Clinical Research in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in Pakistan; A Systematic Review

Background: Significant advances have been made in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) since the turn of the new millennium. However, most clinical trials were done in developed countries where minority ethnicities were underrepresented. Materials and Methods: To gauge the quality of research in CLL being done in Pakistan, we conducted a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar on 14 January 2022 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. Results: A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. The most common study design was cross-sectional. Eight studies evaluated the clinicohematological profile of CLL patients and the effect of various cytogenic abnormalities through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique on disease progression and prognosis. Five studies discussed the prevalence of abnormalities such as autoimmune cytopenias and other serum chemistry derangements. Only two studies evaluated treatment outcomes, among which one study reported a 2-year overall survival of 65% among patients with 17p deletion. None of the studies had patients on novel targeted agents. No pharmaceutical sponsored or funded clinical trials were found. Conclusions: Our review suggests that although small clinical studies continue to be performed across the country, multiple financial and logistical barriers need to be addressed for larger, more impactful clinical trials to be conducted that will help answer demographic-specific questions and decrease reliance on foreign studies.