Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer of the B-lymphocytes that may be found in the bone marrow, blood, lymph nodes, spleen and sometimes other organs. CLL is the most common leukemia in adults and accounts for one quarter of new leukemia cases annually. The average age at diagnosis is 70, and CLL is rarely seen in those under the age of 40. CLL is considered a chronic disease because it can persist for a long time and often reoccurs over the lifetime of the patient. A less commonly seen cancer, CLL accounts for 1.2% of all cancers. For 2018, the American Cancer Society estimates that the U.S. will see about 20,940 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
CLL is often slow growing or indolent and symptomless, and is typically found accidentally during routine blood tests. Depending on many factors, many patients are put on a "watch and wait" treatment approach and are followed by their hematologist/oncologist and primary care provider until symptoms become significant and require treatment. Many clinical trials are exploring the efficacy of starting treatment before symptoms present. Explore practical resources to implement in your cancer program or practice today.
For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.
This project is supported by Pharmacyclics and Janssen Oncology.
Three ACCC Cancer Program Members were selected to participate in custom-tailored quality improvement workshops. This publication highlights the quality improvement projects the participating ACCC Cancer Program Members developed as a result of the workshops. Learn about the various efforts of each site to improve care for patients with CLL in their respective settings—and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you to the following ACCC Cancer Program Member sites for their participation:
