treatment regimen to suit a patient’s lifestyle is possible in CLL, as different approaches can be taken.

To help patients make informed decisions and to instill confidence in their treatment plan, it is important to openly discuss all proposed options, including potential benefits and risks.³

When considering the bigger picture of CLL and the impact this disease has on patients, we are committed to continuing to find additional options for patients. It’s all part of our goal at AbbVie to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with blood cancer. For more information on our oncology focus areas, please visit https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/therapeutic-focus-areas/oncology.html.

References:

1. Pérez-Carretero, C. et al. The Evolving Landscape of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia on Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment. Diagnostics (Basel). 2021 May 10; 11(5); 853. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34068813/.
2. NCI. Cancer Stat Facts: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). Who Gets This Cancer? https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/clyl.html. Accessed September 2022.
3. American Cancer Society. Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Available at https://www.cancer.org/cancer/chronic-lymphocytic-leukemia/treating.html. Last accessed September 2022.