A research team led by the University of Padova has coordinated a key study on targeted therapies for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a rare cancer but represents the most common type of leukemia affecting the Western population, with about one-third of patients being over 80 years old. The treatment and management of this group of patients present a challenge for medicine due to their fragility and exclusion from clinical trials. In the study published in Blood and coordinated by Dr. Andrea Visentin from the Department of Medicine at the University of Padova, in collaboration with Dr. Massimo Gentile from the UOC of Hematology in Cosenza, data from more than 120 patients across 23 institutions nationwide were collected, resulting in the analysis of the largest group of patients over 80 years old treated with venetoclax.

"Venetoclax is an anti-cancer drug taken in tablet form that targets BCL2, a protein altered in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. When BCL2 is targeted, it leads to the death of leukemia cells," explains Prof. Livio Trentin, professor of hematology at the University of Padova and director of the UOC of Hematology at the Padova University Hospital. "The key to this study was the personalization of the therapy," explains Visentin, the study coordinator. "Reducing the drug dosage or reaching the full dose more slowly allowed us to limit the side effects of the therapy while ensuring its effectiveness."