Importance of prognostic factors in the treatment of CLL and how to assess them

William Wierda, MD, PhD from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX talks about the importance of prognostic factors in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The most important tool to assess prognostic factors is fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which is used when patients first need treatment and for any subsequent treatments, as patients can acquire chromossomal abnormalities as the disease progresses. Certain chromossomal changes, such as IgVH mutations, are important in the context of clinical trials, as they are directly associated with prognosis.