Advances in therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by the progressive accumulation of clonal small mature-looking lymphocytes, usually of B cell origin. In addition to a better understanding of many biological features, during the last 10-15 years a great progress has been made in the prognostic characterization of the disease. The therapeutic achievements, however, have been less impressive. The possibility to identify patients with different prognosis has renewed interest in the treatment of this disorder. A considerable number of controlled trials have been performed or are in course, and new perspectives for CLL treatment are emerging. Basically four different kinds of measures are used: 1) chemotherapy, 2) radiotherapy, 3) adjuvant measures and 4) new modalities.