Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in the
Western world. It is also the prototype of B cell chronic lymphoid malignancies. For a long time the Cinderella of lymphoid malignancies, CLL has now
become the focus of major interest, and an increasing number of investigators
from different areas including genetics, molecular biology and basic and applied immunology are becoming actively engaged in the investigation of CLL.
Clinicians are considering CLL as a very interesting target of many projects
that aim at translating the exciting developments of basic science into effective
new approaches to the patient.