In recent years, considerable progress has been made in the standard treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) due to the availability of new potent drugs. However, the majority of data on CLL were derived from Western populations, with limited studies and guidelines on the management of CLL from an Asian population perspective. This consensus guideline aims to understand treatment challenges and suggest appropriate management approaches for CLL in the Asian population and other countries with a similar socio-economic profile. The following recommendations are based on a consensus by experts and an extensive literature review and contribute towards uniform patient care in Asia.
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), published in late 2022, were adapted in December 2022, according to previously established standard methodology, to produce the Pan-Asian adapted (PAGA) ESMO consensus guidelines for the management of Asian patients with mCRC. The adapted guidelines presented in this manuscript represent the consensus opinions reached by a panel of Asian experts in the treatment of patients with mCRC representing the oncological societies of China (CSCO), Indonesia (ISHMO), India (ISMPO), Japan (JSMO), Korea (KSMO), Malaysia (MOS), the Philippines (PSMO), Singapore (SSO), Taiwan (TOS) and Thailand (TSCO), co-ordinated by ESMO and the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO). The voting was based on scientific evidence and was independent of the current treatment practices, drug access restrictions and reimbursement decisions in the different Asian countries. The latter are discussed separately in the manuscript. The aim is to provide guidance for the optimisation and harmonisation of the management of patients with mCRC across the different countries of Asia, drawing on the evidence provided by both Western and Asian trials, whilst respecting the differences in screening practices, molecular profiling and age and stage at presentation, coupled with a disparity in the drug approvals and reimbursement strategies, between the different countries.