Treatment choice for chronic lymphocytic leukemia after covalent BTKi therapy: a patient and oncologist preference study

Leuk Lymphoma. 2026 Jun;67(7):1548-1560. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2026.2648867. Epub 2026 Apr 10.

Abstract

This study aimed to quantify patient and oncologist preferences for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and to estimate the tradeoffs each were willing to make between attributes of available therapies through an online discrete choice experiment and preference survey. A total of 150 patients with CLL and 150 oncologists who treat CLL were enrolled in the US. While patients and oncologists valued treatment efficacy, this was not the sole or primary driver of treatment choices for all patients; a subset of patients has other priorities. Some patients valued risk of side effects and treatment duration of therapies, while others placed more value on the risk of discontinuation due to intolerability. The subsets of preferences among patients could not be explained by observed disease or sociodemographic characteristics, highlighting the need for tailored treatment options and shared decision-making for patients with CLL.

Keywords: Preferences; hematology; lymphoma and Hodgkin disease; neoplasia; patient-centered care; values.