AbbVie announces emotional impact report on mental health of underrepresented CLL cancer patients

CLL is one of the most common leukemias among adults affecting more than 200,000 people in the US

AbbVie announced groundbreaking results from its latest Emotional Impact Report (EIR), a patient survey that provides an understanding of the mental health impacts of a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) diagnosis. Findings from the survey are the first to report the emotional perspectives of Hispanic, Black, and Asian patients with CLL and their unique experiences and challenges throughout their blood cancer journey. The findings were shared during the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition at an ancillary event.

"Patients with CLL often grapple with the psychological burden of living with a slow-growing cancer, which can affect their mental health and overall well-being, regardless of their ethnic background. With the Emotional Impact Report, we wanted to lead the charge of looking at perspectives from underrepresented patients with CLL to better understand their unique needs," said Andy Souers, Ph.D., vice president, Oncology Discovery Research, AbbVie. "To fix the challenges, you must first illuminate them. We are committed to working with the community to gain a better understanding and meet the needs of all patients with CLL."

"As someone who has spent their entire career working to educate and inspire Black Americans to make better health decisions, I see AbbVie's Emotional Impact Report as a step in the right direction to highlight the specific emotional challenges experienced by minorities impacted by blood cancer," said Reggie Ware, CEO of BlackDoctor.org and speaker at AbbVie's panel event. "Collecting representative insights helps ensure that all voices are heard, and all experiences are acknowledged."