Not only are patients with chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) at higher risk for developing other primary cancers (OPC) and warrant appropriate cancer surveillance, but the risk also precedes CLL diagnosis by several years, according to a study published in Leukemia & Lymphoma. Othman Salim Akhtar, MD, and colleagues conducted a single-center, retrospective study where 16.9% of 969 patients with CLL were diagnosed with an OPC. Of note, 44% of OPCs were diagnosed prior to the CLL diagnosis, including 30% more than 1year prior. Researchers noted that majority of diagnoses included genitourinary cancers and melanoma skin cancers. Patients with CLL and an OPC were older than patients with no OPCs but no other risk factors for developing OPCs were identified. “Patients with CLL are known to be at a higher risk of developing OPCs,” the study authors wrote. “Identifying latency and risk factors associated with OPCs in CLL is of interest as select patients may potentially benefit from early treatment of CLL with targeted therapies to improve immune surveillance.”
