Treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

If you are diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), your healthcare team will create a treatment plan just for you. The main goal when treating CLL is to control the disease while you maintain a good quality of life.

CLL often grows slowly, and many people live a long time with the disease. Research tells us that treating CLL before there are certain signs of disease progression doesn't help people live longer. Because of this and because treatments can cause side effects, many people who are diagnosed with CLL start with active surveillance.

During active surveillance, your healthcare team uses tests and exams to check if CLL is progressing or your condition is getting worse, suggesting it's time to start active treatment. Your healthcare team also helps and encourages you to take steps to stay healthy.

Active treatment for CLL usually starts with targeted therapy or chemoimmunotherapy. Your healthcare team will work with you to develop a treatment plan that is based on:

• molecular characteristics of the CLL cells
• your overall health (if chemoimmunotherapy is being considered as a treatment)
• your age
• factors important to you

A stem cell transplant can sometimes be used. You may be offered treatment such as CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs), which are being studied in the treatment of CLL in clinical trials.

CLL is very similar to a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). They are often considered different versions of the same disease, and SLL is treated the same way as CLL.