Prognostic features and survival in young adults with early/intermediate chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL): a single institution study.

Information regarding natural history and prognostic factors for early/intermediate B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) in young adults is limited. We analysed 62 young adults (< or = 50 years old) with early/intermediate B-CLL who were seen at our institution during initial diagnosis over a 15-year period. These patients had been followed for a median duration of 7 years. Median age for the entire group was 44 years and 72% were > or = 40 years old. Actuarial median survival from initial diagnosis for the entire group was 140 months. Upon univariate analysis, significant survival advantage was observed in patients with Rai stages 0 and 1 versus stage II disease (median survival 140 versus 60 months, p = 0.01) and in those with lymphocyte doubling time (LDT) of > 1 year versus < or = 1 year (median survival 150+ versus 94 months, p = 0.06). Similarly there was a trend towards longer survival in patients with a leucocyte count of < or = 50,000/microliters when compared to those with higher counts although the difference was not statistically significant. The bone marrow infiltration pattern was not prognostically useful. Upon multivariate analysis, only Rai stage and LDT were prognostically useful. Patients who did not respond to initial therapy with alkylating agents had the worst prognosis, with a median survival of only 19 months. Assessment of presenting clinical stage, LDT, and degree of initial treatment response may prompt earlier consideration of alternative therapeutic modalities such as purine nucleoside analogs or bone marrow transplantation in younger patients with early/intermediate B-CLL.