Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Spanish Group (GELLC)

Introduction: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukemia in adults in Western countries, with a median age at diagnosis of 72 years. This guide, developed by the Spanish Group for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (GELLC), addresses the most relevant aspects of CLL, with the objectives of facilitating and aiding the diagnostic process, establishing therapeutic recommendations for choosing the best treatment for each type of patient, as well as standardizing the management of CLL and ensuring equity across different hospitals in terms of the use of the various available treatment regimens.

Methodology: The references obtained were classified according to the level of evidence and following the criteria established by the Agency for Health Research and Quality, and the recommendations were classified according to the criteria of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).

Diagnosis: The diagnosis of CLL requires the presence of 5 × 10⁹/l clonal B lymphocytes with the characteristic phenotype (CD19, CD5, CD20, CD23, and kappa or lambda chain restriction) demonstrated by flow cytometry in peripheral blood and maintained for at least 3 months. The presence of cytopenia caused by a typical bone marrow infiltrate establishes the diagnosis of CLL, regardless of the number of circulating lymphocytes or existing lymph node involvement. CLL and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) are the same disease with different presentations, so they should be treated the same way. Current international guidelines recommend FISH with the 4 probes as a mandatory test in clinical practice to guide the prognosis of patients. They also recommend determining the mutational status of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) before the first treatment and detecting TP53 mutations before the first and subsequent relapses.

Treatment: Treatment should be initiated in symptomatic patients with criteria for active disease according to iwCLL. The first aspect to highlight is the prioritization of targeted therapies over immunochemotherapy. In first-line treatment, for patients with del(17p) and/or TP53 mutation, the best therapeutic option is a second-generation covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) administered indefinitely, while in cases without del(17p) or TP53 mutation with mutated IGHV, time-limited therapy with a combination including a BCL2 inhibitor (BCL2i) should be considered as the first therapeutic option. For patients with unmutated IGHV, both continuous BTKi and finite therapy with BCL2i are valid options that should be individually evaluated considering potential toxicities, drug interactions, patient preference, and logistical aspects. In very frail patients, supportive treatment should be considered. In relapse/refractory patients, prior treatment, the biological risk of CLL, the duration of response (if prior finite treatment), or the reason for stopping BTKi (if prior continuous treatment) should be considered.