Dr. Lamanna Discusses Lymphocytosis Following CLL Treatment

Nicole Lamanna, MD, clinical professor of medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, discusses lymphocytosis following treatment with new oral CLL agents.

Lamanna says regular IV chemotherapy would knock down patients' blood count. Once a patient is treated with new oral agents, such as ibrutinib, the lymph nodes shrink, causing the blood count to rise. This caused some alarm in early clinical trials because researchers thought patients were progressing, Lamanna says.

Lamanna says over time, usually in a matter of months, the lymphocytosis resolves and gets better.