Prognostic factors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a neoplasm with uniquely heterogeneous course, which still makes it difficult to decide about the onset time and the choice of therapy. For this reason recent research on this disease focus simultaneously on understanding its biology, discovering novel prognostic factors and on incorporating new therapeutic agents in the treatment of CLL. These efforts also aim at proposing new prognostic systems which combine clinical and biological aspects of the disease with special consideration of the results of cytogenetic and molecular tests. In this literature review we present the current knowledge about the value of novel and the applicability of traditional prognostic factors in CLL.