Even for the young at heart, age does make a difference.  This is of particular importance when we consider therapy options for elderly patients.  Here is a review of a “best practices” paper that discusses the special needs of elderly CLL patients.

That is the first question that pops into our brains, when we are first diagnosed with cancer.  CLL patients are no different in that respect.  So, what can early stage CLL  patients expect, by way of both quality and quantity of life?

MRD-Negative status means even our most sophisticated tests cannot detect any CLL cells in your body, at the end of therapy.  If you get MRD negative status, does this mean you are cured? Is it worth going the extra mile (or two, or more) to get this coveted status? Does it make a difference to how long you can expect to live?

Does it matter whether you see a local oncologist or one of the CLL experts?   Are your chances of survival better if you stick close to home with a community oncologist, or are you better off traveling to an expert center?  As always, devil is in the details.

In an earlier article we saw CFAR was much too toxic in a group of relapsed / refractory patients.  However, does this combination have a role to play as frontline therapy in high risk but otherwise healthy patients? You be the judge, here are the definitive results of this approach.

This has to be among the more positive developments I have seen in recent months.  Elderly is defined as anyone over 65, so it may be applicable to you after all!

Making the right therapy choices is all the more important in relapsed or refractory patients, especially if they are also “elderly”.  Do you treat the patient, or do you treat the disease? This and my next article highlight these two very different approaches.  You be the judge which is more your cup of tea.

Several clinical trials have highlighted the use of FCR in chemo-naive patients.  But who is likely to get most joy from FCR as salvage therapy, after relapsing from other therapies?  When is FCR salvage not worth trying?  Here are some useful pointers  from M. D. Anderson.

Staging is one of the most important benchmarks when it comes to CLL treatment decisions. A new “Blood” article describes Rai and Binet staging details that you really should understand, especially if you are late stage and about to start therapy.

Have you ever thought about what you can do to improve your working relationship with your healthcare team?  It is a two way street, the mutual respect that is necessary for best outcome.