Expert consensus on the management of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in Asia

Abstract

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in the standard treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) due to the availability of new potent drugs. However, the majority of data on CLL were derived from Western populations, with limited studies and guidelines on the management of CLL from an Asian population perspective. This consensus guideline aims to understand treatment challenges and suggest appropriate management approaches for CLL in the Asian population and other countries with a similar socio-economic profile. The following recommendations are based on a consensus by experts and an extensive literature review and contribute towards uniform patient care in Asia.

Keywords: Asia; BTK inhibitors; Bcl-2 inhibitors; Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; Treatment.

Fig. 1

Consensus process using a modified Delphi method

Fig. 2

Flow diagram of the recommended treatment algorithm for CLL. *Allogenic HCT may be considered an option in patients who are young and have failed all existing therapies. BTKi Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Bcl-2i B-cell lymphoma-2 inhibitors, CLL chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, CIT chemoimmunotherapy, HCT hematopoietic cell transplantation, IGHV immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene