In many ways, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia is similar to Multiple Myeloma. Both often respond to treatment but neither one is curable. I found this report by Dr. Mary E. Dominiecki from the ASH conference earlier this month enlightening. Dr. Dominiecki is the Medical Director of CancerEductation.com. Here is an excerpt from her report:
I attended an educational session on Chronic Lymphoctyic Leukemia (CLL) today. Key points from this session-
Some patients diagnosed with CLL require immediate treatment whereas others live for many years without requiring treatment.
Several biomarkers have been identified but the role of many of these markers is still unclear.
The data at present do not provide a clear indication of whether patients with specific biomarkers should be treated differently.
The only possible exception is patients who have the 17p deletion. These patients should be treated with agents that work independently of p53.
About 25% of patients with CLL have autoimmune complications predominantly affecting blood cells, with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AHA) being the most common. AHA is a poor prognostic marker in patients with CLL.
There are many good treatments available but CLL is still not curable so new agents are needed.
There are several new agents in development including
Antibodies - lumiliximab (antibody to CD23), ofatumumab (antibody to CD20)
These antibodies bind to specific cells within the body and target them for destruction.
Bcl-2 family member inhibitors - oblimersen, obatoclax, ABT-263
Bcl-2 family members are involved in the process that tells cells when to die.
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDK inhibitors) - flavopiridol, SNS-032
CDKs are involved in the normal cycling of cells. When you inhibit CDK, the cell dies.
Read more about CLL and other blood and marrow cancers in Dr. Dominiecki's in depth reports from ASH at http://www.cancereducation.com/. Simply register, pick a password and prepare to be overwhelmed with information. Some technical, some not.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat
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1 comments:
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