About this Research Topic

Background

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the clonal expansion of mature B lymphocytes in the blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues. It is the most prevalent form of leukemia in Western countries, primarily affecting older adults, with a median age at diagnosis of approximately 70 years. Despite its indolent clinical course, CLL exhibits considerable heterogeneity in its progression, with some patients experiencing an aggressive disease course requiring prompt intervention, while others remain asymptomatic or exhibit stable disease for extended periods.

The pathogenesis of CLL is multifaceted, involving complex interactions between genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and dysregulated immune responses. Key molecular aberrations implicated in CLL pathophysiology include chromosomal disruptions, gene mutations, epigenetic abnormalities, as well as alterations in B cell receptor signaling pathways and the tumor microenvironment.

Management strategies for CLL have evolved significantly in recent years, reflecting advances in our understanding of disease biology and the development of targeted therapies. Treatment decisions are guided by disease stage, prognostic factors, and patient-specific considerations, with agents targeting B cell signaling molecules (e.g., covalent and no-covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors), BCL2 inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy. Supporting agents such as immunoglobulin replacement therapies, vaccines, and passive immunotherapies are also of paramount importance in the management of patients and to prevent their infections. Furthermore, in the next future, assessment of measurable residual disease (MRD) and mutations of BTK and/or BCL2 might become useful in the selection of treatment. Although CLL remains incurable, contemporary treatment approaches have substantially prolonged progression-free and overall survival rates, underscoring the importance of ongoing research efforts aimed at elucidating CLL pathogenesis, identifying predictive biomarkers, and refining therapeutic strategies to optimize clinical outcomes for patients with this complex disease.

This Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Case Reports focusing on, but not limited to:

- Prognostic markers for CLL
- BTK inhibitors in CLL
- BCL2 inhibitors in CLL
- CAR-T therapy for the management of CLL
- Protein degraders for the management of CLL

Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, CLL, CAR-T, BCL-2 inhibitor, BTK inhibitor, protein degraders, prognostic markers

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