By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: New Oral Blood Cancer Treatments Bring True Excitement in CLL and CML
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > New Oral Blood Cancer Treatments Bring True Excitement in CLL and CML
Specialties

New Oral Blood Cancer Treatments Bring True Excitement in CLL and CML

Andrew Schorr
Andrew Schorr
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Is chemo dead? Maybe not yet, but in some diseases it is fading fast. In 2000 I was one of the early patients to receive FCR for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a phase II trial, and thousands have followed. The F and the C are chemotherapies and they are not kind to your body. Many patients, including me, have received a long remission and we are, of course, very grateful. But others have not done nearly as well. So the search for better, less toxic cancer treatments has continued.

Is chemo dead? Maybe not yet, but in some diseases it is fading fast. In 2000 I was one of the early patients to receive FCR for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a phase II trial, and thousands have followed. The F and the C are chemotherapies and they are not kind to your body. Many patients, including me, have received a long remission and we are, of course, very grateful. But others have not done nearly as well. So the search for better, less toxic cancer treatments has continued. Now the research appears to be paying off.

As we reported from the very recent ASH (American Society of Hematology) meeting in Atlanta, CLL leaders like Dr. John Byrd from Ohio State and Jan Burger from MD Anderson were extremely pleased with results from clinical trials of Ibrutinib, a targeted oral therapy, for a wide range of patients, including some with the most difficult to treat forms of the disease. Dr. Byrd was truly excited and other CLL doctors, observing the results, see a new, non-chemo day coming very soon for CLL. Other drugs, most of them pills one can take at home, show great promise, as well.

The excitement doesn’t stop with CLL. A drug that had been known as ponatinib for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) was also reported as a breakthrough medicine. Again, this was a targeted oral therapy, best known for helping CML patients with the resistant T315i mutation, but also seen as a more powerful agent for people with other forms of resistance.

More Read

The Most Common Birth Injuries In Newborns
5 Ways To Manage Injuries After A Vehicular Accident
Precision And Comfort: The Role Of Lasers In Minimally Invasive Dentistry
The Lessons of Stuart Scott
Bone Density Tests – Too Many Not a Good Thing

We knew this was big news and was expected to be the validation the FDA needed to give the drug accelerated approval early in 2013. But the FDA, criticized in the past for slow approvals, was watching too, and only days after the news conference at ASH the FDA approved the drug, which now has the brand name of Iclusig.

A Seattle family is very familiar with these developments. Hans Loland entered a Phase I trial after it was discovered that he had the rare T315i mutation, which rendered the standard, approved therapies ineffective. Hans already was familiar with the disease because his best friend had also been diagnosed with CML just months before. The trial showed signs of success, giving Hans and his wife the confidence to have the third child (Cooper) they had always wanted, as he shared in his Powerful Patient video.

Given that there are now six approved and effective treatments for CML you can expect tremendous chatter about which patient should receive which drug, when, and for how long. Stay tuned, as we are committed to following this and other developments closely. Be sure to be signed up for our alerts for the condition that’s most important to you or your loved one so that you can stay informed of these developments with us.

Wishing you and your family the best of health!

Andrew

TAGGED:cancerpharmacology
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

CardiologyWellness

A Heart to Heart about the Effects of Exercise on Cardiovascular Health

January 16, 2013

Palliative Care and the Patient Experience

July 2, 2012

“Generic Medical Devices” FDA Approved Doctor Preferred Orthopedic Implants Made in the USA Costing 50% Less

December 19, 2011
know about postpartum sciatica
PregnancySpecialties

What You Need To Know About Postpartum Sciatica

August 20, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?