Patients. The study was based on a consecutive series of 176 previously untreated CLL who presented for initial evaluation at the Division of Hematology of the Amedeo Avogadro University of Eastern Piedmont from June 1996 through June 2008. Patients provided informed consent in accordance with local IRB requirements and Declaration of Helsinki. CLL diagnosis was based on NCI criteria and confirmed by a flow cytometry score >3 [7, 8] .