Dr. Eradat on the Unmet Needs in CLL

Herbert A. Eradat, MD, associate professor, University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, discusses unmet needs in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

A subset of patients with CLL harbor a 17p deletion or p53 mutation that causes a loss of p53 function, explains Eradat. Additionally, there are patients who have a complex karyotype or unstable genome. Although these patients respond to existing therapies, the durability of the response is poor.

Younger patients pose a particular challenge, says Eradat. This subgroup often presents with the same mutations but because of age, they may run out of therapy options more quickly than older patients.

Patients with Richter’s transformation are also an area of unmet need in CLL, concludes Eradat, because like patients with p53 mutations, those with Richter’s transformation have short responses to treatment.