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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a form of slow-progressing leukemia, a disease characterized by an accumulation of abnormal lymphocytes in the blood and bone marrow. These lymphocytes interfere with production of other blood cells that are necessary for the normal functioning of the blood, leading to multiple complications including immune deficiency, bleeding, swollen lymph nodes, and other conditions. In CLL, B lymphocytes, or B cells, are the most commonly affected lymphocytes. CLL is most prevalent in individuals 50 years of age and older, and the five-year survival rate for CLL patients is approximately 46 percent. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 9,730 new cases of CLL will be diagnosed in the United States during 2005.
Most patients with progressing CLL are treated with conventional doses of chemotherapy which are not curative while some patients with refractory disease may receive allogenic stem cell transplant. Another method of treatment for patients involves monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibody therapy is a cancer treatment that uses antibodies made in the laboratory from a single type of immune system cell. These antibodies can identify substances on cancer cells or normal substances in the body that may help cancer cells grow. The antibodies attach to the substances and kill the cancer cells, block their growth, or keep them from spreading. Monoclonal antibodies are given by infusion or injection. They may be used alone or to carry drugs, toxins, or radioactive material directly to cancer cells.
Early in the disease, CLL often has little effect on a person's well-being and its symptoms develop gradually. The disease may be discovered after finding an abnormal blood count during the course of a routine medical examination or while a patient is under care for an unrelated condition. The overall survival rate is approximately 60% but varies depending upon the stage of the disease. As such, there's still a significant need for new and effective therapeutics.
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