State of the art treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

The management of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is currently undergoing profound changes. Several drugs like bendamustine, alemtuzumab and rituximab have recently been approved for CLL treatment by regulatory agencies. New and very promising compounds like lenalidomide, ofatumumab, GA101, flavopiridol, or ABT-263 are currently investigated in clinical trials and are likely to further enlarge the therapeutic armamentarium in the next years. Latest results show that chemoimmunotherapies like FCR (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab) may improve the life expectancy of CLL patients. This new paradigm will modify the way of CLL management in a radical manner. Finally, the development of new biological markers that describe distinct forms of CLL allows to enter the era of personalized therapy similar to other malignancies.