Although the mutation rates of TP53 and NOTCH1 found in our study were similar to those found in a Chinese study reporting mutation patterns in CLL patients [10] (15% vs. 15% and 8% vs. 6%), mutations in SF3B1 were twice as common in Koreans (5% vs. 10%) and mutations in MYD88 were half as common in Koreans (8% vs. 4%). This evidence concerns the gene SF3B1 and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.