Recent advances in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was largely considered to be a disease of slow progression, standard treatment with Chlorambucil and having almost similar prognosis. With the introduction of molecular methods for understanding the disease pathophysiology in CLL there has been a remarkable change in the approach towards the disease. The variation in B-cell receptor response and immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) mutation, genetic aberration and defect in apoptosis and proliferation has had an impact on therapy initiation and prognosis. Early diagnosis of molecular variant is therefore necessary in CLL.