March 16 , 2021

Dear Readers,

Special articles lead our Alert content this week, as the world is still abuzz with COVID-19 progress. CLL Society has curated and analyzed this information to highlight the most relevant issues for blood cancer patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Adaptive Biotech, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) each have new content that we are pleased to share with you. A last reminder, please complete our CLL Society Audience Survey; your feedback is important to us.

CLL Society Audience Survey 

Final chance to participate! CLL Society believes strongly in equitable access to quality education, support, and care. Our goal is to provide valuable resources and a supportive community to all CLL patients and caregivers during their journey. We have put together a brief survey in collaboration with graduate students from Indiana University to find out more about your experience with CLL Society. We value your feedback and would be grateful if you would complete the survey, here.

COVID-19: CDC Recommendations for Those Who Are Fully Vaccinated 

On March 8th, the CDC issued its Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People. Drs. Brian Koffman and Neil Kay offer their take as to how the recommendations do and do not apply to CLL patients. Read the article here.

COVID-19: Have You Had It? 

Big news! Adaptive Biotech has received an FDA emergency use authorization for its unique T-Detect™ COVID test. This is a very sensitive blood test to look for past COVID infection by analyzing T-cells rather than antibodies, which may be a more accurate indicator in CLL patients. Learn more here.

COVID-19: How to Schedule a Vaccine Appointment  

Have you been frustrated while trying to book a vaccine appointment near you? Check out the tips in this video accompanying this WSJ article here, then scroll to the bottom for five points of additional help.

COVID-19: Adding Your COVID-19 Info to the LLS National Patient Registry 

CLL Society is supporting the work of LLS as it mobilizes a massive National Patient Registry database to best answer multiple longitudinal questions concerning blood cancer patients, including the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Click here if you would like to participate, or learn more about this initiative.

Conference Coverage 

ASH 2020: In this video, Dr. Christopher Pleyer discusses the effect of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (BTKis) on the efficacy of adjuvanted recombinant Hepatitis B and Herpes Zoster vaccines in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which may have potential implications for the new COVID-19 vaccinations.

CLL Society Virtual Events 

COVID-19 Virtual Community Meeting: Contagion, Variants, and Vaccines

Join us on Friday, March 26th (11:00 AM PT, 12:00 PM MT, 1:00 PM CT, and 2:00 PM ET) for CLL Society’s COVID-19 Virtual Community Meeting with CLL experts Drs. Steve Rosen and Alexey Danilov, infectious disease physician Dr. Sanjeet Dadwal, lab scientist Dr. Susan Leclair, and CLL Society’s own Dr. Brian Koffman, who will present the most up-to-date COVID-19 information and answer audience questions. Register hereand submit your questions!

CAR-T Ed Forum: The Basic Science and Latest Data 

Please join CLL Society for a two-hour event on Wednesday, April 21st (10:00 AM PT, 11:00 AM MT, 12:00 PM CT, and 1:00 PM ET) as we continue to strengthen your learning about CAR-T therapy. Dr. John Pagel will define CAR-T, explain how it works, and share where this treatment might be headed in the future. Dr. Tanya Siddiqi’s ongoing CAR-T clinical trial at the City of Hope National Medical Center is well known. She will be on-hand to present her most current data showing the success of CAR-T therapy in CLL, both with and without ibrutinib. Dr. Larry & Sharon Saltzman will share their CLL CAR-T journey from the doctor-turned-patient perspective and the caregiver’s point of view. Learn more and register here!

Other Events 

NCCN: CLL Society’s Dr. Brian Koffman joins Dr. Jennifer Brown for “Know What Your Doctors Know: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)” April 21st & April 26th. Learn more here.

Cancer Care: CLL Society’s Patricia Koffman joins Drs. Adam Kittai, Lindsey Roeker, and Deborah Stephens for Cancer Care’s March 25th Update on CLL. Learn more here.

Please visit our Upcoming CLL Patient Education page for a list of additional CLL events.

CAR-T Survey 

Please take our CAR-T Survey! At ASH 2020 we learned that CAR-T cells may soon have an important place in treating CLL. As CLL Society continues to plan educational programs around these important developments, please help us by sharing what you currently know about CAR-T therapy. Take our CAR-T survey here. Thank you!

Check out our Paid Research Opportunities page for additional surveys and interviews for CLL patients and caregivers.

Please Support CLL Society

CLL Society is the only CLL-specific, physician-curated public charity dedicated to meeting the unmet needs of CLL patients and their caregivers which holds the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency.

We are all in this together.

Patty Koffman
Co-Founder & Communications Director
CLL Society

CLL Society Support Group Meetings Coming Up!

CLL Society Support Group meetings have moved to a virtual platform for most locations due to the threat of coronavirus. Support group members will receive an invitation to register for the meeting from the support group facilitator. If you are new to the group, please contact the RSVP email for the Support Group in your region. Once it is safe again, we will resume in-person meetings.

Visit the individual event listings on our website for the most up-to-date information on all CLL Society Support Group meetings.