Treating CLL Patients who Harbor the 17p Deletion

William G. Wierda, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses treatment options for patients with CLL who harbor the 17p deletion.

Clinical Pearls:

• CLL patients who have a 17p deletion and have been previously treated are at the highest risk
• Untreated patients experience a short first remission following standard treatment
• Untreated patients could benefit from frontline ibrutinib, as early data have shown that ibrutinib improves the survival of relapsed patients
• There is no standard treatment for patients with 17p deletion​