MRD and Disease Monitoring

Knowing how well you are responding to any therapy is going to help guide whether it should be continued, changed, augmented, or stopped. There are lab tests and sometimes imaging and physical examinations that can help. One of the newest tools is testing for MRD, or measurable (AKA minimal) residual disease, which can detect very low levels of CLL in the blood or in the bone marrow, as explained in this basic article by Dr. Brian Koffman. This can help inform optimal management. 

The second half of this article deals with how we traditionally measure response to any CLL/SLL therapy, not only in a clinical trial, but in any and all settings. How we assess responses using complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable and progressive disease, and/or by using MRD is evolving quickly and will vary with the individual’s clinical circumstance.