What is chronic lymphocytic leukemia?
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (or CLL) is cancer of a certain kind of white blood cells.
These white blood cells are called lymphocytes.
To know how the disease starts, it helps to know a little about how blood cells are made.
Like most blood cells, lymphocytes start out from a cell called a “stem cell.” Stem cells
are made in the bone marrow and then turn into different kinds of blood cells. These cells
can be red blood cells,
white blood cells, or platelets.
When a patient has CLL, some of the white blood cells do not become mature. These immature cells
live much longer than normal white blood cells. Because they are immature, these cells
do not work like normal cells. Instead, they collect in the bone marrow and parts
of the lymphatic system, a network of tissues and organs that make and store white blood cells
to fight infection and disease. As the number of CLL cells go up, they get in the
way of normal cells doing their job.
Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to all other tissues in the body, and take carbon
dioxide back to the lungs to be removed. Patients with CLL can experience anemia
(having too few red blood cells in the body), which typically causes a person to feel tired,
weak, and short of breath because the body tissues are not getting enough oxygen.
Platelets, another type of cell in the blood, are important because they plug up holes in
blood vessels caused by cuts or bruises. A shortage of platelets is called thrombocytopenia.
A person with thrombocytopenia may bleed and bruise easily.
Facts about CLL
- CLL makes up about one-third of all leukemias
- There were about 14,990 new cases of CLL in 2010
- Most cases of CLL are found in men and women around the age of 72. It is not often seen in children
- A family history of CLL can increase the risk of getting CLL
What should I know about CLL?
In its early stage, CLL shows no noticeable symptoms. When found at this stage,
the doctor may not treat patients. Instead, the doctor may just check the patient
often to see if the disease is spreading. This period is called “watch and wait.”
Once the disease spreads, the doctor will start treating the patient for CLL.
Every patient is different. That is why the "watch and wait" period may be different for every patient.
> Next section: Diagnosis of CLL