Petra Langerbeins, MD of University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany talks about how to explain the ‘watch-and-wait’ period to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Dr Langerbeins states that she explains to patients in this situation, that ‘watch-and-wait’ is the standard of care and acknowledges that some patients worry. In the CLL12 trial (NCT02863718), patients can start early treatment intervention if they are randomized to the ibrutinib arm. The aim is to delay time to first chemoimmunotherapy but also to improve survival.
Recorded at the 2016 International Workshop of the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG) in Cologne, Germany.