Ail, the Italian association against leukemia, lymphomas and myeloma, on the occasion of the World Day of Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia on September 1st, launches the campaign ‘The line of emotions’, created by McCann Health thanks to the unconditional contribution of Abbvie. The project is aimed at patients who live daily with the disease and their caregivers – reads a note – and wants to give voice to all the stories and emotions related to their treatment path, from diagnosis to therapy. Living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a flow of emotions and from 1st September to 31st October it will be possible to express them on the platform dedicated to the project.
On Thursday 1 September at 11 am the platform will be presented in live streaming on the website lalineadelleemozioni.it and all the details and steps of the Ail project will be told. The event will be attended by Antonio Cuneo, full professor of Hematology at the University of Ferrara; Pino Toro, national president of AIL, and Felice Bombaci, contact person for Ail Patient Groups.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – remember Ail – is a haematological neoplasm that consists of an accumulation of lymphocytes in the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic organs (lymph nodes and spleen). In CLL one of these lymphocytes (usually a B lymphocyte) undergoes a malignant transformation and produces a lymphocyte clone, that is a set of a large number of identical cells that no longer respond to physiological stimuli and become immortal, continuing to reproduce and accumulate . CLL is the most frequent form of leukemia in adults in the West and the incidence is estimated at 5 cases per 100,000 people. The disease is typical of the older age, with 40% of diagnoses made over the age of 75 and only 15% by the age of 50. The average age at diagnosis is about 70 years, with a slight prevalence of men compared to women.
The course of the disease is extremely heterogeneous, the note continues. Alongside forms of the disease that remain stable for years, aggressive forms that evolve rapidly occur. In most cases, however, it is a slowly progressing disease and, in the case of older patients (over 75 years of age), it can be difficult to find a difference in life expectancy compared to the general population.
Given the complexity of the disease, the therapeutic strategy must be evaluated in relation to many factors, first of all the stage of the disease. The therapeutic scenario has been revolutionized in recent years by the advent of specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as the PI3Kdelta inhibitor, idelalisib, and above all the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Ibrutinib. These inhibitors work by blocking the proliferation pathways of lymphocytes, which are very active in LLc, thus resulting in the arrest of the growth of leukemic cells. The advent of venetoclax – a BCL2 inhibitor that acts by favoring the cell death pathways of Lymphocytes of the LLC – represented a huge step forward, with very positive results, alone or in combination, both in relapsed patients and in early line.