Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common blood cancers in the United States and in North America. It typically affects older adults – approximately 80% of CLL patients are age 60 or older.

Through the Weill Cornell Medicine CLL Research Center, we have a multidisciplinary program specifically dedicated to providing the most advanced treatment and comprehensive care for patients with CLL. Our outstanding team includes physicians and scientists from a number of different sub-specialty areas including medical oncologists, pathologists, immunologists, transplant physicians, radiologists and radiation oncologists.

We have a long track record of improving outcomes for our patients through our personalized approach that takes us from the lab bench to the bedside, and back again. Our collaboration with clinical and laboratory researchers allows us to translate research insights into patient results.

A cancer diagnosis can affect your whole life, and we recognize that your needs likely extend beyond just receiving the best CLL treatment. At Weill Cornell Medicine we are able to provide complete care for all your ongoing and future medical needs. Within our healthcare network, we have access to world-renowned doctors in primary care, infectious diseases, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, surgery – to name just a few of the many medical specialties. We are committed to providing you with the best care, and our shared electronic medical record system ensures coordinated efforts. We also provide supportive services such as nutritional guidance, counselors, support groups, patient navigators, and more.

Our Team

Our team includes nationally and internationally recognized blood cancer experts. Through our collaboration between patient care and research, we have helped develop breakthrough CLL treatments, such as Ibrutinib and Idelalisib.

Additionally, our team is known for advanced work and published research in:

• High risk CLL (17p deletion)
• Richter’s Syndrome (RS), also known as Richter’s Transformation
• Improving the quality of life for people with CLL
• Novel combination therapies

Treatment

We pride ourselves on exceptional outcomes, and we offer the most advanced diagnostic methods and treatments whether you’ve been newly diagnosed with CLL or have been previously treated (refractory/relapsed CLL). Your unique CLL treatment plan will be determined based on your age, overall health, medical history and the stage of disease. Additionally, we strongly believe in partnering with our patients and will take into consideration your stated treatment preferences, tolerance for different medications, procedures, or therapies, as well as your goals and expectations for treatment. Each treatment regimen is designed to meet the specific needs of our patients and their families.

Some of the treatments that we offer include:

• Combinations of chemotherapy, such as:
• Venetoclax
• Ibrutinib
• Acalabrutinib
• Idelalisib
• Ofatumumab
• Obinutuzumab
• Bendamustine
• Selinexor
• Radiation therapy
• Leukapheresis – a procedure to remove excess lymphocytes from the body
• Bone marrow and stem cell transplantation
• Splenectomy – surgery to remove the spleen

Clinical Trials 

Clinical trials allow us to offer our patients the most promising and cutting-edge treatments, often years before they become widely available. At Weill Cornell Medicine, we conduct more studies in blood cancers than any of our regional peers, allowing us to provide our patients with access to many multi-phase clinical trials. View our current open CLL clinical trials.

Second Opinion

In concert with your referring physician, we are always available to offer a second opinion in the form of a consultation with one of our specialists. We frequently work with cancer doctors outside of New York City to help provide expert care.

Why Choose Us?

People living with CLL in New York City, throughout the United States, and around the world come to our program because we provide our patients with the highest level of care and the best available therapies. We are committed to moving the field forward and ultimately closer to a cure through a greater understanding of the cause, development and progression of CLL. We work to accomplish this by using the latest technology and science to identify the molecular, immunologic and cellular abnormalities that contribute to CLL. By using genomic testing we are able to identify risk factors for aggressive disease and potential resistance mechanisms. Through our improved understanding of the specific alterations in CLL, we are able to develop more effective and better-tolerated therapies for our patients.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call us at (646) 962-2064.

Weill Cornell Medical College is ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report year after year.