Mastering Your CLL Experience: Peace of Mind for Watch & Wait and Oral Therapies
Living with CLL introduces a unique emotional challenge: the "watch and wait" phase. Being told you have cancer but don't need immediate treatment can feel confusing and deeply stressful. This 60-minute session will give you a sense of getting back into control. We will replace the anxiety of the unknown with clear, practical knowledge. You will walk away understanding exactly how your health is being protected, what your lab numbers mean, and how to live confidently with CLL every day.
What You Stand to Gain:
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Control Over "Watch and Wait": Strip away the stress of active surveillance. Learn the exact science behind slow-growing leukemias so you can confidently read your own blood counts and recognize the true clinical milestones that indicate it's time to treat.
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A Guide to Modern, Chemo-Free Care: If treatment is needed, discover the power of targeted oral therapies. Learn exactly how these daily pills selectively attack cancer cells and get real-world tips to manage side effects and protect your quality of life.
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Insight into Lifelong Management: Look ahead at next-generation molecules designed to bypass drug resistance, showing you how modern science is successfully working to turn CLL into a highly controlled, manageable lifetime condition.
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Live Q&A: Skip the confusing internet searches. Take advantage of a 15-minute open forum to get reliable answers directly from Dr Hillis.
Why This Webcast is For You:
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If you are living with CLL: To ease the daily anxiety of surveillance, understand your doctor's timeline, and learn how to actively advocate for your health.
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If you are a caregiver: To understand the subtle shifts in your loved one’s health, helping you provide the right support and ask the right questions at every follow-up clinic visit.
Dr. Chris Hillis is a malignant hematologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre and an Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. He is currently the Vice President of Oncology at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), where he leads one of Ontario’s largest integrated cancer programs. Prior to this interim appointment, Dr. Hillis served as Chief of Oncology for HHS.
Dr. Hillis brings a system-level perspective to cancer care, informed by his previous role as Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at HHS and his background in quality improvement, digital transformation, and clinical operations. He completed an MSc in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety and trained as a Quality Scholar with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, grounding his leadership approach in evidence-based improvement science.
Clinically, Dr. Hillis specializes in the care of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). He leads a CIHR-funded research program focused on improving how clinical trial outcomes reflect what truly matters to patients with hematologic malignancies.
Nationally, Dr. Hillis serves as President of the Canadian Hematology Society and has held leadership roles with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and Choosing Wisely Canada. He is widely engaged in advancing guideline development, quality initiatives, and system redesign efforts that strengthen cancer care across Canada.
This event was made possible thanks to the support of:
