Re-evaluation of response criteria in chronic
lymphocytic leukemia and the significance of minimal residual
disease
Michael Hallek
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common lymphoid malignancies in the developed world, affecting approximately 120,000 people annually in the USA and Europe. The disease has a very variable clinical course; many patients survive for decades without requiring treatment and die of unrelated causes, whereas other patients develop more aggressive forms of the disease that lead to an early death. Traditionally, the approach to the management of CLL has been watchful waiting, with clinical staging (Rai or Binet) providing limited prognostic information. [>Read full article in PDF]