May 8, 2018

Friends,

I spent my first weekend home and it was wonderful. Working to get stronger every day, but so appreciative of the positive effects of the CAR-T treatment and the support from all of you. Thank you!

This week we are posting an interview from ASH 2017 with Dr. Constantine Tam from Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia where we discussed on the Prognostic Value of IVGH mutation status in CLL You can read my summary and view the interview here.

FREE SECOND OPINION! We are thrilled that we have received funding to continue the CLL Society Expert Access™ program that began as a pilot in the Fall of 2017! We frequently write and speak about how access to a CLL expert is critical to ensure receiving the best possible care and has proven to improve survival. This program provides free second opinions for CLL patients who have not had or who are not able to secure such access. Find out more and apply for the program here.

CLL Patient Support Group Meetings Coming Up

NEW CLL SUPPORT GROUP MEETING IN ROCHESTER NY (May 23^rd)! Stay tuned for more information!

Tuesday, May 8^th at 7:00 PM in Orange, CA – The Orange County CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Wednesday, May 9^th at 7:00 PM in Salt Lake City, UT – The Salt Lake City CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Saturday, May 12^th at 12:30 PM in North Worcester, MA – The Central Massachusetts CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be hosting their FIRST meeting. More information here.

Saturday, May 12^th at 1:00 PM in Gig Harbor, WA – The Seattle/Olympic Peninsula CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be hosting their FIRST meeting. More information here.

Tuesday, May 15^th at 7:00 PM in Chicago, IL – The Chicago CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Thursday, May 17^th at 6:00 PM in Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Thursday, May 17^th at 7:00 PM in Minnetonka, MN – The Twin Cities CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Thursday, May 17^th at 7:00 PM in Denver, CO – The Denver CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Saturday, May 19^th at 10:00 AM in Belmont, NC – The Charlotte CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Saturday, May 19^th at 10:30 AM in Tampa, FL – The Central Florida CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

Saturday, May 19^th at 3:00 PM in Vienna, VA – The Washington DC-Area CLL Support Group, sponsored by the CLL Society will be meeting. More information here.

CLL Patient Education Meetings

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Sponsored Meetings

Saturday, May 19^th from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM in Durham, NC

LLS invites you to attend Living Well with CLL: Diagnosis, Treatments and Support being held at the DoubleTree Hilton Raleigh Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park. Danielle Brander, MD from Duke Cancer Institute will be presenting. This event is free but registration is required. Lunch will be provided to registered attendees. Find out more information and register here.

Thursday, May 31^st from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM in Bloomington, MN

LLS invites you to attend Living Well with CLL: Diagnosis, Treatments and Support being held at the Marriott Minneapolis Airport in Bloomington, MN. Veronika Bachanova, MD, PhD and William Robiner, PhD, ABPP, LP from University of Minnesota will be presenting. This event is free but registration is required. Dinner will be provided to registered attendees. Find out more information here. Register here.

Thursday, June 7th from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM in Valley View, OH

LLS invites you to attend Living Well with CLL: Diagnosis, Treatments and Support being held at the LockKeepers in Valley View, OH. Brian Hill, MD, PhD from the Cleveland Clinic and Linda Baer MSN, APRN, AOCNP from the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center will be presenting. This event is free but registration is required. Dinner will be provided to registered attendees. Find out more information and Register here.

Lymphoma Research Foundation Sponsored Meetings

Wednesday, May 9th from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM in New Orleans, LA

The Lymphoma Research Foundation invites you to attend a FREE program: Ask the Doctor About Lymphoma: Updates on Lymphoma and Treatment Options at the New Orleans Marriott featuring Suki Subbiah, MD from the LSU Healthcare Network Clinic. Find out more information and register here.

Tuesday, May 29th from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM in Philadelphia, PA

The Lymphoma Research Foundation invites you to attend a FREE program: Ask the Doctor About Lymphoma: Updates on Lymphoma and Treatment Options at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel featuring Stefan Barta, MD, MS, MRCP from the Fox Chase Cancer Center. Find out more information and register here.

In the meantime….

Stay strong.

We are all in this together.

Brian Koffman, MD