Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease characterized by high numbers of circulating abnormal lymphocytes (B-Cells) in the peripheral blood. The disease often involves enlargement of lymph nodes in various parts of the body as well as enlargement of the spleen. In CLL the marked elevation of lymphocytes in the blood is partially due to a prolonged survival of abnormal lymphocytes compared to normal lymphocytes.

CLL is a heterogeneous disease with survival times measured in months or many years depending on risk factors at the time of diagnosis. The diagnosis of CLL is usually confirmed by tests for specific characteristics of B-cells in individuals with an absolute lymphocyte count above 5,000.There have been tremendous advances in the treatment of CLL over the past decade, especially over the past five years.

CLL was once described as a chronic disease with treatment being predominantly palliative (with the exception of allogeneic stem cell transplantation). Now, complete molecular remissions and long-term disease-free survival can sometimes be achieved with one of several combination treatment regimens. It has therefore become important to determine when patients should be treated and how aggressively. A comprehensive approach to treating patients with CLL now involves risk stratification for newly diagnosed patients, adherence to supportive care guidelines, attention to quality of care issues specific to patients with CLL and consideration of age, other health conditions, and quality of life in selection of therapy and disease management.