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MRD and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The MRD Focus on VJHemOnc is supported by Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a Johnson & Johnson Company). This supporter has no influence over the production of the content.

MRD is a hot topic in CLL; with a multitude of new agents coming through and being used in different combinations, MRD could provide a key strategy to direct treatment decisions1-3.

MRD is one of the strongest predictive markers in CLL4-7. With further research, MRD status may potentially be used to determine treatment duration, theoretically allowing treatment cessation for those who are MRD negative7. A key question to address is what tissue to look at; the peripheral blood or bone marrow6.

  1. Böttcher S, Hallek M, Ritgen M, et al. The role of minimal residual disease measurements in the therapy for CLL: is it ready for prime time? Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2013 Apr; 27(2): 267-88.
  2. Thompson PA, Peterson CB, Strati P, et al. Serial minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring during first-line FCR treatment for CLL may direct individualized therapeutic strategies. Leukemia. 2018 Apr 17. [Epub ahead of print].
  3. Ghia P, Rawstron A. Minimal residual disease analysis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a way for achieving more personalized treatments. Leukemia. 2018 Jun; 32(6): 1307-1316.
  4. Thompson PA, Wierda WG. Eliminating minimal residual disease as a therapeutic end point: working toward cure for patients with CLL. Blood. 2016 Jan 21; 127(3): 279-86.
  5. Kwok M, Rawstron AC, Varghese A, et al. Minimal residual disease is an independent predictor for 10-year survival in CLL. Blood. 2016 Dec 15; 128(24): 2770-2773.
  6. VJHemOnc (2018). MRD as a marker for depth of remission in CLL. Available at: https://www.vjhemonc.com/video/hdcsktpthve-mrd-as-a-marker-for-depth-of-remission-in-cll (Accessed: 03 July 2018).
  7. VJHemOnc (2018). The importance of MRD negativity as a predictive marker in CLL. Available at: https://www.vjhemonc.com/video/whf8cysb6c8-the-importance-of-mrd-negativity-as-a-predictive-marker-in-cll (Accessed: 03 July 2018).
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