Disease background
CLL is numerically the most important leukaemia diagnosis in Western Europe,1 accounting for around 30% of all leukaemias.2 CLL occurs predominantly in the elderly and at diagnosis more than 85% of patients are aged >55 years, with a median age of 72 years.2 The median overall survival of patients is about 10 years but this can vary widely.3 In fact the impact of CLL on a patient’s life expectancy can be hard to determine because the disease can run an indolent course in some patients without significantly shortening life expectancy, while in others it progresses rapidly and aggressively (survival following diagnosis may be 2–3 years or less).3
CLL can significantly affect patients’ quality of life as a result of disease-related symptoms such as fatigue, treatment-related side effects and the psychological, socio-economic and functional effects of living with the disease.4 The emotional well-being of patients with CLL has been shown to be considerably lower than that of the general population, as well as patients with other types of cancer (p=0.001).5
References
- Parkin DM. Lancet Oncol 2001;2:533–543.
- Ries LAG, Melbert D, Krapcho M. SEER Cancer Statistics Review http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2005/ accessed 2008.
- Montserrat E. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 2006:279–284.
- Molica S. Leuk Lymphoma 2005;46:1709–1714.
- Shanafelt TD, Bowen D, Venkat C, et al. Br J Haematol 2007;139:255–264.
