Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (cll)

[Oralee]

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is usually a slowly progressing disease in which mature-appearing lymphocytes become cancerous and gradually replace normal cells in lymph nodes.

People may have no symptoms, or they may have general symptoms such as tiredness, fever, night sweats, and unintended weight loss.
People may also have enlarged lymph nodes and a sense of abdominal fullness due to enlargement of the spleen.
Blood tests are needed for diagnosis.
Treatment includes chemotherapy drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and sometimes radiation therapy.

More than three fourths of the people who have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are older than 60, and the disease does not occur in children. CLL is the most common type of leukemia in North America and Europe. It is rare in Japan and Southeast Asia, which indicates that genetics plays some role in its development.
The number of cancerous, mature-appearing lymphocytes increases first in the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Cancerous lymphocytes then spread to the liver and spleen, both of which begin to enlarge. In the bone marrow, cancerous lymphocytes may crowd out normal cells, resulting in a decreased number of red blood cells and a decreased number of normal white blood cells and platelets in the blood. The level of antibodies, proteins that help fight infections, also decreases. The immune system, which ordinarily defends the body against foreign organisms and substances, sometimes becomes misguided, reacting to and destroying normal tissues. This misguided immune activity can result in the destruction of red blood cells, neutrophils, or platelets.
CLL can sometimes transform into an aggressive lymphoma. This type of transformation, called Richter