MONTHLY QUIZ:
All the following are true about CLL / SLL except:
- All with CLL / SLL, even those off therapy or who’ve never been treated, are immunocompromised.
- Some CLL / SLL patients have lived more that 50 years with their cancer.
- Many CLL / SLL patients will never need treatments and will have a normal life expectancy.
- Nearly all who do need treatment for their CLL / SLL have a shortened life expectancy.
- As CLL / SLL patients are living longer, complications such as second cancers and infections are causing more deaths than the CLL / SLL itself.
ANSWER: # 4 is no longer true. With today’s excellent targeted therapies, many CLL patients, including those who require treatment can expect to live a normal life span. All the other answers are correct.
NEWS: The end-of-year Support Group Member Survey is open! Please ask all your members to complete the survey and provide their feedback to help demonstrate the value and impact of these groups, and help us improve the program.
The last episode of our Season 2 podcast, CareCast, is now live! Anchored in Knowledge: Navigating CLL at Sea features Ed McNichol, a deep-sea imaging specialist who shares how he balances long stretches at sea with the challenges of a CLL diagnosis—finding resilience, connection, and empowerment through shared decision-making and CLL Society’s Support Groups.
Join CLL Society for our next webinar on January 14, ASH 2025 Comes to You! Featuring Drs. Adam Kittai and Brian Koffman, bringing you breaking news and research from ASH.
If you missed our Learning Insights program in Shared Decision Making, you can watch the interview and test your knowledge.
If you missed our virtual event, Ask Me Anything featuring Dr. Meghan C. Thompson and patient advocate Michele Nadeem-Baker, you can catch the replay on our on-demand page.
THE BASICS: Antibodies. This is the final lesson in our year of CLL education through the Bloodlines. We start all over next year. Antibodies are protein produced by the B lymphocytes in response to specific antigens or proteins. Antibodies attach to surface proteins that our bodies recognize as foreign, such as bacteria and viruses. When we check our immunoglobulins (IGA, IGG, IGM), we are measuring our antibodies. Manmade antibodies, because they are cloned, are called monoclonal antibodies. In CLL, they are engineered to attack surface markers such as CD20 found on all B cells including normal and CLL cells. Examples are rituximab and obinutuzumab. Antibodies are a type of immunotherapy.
WORD/ACRONYM OF THE MONTH: Bispecific T-cell Engager or BITE: A BITE is a manmade antibody that simultaneously binds two different proteins (antigens), usually one that targets cancer cells and the other T cells, pulling them close together to facilitate killing of the cancer. They are experimental in CLL.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: Giving Tuesday Transforms Lives. This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 2. We hope everyone has had a chance to participate in our Giving Tuesday “double your donation” campaign to raise $125,000. If not, don’t forget that you can make a donation to support CLL Society at any time – and there is no time like the present! As we approach the end of the calendar year, we know that even though the year may be ending, the needs of all of us living with CLL and SLL will not end so soon. We need your help to make sure CLL society will be here next year and for years to come. Don’t forget that CLL Society accepts qualified charitable donations from your IRA as well as gifts of stock, and even real estate. If you have questions about how to make your donation, please reach out to Ron Katz at [email protected] for guidance.
If the CLL Society has helped you or a loved one, please consider making a donation.
