Questions About Cancer? 1-800-4-CANCER

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)

Health Professional Version
Last Modified: 01/19/2012

Stage 0 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Current Clinical Trials

Note: Some citations in the text of this section are followed by a level of evidence. The PDQ editorial boards use a formal ranking system to help the reader judge the strength of evidence linked to the reported results of a therapeutic strategy. (Refer to the PDQ summary on Levels of Evidence 1 for more information.)

Because of the indolent nature of stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), treatment is not indicated.[1] The French Cooperative Group on CLL randomly assigned 1,535 patients with previously untreated stage A disease to receive either chlorambucil or no immediate treatment and found no survival advantage for immediate treatment with chlorambucil.[2][Level of evidence: 1iiA] A meta-analysis of six trials of immediate versus deferred therapy with chlorambucil (including the aforementioned trial by the French Cooperative Group) showed no difference in overall survival at 10 years.[3][Level of evidence: 1iiA] Whether immediate therapy with the nucleoside analogs or other newer strategies will be superior to a watchful waiting approach is uncertain.

Current Clinical Trials

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia 2. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.

General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site 3.

References

  1. Casper JT: Prognostic features of early chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. International Workshop on CLL. Lancet 2 (8669): 968-9, 1989. 

  2. Dighiero G, Maloum K, Desablens B, et al.: Chlorambucil in indolent chronic lymphocytic leukemia. French Cooperative Group on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. N Engl J Med 338 (21): 1506-14, 1998.  [PUBMED Abstract]

  3. Chemotherapeutic options in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a meta-analysis of the randomized trials. CLL Trialists' Collaborative Group. J Natl Cancer Inst 91 (10): 861-8, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]





Glossary Terms

Level of evidence 1iiA
Randomized, controlled, nonblinded clinical trial with total mortality as an endpoint. See Levels of Evidence for Adult and Pediatric Cancer Treatment Studies (PDQ®) for more information.

Table of Links

1http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/levels-evidence-adult-treatment/HealthPr
ofessional
2http://www.cancer.gov/Search/ClinicalTrialsLink.aspx?Diagnosis=37766&tt=1&a
mp;format=2&cn=1
3http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials