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CLL leukemia: Just diagnosed, what can be done?

Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Jul 20 8:54am | Replies (200)
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@loribmt

Hi @mark3240 That’s a pretty remarkable statement. Do you know the name of the drug?

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Replies to "Hi @mark3240 That’s a pretty remarkable statement. Do you know the name of the drug?"
mark3240 | @mark3240 | Apr 19, 2023

The best way to answer is to direct you to this video of Dr. William Weirda, Deputy Chair, Leukemia Section, MD Anderson.

In addition, during an appointment with a Mayo oncologist two weeks ago, I mentioned the exceptional results and outcomes of the new drugs, and he confirmed that they are highly effective at achieving remission, and in many cases regarding the patient as cured.

Here is the video....it is technical, but make sure you start the playing at the very beginning, as YouTube here starts, oddly, a few minutes in.

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mark3240 | @mark3240 | Apr 19, 2023

P.S. I believe both Mayo and MD Anderson are very current in their knowledge and use of these new drugs.

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Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Apr 19, 2023

Thank you for sharing the video. The drugs you mentioned are a great advancement for treating CLL and small lymphocytic lymphoma. (And other forms of blood cancers). In some cases they allow patients to forego rigorous chemotherapy treatments. These are more targeted and inhibit the growth of specific cells.

Venetoclax, I think is the newer drug you’re referring to, though it has been out for a few years. It does have the ability to put a patient in a deep remission according to the information on the website. But we have to be cautious when using the cure when dealing with blood cancers.

Here’s a little more about the action behind the Venetoclax.
https://ashpublications.org/hematology/article/2020/1/1/474293/Therapeutic-development-and-current-uses-of-BCL-2
Zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) was just released this year by the FDA and is another newer drug that did well in the trials as a BTK inhibitor. Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) is a crucial part of the B-cell receptor signaling pathway. Certain B-cell leukemias and lymphomas use B-cell receptor signaling for growth and survival so when it’s blocked it can trigger the death of cancer cells.
There are several members in our forum who are taking Brukinsa. So I hope they will continue to share their journeys here. All of these new breakthrough drugs, years of research and science behind it really give hope to those of us who have a blood cancer.

Were you diagnosed with CLL? Are you currently in a treatment plan?

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