Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with mutated VH genes presenting with Binet stage B or C form a subgroup with a poor outcome.

Abstract

CLL cases displaying mutated VH genes with Binet stage B or C had a survival similar to that of unmutated cases and significantly shorter than that of mutated stage A CLL. Our result reveals clinical heterogeneity within the VH mutated CLL group by inclusion of Binet stage data, a finding which is of importance when considering surrogate marker(s) for VH mutation status.