Tell me about Leukemia (CLL)

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, I called my parents on Sunday, and my mom told me that my father has leukemia, CLL to be precise. She said the doctors said that as far as leukemia goes, it’s the best kind to have, and after 6 months of chemo ( :eek: ) he has a 85 to 90% chance of being “cured.” I didn’t want to press her or my dad for info, and my searches on-line have taught me a lot about it, but I’m still wondering how everything is going to turn out. So, please share any stories or information you might have about CLL, chemo, and how to help my parents through this whole thing. Here are some questions I’d like answered, just to get the ball rolling. Any other info or comments are also welcome, of course:

Is there any way to determine how my father will react to chemo?
When my mom said “cured,” does that mean it’s gone, or in remission (or is that the same thing)?
Is it hereditary?

Random info: My dad is around 59 years old, fairly active, in pretty good shape, and never gets sick.

Thanks

2

I don’t have much experience with CLL, other than that the company I work for is conducting a clinical trial for treatment of CLL. I checked out the basic stats, and since your dad hasn’t been treated for it before, he wouldn’t be a candidate for our trial.

But in case you’re interested, here’s the trial we’re running. Maybe it will give you some things to think about or questions to ask.

Ligand Ontak clinical trials

Good luck to you guys.

3

My Dad has CLL. He’s in his late 60s, has never been a picture of health, and I’m really not that worried. Most people with CLL, I believe, die from something else before the CLL gets bad enough to really worry about. He does do chemo from time to time, and everything seems to be going well.

Of course that’s most people who do ok, not all people, and I wish only the best for you and your father.