Returning to Practice in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Resources for Treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to sharp declines in cancer screenings and diagnoses across the board, and it has interrupted the ongoing treatment and monitoring of many existing patients. Indeed, cancer diagnoses are down remarkably, but not because of less prevalence. Many patients—particularly the elderly and other groups at high risk for complications due to COVID-19—have chosen not to actively engage with their healthcare providers during this time.

Traditional treatment approaches to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have made treating this disease particularly compromised by the restrictions brought on by COVID-19. Given that CLL can spread very slowly, asymptomatic patients diagnosed with it are often monitored over time (also called “watchful waiting”). The long duration of the pandemic has led many patients to continually postpone regular office appointments, potentially contributing to unmonitored disease. And given that CLL mostly affects older people, they may be even less likely to keep office appointments during a pandemic. Many fear that when most patients begin to feel safe enough to access regular in-person care, practices may be deluged with patients with advanced disease requiring immediate treatment.

To help cancer practices prepare for an expected increase in undiagnosed patients and a surge in upstaged patients, this project aims to teach care team members short- and long-term solutions to operational challenges as the pandemic recedes, paying special attention to traditionally underserved patient populations. The Association of Community Cancer Centers will reach out to its members with webinars, podcasts, tools, publications, and case studies to share lessons learned from practices that have succeeded in maintaining their services to at-risk patient populations during a time of national crisis.

For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.

In 2021, ACCC interviewed six members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team to discuss how their organizations are handling the challenge of treating patients with CLL during this pandemic. Read about their different approaches to providing quality care during a very challenging time.