- Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Criteria for diagnosis are as per the WHO classification of hematologic tumors (Jaffe 2001). As per the 1996 NCI guidelines for CLL "[second-line or later] treatment of CLL is generally palliative in intent; therefore, patients who have relapsed may be followed without therapy until they experience disease-related symptoms or progressive disease, with deterioration of blood counts, discomfort from lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly, recurrent infections, or associated autoimmune disorders" (Cheson 1996).