EHA 2016 | Expert advice for CLL patients: get treatment at specialized CLL centers

Emili Montserrat, MD, PhD from the University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain discusses the best treatment advice for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Prof. Montserrat’s overall message is that CLL patients have to be seen by CLL experts in specialized centers in order to receive a very specific kind of care. Patients with CLL should know that only one out of two will require therapy over time, which is very good news. Thinking in terms of goals of therapy, Prof. Montserrat believes that overall survival (OS) doesn’t necessarily have to be fueled with complicated drugs and agents, it can also be achieved by much more standard therapies. He mentions that patients must also understand that in the case of them relapsing or failing treatment, it is better if they are treated in specialized CLL centers. Eventually, allogeneic stem cell transplantation can be used, which is still a very valid treatment approach and plays a role for certain patients with high-risk CLL. Recorded at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2016 Annual Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.