Venetoclax for Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Biomedical Essay (Research Paper Sample)

Venetoclax for Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
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Chronic Lymphotic Leukaemia(CLL) is the most prevalent form of leukaemia with over 3500 new diagnoses annually in the United Kingdom alone (NICE org, 2019). According to Stilgenbauer et al (2016) the landscape for treatment of the disease has in the recent past changed owing to the introduction of agents that inhibit intracellular B-cell receptor signaling. Venetoclax is a new drug in the market in treating for the disease (NICE org.). The NICE website indicates that the new treatment is used together with rituximab in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma for people who have already been treated using chemotherapy (Chemocare) MedScape website echoes Chemocare statement that venetoclax usually treats relapse of chronic lymphotic leukaemia after primary chemotherapy treatment). Stilgenbauer et al (2016) affirm NICE org assertion that the treatment is orally administered.  Indicators for Venetoclax in CLL include for the treatment of CLL in the presence of the del(17p) or TP53 mutation in adult patients who are unsuitable for or have not responded to a BCRi (Mistry et al (2018); and for the treatment of CLL in the absence of the del(17p) or TP53 mutation in adult patients who have not responded to both chemoimmunotherapy and a BCRi Stilgenbauer et al (2016). In its use, Mistry et al (2018) indicate that venetoclax selectively inhibits the function of BLC-2 protein hence restoring the ability of the body to trigger the body’s cancer cells self-destruct. The treatment performs this function by inducing apoptosis in vitro against primary chronic lymphotic leukaemia cells (Mistry et al, 2018).