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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Is deemed necessary—hasn’t been shown to be more effective than waiting until treatment is appropriate. When treatment is necessary, people may receive: Chemotherapy, which helps to kill cancer cells. People may receive two or more chemotherapy drugs at a time to treat CLL. Immunotherapy treatments, known as monoclonal antibodies, which help to activate the immune system to fight and kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may bebb combined with monoclonal antibodies. Targeted therapy, which targets specific proteins within CLL cells to destroy them without killing healthy surrounding cells. Corticosteroids, which may be useful when treatment CLL related autoimmune complications. Radiation therapy, in rare instances, which may help to alleviate symptoms from an enlarged spleen or lymph nodes. Stem cell transplant, which may cure CLL, involves destroying leukemia cells with high-dose chemotherapy or radiation, then reintroducing healthy blood-producing stem cells. This treatment isn’t offered to patients who respond to other treatments, and given the advances in other CLL treatment options, is rarely used for CLL at this time. What is the outlook for people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia?About 87% of people who are diagnosed with CLL survive 5 years or longer. Survival rates have improved in recent years as treatments have become more effective. Having CLL significantly increases the chances that a patient will develop another form of cancer, such as skin, breast, or lung cancer. Up to 10% of people with CLL may develop an aggressive form of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. What makes Yale unique in its treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia?"The last decade has brought considerable advancements in the treatment of CLL. We now have numerous non-chemotherapy treatment options, and therapy selection is increasingly complex,” says Dr. Huntington. “The CLL specialists at Yale take great care in educating patients and their families about all available options before helping select an optimal individualized treatment plan. While present-day CLL therapies are already excellent, CLL treatments are improving at such a rapid pace that we have come to expect better-tolerated and more effective therapies every year. Through clinical trials at Yale, many of our CLL patients have access to these next-generation and innovative treatment options.”
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