title: Lenalidomide can be highly effective in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia despite T-cell depletion and deletion of chromosome 17p.
abstract: Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory agent with activity in a range of haematological cancers including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However, major questions remain concerning its effectiveness in patients with T-cell depletion or deletion of TP53 on chromosome 17p. This case report provides insight into these questions by showing that lenalidomide/dexamethasone in combination can be highly effective as induction therapy for refractory 17p-CLL, that remission quality can be improved by subsequent maintenance with lenalidomide alone and that the anti-leukaemic effects of lenalidomide and its stimulatory effects on non-malignant B cells are preserved despite prolonged T-cell depletion resulting from prior alemtuzumab/methylprednisolone.
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Clinical Haematology, Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arumainathan
authors.forename: Nagesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalakonda
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Pettitt
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17; D006801:Humans; D000077269:Lenalidomide; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D013792:Thalidomide; D000077269:Lenalidomide