Navigating CLL Management: Treatment Landscape, Patient Care, and Quality of Life

Medical experts provide an overview of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), including its typical symptoms and diagnostic process. They also will inquire about key prognostic factors and their impact on patient care.

Jim Plotkin shares his personal experience with CLL, including his initial symptoms, the diagnostic process, challenges faced, and advice for patients with newly diagnosed CLL. Medical experts discuss their approach to explaining CLL to new patients and inquire about essential patient education resources.

Medical experts explain CLL’s slow progression and its impact on treatment timing, and they also discuss the watch-and-wait approach, patient concerns, and how to address anxiety about delaying treatment.

The discussion will cover the current CLL treatment landscape, including first-line and later-line options; the medical experts will review first-line treatments, approach to treatment selection, factors influencing recommendations, and strategies for shared decision-making with patients.

The discussion will cover experiences with CLL treatment, focusing on key factors in treatment decisions, how care teams educate patients about options, strategies for discussing adverse events, and communicating adverse effects to the care team.

The discussion will cover fixed-duration treatments vs continuous therapy for CLL and provide a brief overview of venetoclax-based regimens approved for 12 cycles with obinutuzumab and 24 cycles with rituximab.

The discussion will explore the impact of fixed-duration treatments on quality of life, benefits and challenges compared with continuous therapy, financial considerations, and lifestyle goals during and after treatment.

The discussion will wrap up with perspectives on the future of CLL treatment, including anticipated improvements in patient care and quality of life, emerging therapies, and evolving patient roles in care decisions.