{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T19:10:12Z","timestamp":1760123412639,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,23]],"date-time":"2023-02-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1677110400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>A fixed duration of venetoclax-rituximab (VenR) resulted in a significant benefit of both PFS and in the attainment of an undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) compared with bendamustine-rituximab in relapsed\/refractory (R\/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. The 2018 International Workshop on CLL guidelines, outside the context of clinical trials, suggested ultrasonography (US) as a possible imaging technique to evaluate visceral involvement, and palpation to evaluate superficial lymph nodes (SupLNs). In this real-life study we prospectively enrolled N = 22 patients. Patients were assessed by US, to determine nodal and splenic response in R\/R CLL patients treated with a fixed duration VenR. We found an overall response rate, complete remission, partial remission, and stable disease, of 95.4%, 68%, 27.3%, and 4.5%, respectively. Responses were also correlated with risk categories. The time to response, and the time to clearance of the disease in the spleen, in abdominal LN (AbdLNs), and in SupLNs were discussed. Responses were independent from LN size. The correlation between response rate with MRD were also investigated. US allowed to detect a substantial CR rate correlated with uMRD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12051772","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,23]],"date-time":"2023-02-23T01:31:06Z","timestamp":1677115866000},"page":"1772","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Relapsed\/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients Treated with Fixed Duration Venetoclax-Rituximab: Assessment of Response with Ultrasound, and Relationship with Minimal Residual Disease"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5295-2087","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edoardo","family":"Benedetti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"},{"name":"Italian School of Basic and Emergency Ultrasound (SIUMB), 56100 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1006-2400","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia","family":"Barat\u00e8","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fabrizio","family":"Mavilia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8478-7370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emilia","family":"Bramanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (ICCOM), Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via G Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7783-0262","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Riccardo","family":"Morganti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Section of Statistics, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Valentina","family":"Guerri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giulia","family":"Cervetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3643-5861","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enrico","family":"Capochiani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hematology Unit, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-5954-5096","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ilaria","family":"Bertaggia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hematology Unit, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, 57124 Livorno, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Salvatore Massimo","family":"Stella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Italian School of Basic and Emergency Ultrasound (SIUMB), 56100 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6138-5093","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ginevra","family":"Traverso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Benedetto","family":"Bruno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Galimberti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Hematology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"v78","DOI":"10.1093\/annonc\/mdv303","article-title":"Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up","volume":"26","author":"Eichhorst","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ann. 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