Clinical Faculty |
|---|
Lymphoma Service |
| Morton Coleman, M.D. |
| John Leonard, M.D. |
| Richard Furman, M.D. |
| Rebecca Elstrom, M.D. |
| Jia Ruan, M.D., Ph.D. |
| Peter Martin, M.D. |
Leukemia Service |
| Eric Feldman, M.D. |
| Ellen Ritchie, M.D. |
| Gail Roboz, M.D. |
| Joseph Scandura, M.D. |
Bone Marrow Transplant |
| Michael Schuster, M.D. |
| Tsiporah Shore, M.D. |
Translational Core Laboratory |
| Maureen Lane, M.D. |
| Maureen Ward |
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Research Center
The CLL Research Center at Weill Cornell Medical College is a unified, multidisciplinary program involving the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and the Department of Immunology designed to improve the care we provide to our patients with CLL.
Our goals are to achieve a greater understanding of the etiology (cause), pathogenesis (development), and basic biology of CLL through the use of the most advanced technologies available in order to identify the molecular, immunologic and cellular abnormalities that contribute to the development and progression of CLL. An improved understanding of CLL will enable the development of rationally targeted, more effective, and better tolerated therapies for patients with CLL. At the same time, an equally important goal of our program is to provide our patients with the highest level of clinical care possible utilizing the best available therapies.
The CLL Research Center endeavors to improve outcomes for patients with CLL through the integration of clinical, translational, and basic science research. The program is led by
Richard Furman M.D. who has experience working in all three aspects of CLL research and is well suited to bring together and facilitate further collaboration between clinical and laboratory researchers.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common leukemias in North America, representing 30-35% of all leukemias, with approximately 15,100 new cases and 4,400 deaths in 2008. CLL is typically a disease of advanced age, with a median age at diagnosis of approximately 72 years and 81% of patients age 60 years or older. The disease is characterized by a clonal expansion of long-lived, mature appearing B lymphocytes that co-express the CD5, CD19, and CD23 surface antigens. The malignant cells of CLL are frozen in the G0 stage of the cell cycle, increasing in numbers due more to a lack of apoptosis (programmed cell death) than augmented proliferation. Because CLL is a cancer of mature lymphocytes, it is categorized as a sub-type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). CLL and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) can be thought of as different manifestations of the same disease. CLL remains an incurable disease.
