Central nervous system involvement in patients with Richter transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): the Mayo Clinic experience

Blood Cancer Journal 2026 Open access

Read full text
Authors: Domitilla Baccon, Suheil Albert Atallah‐Yunes, Paul Joseph Hampel, Lindsey Elizabeth Roeker, Saad S. Kenderian, E. Muchtar, Neil E. Kay, Amber B. Koehler, Amy L. Behnken, Catherine C. Wagner, Patrick B. Johnston, Grzegorz S. Nowakowski
+12 more Thomas Matthew Habermann, Talal Hilal, Mazie Tsang, Jose Francisco Leis, Allison Claire Rosenthal, Ricardo Daniel Parrondo, Han W. Tun, Min Shi, Rebecca King, Rong He, Sameer Ashok Parikh, Yucai Wang
DOI: 10.1038/s41408-025-01446-y
Cited by: 1
References: 15

Abstract

Richter transformation (RT) is the transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) into an aggressive lymphoma, most commonly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). RT involving the central nervous system (RT-CNS) is rare with existing knowledge largely limited to case reports and small series, leaving major gaps in understanding its clinicopathologic features, prognostic markers, and optimal management [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In the absence of established guidelines, most clinicians rely on treatment strategies extrapolated from primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) and secondary CNS DLBCL (SCNS-DLBCL) [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Given the limited data in this setting, we conducted a retrospective study to describe the clinical features, molecular profile, treatment strategies, survival outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with RT-CNS.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies Glycogen Storage Diseases and Myoclonus

Publication details

Journal / source
Blood Cancer Journal
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
7–7
Publication date
7 January 2026
Language
EN