Chronic leukaemias: can they be cured? Part II: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Despite improved understanding of the chronic lymphoid leukaemias, the long-term outcome for the majority of patients remains dismal. An alkylating agent, usually chlorambucil, with or without prednisone, remains the standard palliative treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. More recently, two new drugs have emerged, 2'deoxycoformycin and alpha-interferon, which appear to offer substantial benefit to patients with hairy cell leukaemia.