Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Research

Doctors and scientists from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine are testing new treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL) and finding new ways to use current treatments.

Through this work, we are looking for answers to two main questions: How can we do even better at controlling these diseases? How can we make treatments less toxic and easier on patients?

We have been part of, and led, many clinical trials of promising therapies that later became the standard of care.

Standard care A treatment or other intervention currently being used and considered to be of proven effectiveness based on past studies.

Clinical trials

We have many clinical trials testing dozens of approaches to CLL/SLL. Some of the therapies we are studying are:

Early intervention for people with high-risk CLL
Novel (new) targeted therapies and new combinations that get good results, even though they only need to be taken for a limited time
Immunotherapies, including antibody therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors and cellular immunotherapies, like CAR T-cell therapy
Blood and marrow transplant regimens (treatment plans)

When your care team designs your treatment plan, they will give you the choice to join clinical trials that match your situation. If you decide to join one, you will see the same doctors and nurses as you would for standard therapy.

Your care team will talk with you about if you might want to join a study and why. This can help you make the decision that is best for you.

Antibody A protein made by immune system cells and released into the blood. Antibodies defend the body against foreign substances, such as bacteria. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies. Standard care A treatment or other intervention currently being used and considered to be of proven effectiveness based on past studies. Targeted therapy A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells while causing less harm to normal cells. A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells while causing less harm to normal cells. Some targeted therapies block the action of certain enzymes, proteins or other molecules involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells. Other types of targeted therapies help the immune system kill cancer cells, or they deliver toxic substances directly to cancer cells and kill them. Targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatment. Most targeted therapies are either small molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies. Treatment plan A detailed plan with information about a patient’s disease, the goal of treatment, the treatment options for the disease and the possible side effects and expected length of treatment. A detailed plan with information about a patient’s disease, the goal of treatment, the treatment options for the disease and the possible side effects and expected length of treatment. A treatment plan may also include information about how much the treatment is likely to cost and about regular follow-up care after treatment ends.

Patient Guide to Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials for CLL

Featured Stories

Understanding treatment options for standard- and high-risk CLL 

Current treatment options of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) go far beyond chemotherapy. Thanks to novel agents like ibrutinib, acalabrutinib and venetoclax, there are now chemotherapy-free treatment options that can potentially minimize treatment time and side effects for every patient with CLL.

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Understanding treatment options for standard- and high-risk CLL 

When it comes to modern blood and marrow transplants, age is just a number

Times have changed. Starting in the early 2000s, advances in blood and marrow transplants have made them less toxic and opened up the procedure to nearly everyone. This has saved and lengthened lives.

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When it comes to modern blood and marrow transplants, age is just a number

Research highlights

A CLL Patient’s CAR T-cell Therapy Success Story

Mike Boston came to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for an early, experimental CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial after other treatments stopped working against his disease. Hear what his experience was like with this therapy, which he says saved his life.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy A type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells. A type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells. T cells are taken from a patient’s blood. Then, in the laboratory, the gene for a special receptor that binds to a certain protein on the patient’s cancer cells is added to the T cells. This special receptor is called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Large numbers of the CAR T cells are grown in the laboratory and given to the patient by infusion. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is used to treat certain blood cancers, and it is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Also called CAR T-cell therapy. Clinical trial A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of a disease.

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