
Introduction
Dr. Daniel Catovsky has been recognized for his work on the morphology of CLL, the Medical Research Council (MRC) Trials and the differential diagnosis of CLL. He was one of the first to recognize the prolymphocytoid transformation of CLL. Careful observation of the UK MRC trials revealed that the treatment of the early stages of CLL were not associated with overall survival, and there was no survival benefit with immediate versus deferred chemotherapy. Dr. Catovsky was instrumental in bringing CLL, the most common adult leukemia, to the attention of the research community, and his work in hairy cell leukemia has helped to transform the prognosis for patients with this disease.
Dr. Daniel Catovsky obtained his medical degree in Buenos Aires in 1961 and worked for some years at the Hammersmith Hospital in London before becoming Head of Haematology at the Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research in 1988. He has also served as a member of the small lymphocytic leukemia sub-committee WHO classification project.