Since the average age of patients who are diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia is 75, patients who are diagnosed often have other medical problems which require a solution with a minimum of side effects. Earlier in 2013, a phase 2 clinical trial evaluated the oral medication Idelalisib in combination with rituximab and saw promising results.
Published immediately in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the results of a phase III clinical trial showing improved survival, with little difference in side effects versus rituximab, and intravenous medication which is generally well tolerated by patients.
Click below for details, but the point of my post is that 2014 is adding up to be a potentially exciting year in regards to advances in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common leukemia. New treatments have strong anti-cancer properties without the same side effects from older medications.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1315226?query=TOC
