Welcome to this list of videos and helpful documents that you may want to work through if you would like an update on what is new in the world of treatment for CLL, a type of lymphocyte blood cancer. There are also other articles about CLL on this website.

This type of blood cancer is the most common adult form of Leukaemia. But it is also classified as a type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and if found only in lymph nodes it has another name – small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). For more information see the links below or Blood Cancer UK, Patient Power and CLL Society pages.

To be honest, if treatment feels a long way off for you then you might not want to bother with this list. I will try and guide you as to which videos and documents are easier to follow and which assume more knowledge. You can dip in and out, and even come back later. At the end of this article are highlights from ASCO2020 which took place virtually at the end of May.

Treatments are getting more complicated and so asking for the advice of a CLL expert is becoming more important all the time. One of the abstracts demonstrated clearly that being treated at an expert centre prolongs your life. The vital need for expert opinion in treating CLL and other blood cancers was discussed on this site in two recent interviews with CLL Expert patients:

• Interview with Andrew Schorr of Patient power

• Interview with Brian Koffman of the CLL Society

If you live in the USA and are unable to get access to a CLL expert to explain your treatment options, the CLL Society runs a free web based second opinion service.

Everyone should decide for themselves how far they want to go with studying up their disease knowledge. Some will be content to learn just a little. Others will want to know whatever they can. If you do decide you want to update yourself to a deeper level it is often best to take your time, and dip in a little and often. Then you will gradually understand more and more. We will categorise the resources we link to by the level of knowledge assumed. ASCO abstract summaries and a link to the originals are at the end of the following list.

Entry Level (or refresher)

Patient Information

• Blood Cancer UK
• Patient Power (Videos require registration)
• CLL Society

Patient Power

• Improved outcomes with newer treatments for CLL
• What CLL Patients Need to Know About Clinical Trials
• What’s My Current Risk for Coronavirus?

Blood Cancer UK

• Risk of COVID-19 Infection – data from huge UK studies (see also our review)

Intermediate level

• TG Therapeutics – Positive Topline Results from the UNITY-CLL Phase 3 Study of Umbralisib and Ublituximab (U2) New combination performed well against obinituzimab.
• Study Findings Support Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Acalabrutinib in R/R CLL After 45-month 62% of patients taking acalabrutinib (newer relative of ibrutinib) hadn’t got worse or needed treatment with any other medicine (i.e. Progression Free Survival =PFS).

Advanced level

ASCO Abstracts and presentations

ASCO 2020 happened virtually at the end of May, you can actually easily search the database for CLL.  This is a link that will take you straight in to more than 30 Abstracts which you can view for free. Slides, posters, and videos all require registration but the abstracts do contain the key information.  Here is the link to the database, and here are some of the key findings I noticed bulleted. There is more there. This is just what stood out in 38 CLL Abstracts: https://meetinglibrary.asco.org/results/CLL?meetingView=2020%20ASCO%20Virtual%20Scientific%20Program&page=1 

IMPROVING SURVIVAL

— Of 1276 CLL patients diagnosed in the Mayo Clinic CLL database between  1/2000-12/2019 only 22% have died. Considering this predates the most modern medicines, and the median age at diagnosis was 63 years (range 24-92) this is remarkable.  Abstract makes the point that more needs to be done on reversing immune deficits which cause infection and second cancers.

–Similar encouraging finding in 2,887 Canadian patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2017. Despite most not yet using newer medicines, 72.4% survived at least 5 years after diagnosis. 

– In a 91309 patient USA wide study 5-year survival rate of 64.2% in cohort diagnosed in 2010-2016 vs 59.9% if diagnosed in 2004-2009 (p < 0.0001). Factors predicting higher risk of death: older age, more comorbidities, African American, male gender, East South Central or South Atlantic area, no insurance or Medicaid, lower quartiles of education, and being treated in facilities with lower CLL-patient volume. (more evidence for consulting CLL experts who see more patients with the condition. Bold are the two highest risk factors)

—Acalabrutinib long term data seems very encouraging 86%  pts remain on treatment at 53 months. Other promising data also presented.

–Permanently stopping Venetoclax earlier than planned was associated with worse treatment outcomes; needing to pause Venetoclax was not.

-Early promising data for an antibody to ROR1 (ROR1 is an onco-embryonic tyrosine kinase receptor that is re-expressed at high levels on many hematologic and solid cancers but not on normal adult tissues.

-BOVen (Zanubrutinib, Obinituzimab and Venetoclax) early data says combo is well tolerated and achieves rapid uMRD: currently 68% PB uMRD and 51% BM uMRD.

-VR-EPOCH: very promising data on adding Venetoclax to chemo for Richter’s transformation. 

Read More about Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL)