TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia A1 - Awan, Farrukh T. A1 - Byrd, John C. A2 - Kaushansky, Kenneth A2 - Lichtman, Marshall A. A2 - Prchal, Josef T. A2 - Levi, Marcel M. A2 - Press, Oliver W. A2 - Burns, Linda J. A2 - Caligiuri, Michael PY - 2015 T2 - Williams Hematology, 9e AB - SUMMARYChronic lymphocytic leukemia is a malignancy of mature B cells characterized by progressive lymphocytosis, lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and cytopenias. The progressive accumulation of leukemic B cells is a consequence of defective apoptosis and survival signals derived from the microenvironment. Progressive disease results in dysregulation of the cellular and humoral components of the effector immune system with a resultant increase in the incidence of infectious complications, which constitutes the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in this disease. Significant therapeutic advances have been realized in recent years, especially with the development of well-tolerated targeted antibodies and kinase inhibitors. Although not curative, these therapies have resulted in significant improvements in patient outcomes with substantial increases in progression-free and overall survival intervals. Multiple novel agents are also in development with the potential to alter the treatment paradigms for this disease and ultimately to affect a cure. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - hemonc.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1149102369 ER -