Authored by Ann Liu, PhD
Medically Reviewed by Brian Koffman, MDCM )retired), MSEd
The Bottom Line:
Educational initiatives that incorporate patient perspectives can help address gaps in healthcare provider knowledge and skills in CLL care.
Who Performed the Research and Where Was it Presented:
Dr. Carmine Deluca from PeerView Institute for Medical Education and colleagues presented the results at the American Society for Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in 2025.
Background:
The treatment landscape for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) / small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) has substantially improved over the last 15 years. Yet, relapses and other failures after typically effective treatments, such as Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) and B-cell lymphoma 2 inhibitors (BCL2i), occur. Oncology teams need to be prepared to implement sequential treatment plans that are informed by the latest scientific evidence and account for patient preferences.
Methods and Participants:
In collaboration with the CLL Society, researchers surveyed 219 patients with CLL / SLL, developed a curriculum, offered it to 731 cancer specialists, and assessed changes in knowledge and attitudes.
Results:
- Patient reported:
- Typically, receiving consistent guidance and support from their healthcare team (65%).
- Often facing decreased support during later lines of care (27%).
- Important factors when planning their treatment included safety/tolerability (72%), long-term efficacy (68%), quality of life (66%), and treatment location (40%).
Healthcare professionals improved knowledge and clinical decision-making related to sequential care in relapsed / refractory CLL, including:
- Recognizing that noncovalent BTKi can be an appropriate treatment in multiple scenarios of relapsed / refractory (46% pre-course 80% post-course).
- Will consider performing BTKi resistance testing after a patient experienced clinical progression (24% pre-course to 62% post-course).
- Plan to engage with patients when making decisions for post-covalent-BTKi treatment (68% increased to 95%) or addressing symptoms flagged as important by patients (67% increased to 90%).
Conclusions:
With a one-hour educational program, healthcare professionals increased their understanding of the management of relapsed / refractory CLL and their likelihood of engagement with patients when developing treatment plans. Patients with complex needs should seek care from clinicians with these skills or encourage them to obtain advanced training, which is freely available for medical education credit through the CLL Society site at: https://cllsociety.org/clinician-resource-library-cme-offerings/
Links and Resources:
You can read the actual ASH abstract here: Integrating patient and clinician perspectives to advance R/R CLL care: Results of a multi-pronged global initiative
Take care of yourself first.
Ann Liu, PhD
