Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

The blood malignancy known as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one kind. It is the most prevalent type of adult leukemia. It occurs when normal bone marrow lymphocytes, or white blood cells, undergo a mutation that turns them into malignant cells that proliferate and dispense with platelets and healthy blood cells.

Although it usually affects those 65 years of age and older, CLL can strike anyone as early as age 30. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia can occur in symptomless individuals. The majority of people find out they have CLL after undergoing blood testing as required by standard physical examinations.

As of right now, there are no standard therapies available to medical professionals to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In the last ten years, medical professionals have created therapies that cause CLL to go into remission. (Being in remission denotes the absence of CLL symptoms and indicators.) People with CLL are living longer thanks to these medicines.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia types

White blood cells, or lymphocytes, called B-cells and T-cells, are susceptible to developing CLL.

• B-cells, or B lymphocytes, produce antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that, among other foreign invaders, target bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells.
• The immune system response of your body is managed by T lymphocytes, or T-cells. T-cells target aberrant cells, such as cancer cells, and eliminate them directly.

CLL patients almost always have B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia is a similar illness that affects T-cells (PLL). Compared to those with B-cell CLL, those with T-cell PLL experience symptoms more quickly.

Signs and Origins

What signs of lymphocytic leukemia persist over time?

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia can be symptomless. It could take from months to years to experience signs of CLL. Typical signs and symptoms include of:

• Weary: Anemia is brought on by CLL’s effects on red blood cells. One common symptom of anemia is fatigue.
• High temperature: An infection is indicated by fever. Because CLL alters healthy white blood cells, infections are more likely to occur.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the stomach, groin, underarms, or neck.
• Sweats during night.
• Unaccounted-for weight loss.
• Under your ribcage, you may feel pain or fullness: CLL may impact your spleen or liver. Your spleen and/or liver can expand if you have cancerous white blood cells in those organs.

Why does long-term lymphocytic leukemia occur?

Certain chromosomes and genes can mutate or change during the course of a lifetime, leading to chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Although the cause of those alterations is unknown, medical experts have discovered a number of risk factors, such as:

Family history: Research indicates that individuals have a two to four times higher risk of developing CLL if they have close relatives with the disease, such as their biological parent, siblings, or children.
Age: People are typically diagnosed at 71 years of age.
Sex: Compared to women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), men and those assigned male at birth (AMAB) had a higher incidence of CLL.
Exposure to Agent Orange: Research has linked the chemical Agent Orange, which was used in the Vietnam War, to CLL.
Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis: This illness is characterized by an excess of identical B-cells in the blood. There is a slim chance that if you have this illness, you could have CLL.

Diagnoses and Examinations

How is a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia made?

Your physician will inquire about your symptoms. After performing a physical examination, they could prescribe the following tests:

Differenciated complete blood count (CBC): The quantity of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in your blood is determined by a complete blood count. It also evaluates the amount of oxygen-carrying protein in your red blood cells, called hemoglobin.

Peripheral blood smear: Your blood cells are examined under a microscope by a medical pathologist who searches for malignant blood cells.

A lab test called flow cytometry is used by providers to get more information about your blood cells. Flow cytometry is used in CLL to identify whether your white blood cells are carrying CLL cells.

Genetic tests: To look at your chromosomes and genes, pathologists employ techniques like immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGHV) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Helping clinicians decide how best to treat CLL requires an understanding of how chromosomes and genes altered or changed.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia stages

Systems for staging cancer are used by medical professionals to create treatment programs and prognoses (anticipated results). Providers use two comparable staging strategies to stage CLL. The Rai staging approach assigns a CLL diagnosis based on the probability that the illness will worsen and need medical attention. The degree to which CLL has spread throughout your body determines which stage you are in the Binet system.