Early Intervention in Asymptomatic Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

For the estimated 21,000 patients who will receive a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 20% of them will have early-stage disease. Unfortunately, that 20% will not be offered treatment, as the current management of these patients follows a “watch-and-wait” paradigm. However, with the advent of better prognostic tools to identify patients at high risk, in addition to the recent approval of several novel oral agents with impressive efficacy, re-examining this approach now seems prudent.