ASH 2018: Dr. Siddiqi on the Practice Changing Lessons for Treating CLL

March 25, 2019

The annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology or ASH is where the most important CLL research is presented and the finding in 2018 brought us a sea of change in how chronic lymphocytic leukemia should be treated going forward.

Dr. Tanya Siddiqi from the City of Hope in Duarte, CA gets it.

Over the next weeks we will present interviews with most of the leading researchers on what has changed and will include a deeper dive into the game changing data that Dr. Siddiqi references and cover even more important studies and topics.

In this short interview, we share just the high points from a meeting full of CLL highlights.

Take Aways:

There were data from many large CLL studies that should change how CLL is treated.
There is essentially no role for chemo-immunotherapy of its own going forward.
Combining novel agents with shorter courses of chemo-immunotherapy is producing very strong results.
Fixed durations of novel agents are the future for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Curative therapies may be within reach, including using CAR-T.
Clinical trials are ongoing to determine the best combinations and approaches. They are often our best treatment option.

Conclusion:

If your CLL doctor doesn’t get these points, you need to get a second opinion.

Here is my ASH 2018 interview with Dr. Siddiqi.