Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, is a form of blood cancer where a particular type of white blood cell, called a B lymphocyte, becomes cancerous. These leukemia cells proliferate and build up in the bone marrow, lymph nodes and blood.

Every person’s disease is different, with individually unique genes and molecules driving that disorder. At The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), our leukemia subspecialists are world-renowned experts who focus solely on blood and bone marrow disorders and who reach across medical disciplines (hematologists, radiation oncologists, molecular and biological pathologists, genetic scientists and more) to design the very best treatment plan and therapies to target each patient’s specific leukemia.

And by offering access to the country’s most advanced clinical trials right here at the OSUCCC – James, patients know that additional options, when needed, are always available for their treatment and care.

What are CLL and NHL

What Is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer that affects the bone marrow, lymph nodes and blood. A specific type of white blood cell, called a B lymphocyte, turns into a CLL cell and begins to proliferate, creating more and more leukemia cells.

As the CLL cells accumulate in the blood, lymph nodes and bone marrow, they can cause the white blood cell count to rise in the blood, which can cause lymph nodes to become enlarged. In the bone marrow, the CLL cells can crowd out the healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This can cause anemia (low red blood cell count) or low platelet counts, and can make it harder for the body’s immune system to fight off infections.

Those infections, which often occur repeatedly, can range from colds and cold sores to pneumonia and other serious illnesses. 

CLL is usually slow to develop because the B-lymphocytes continue to build over time. Because of this, many CLL patients don’t have symptoms for years, but as the disease progresses, symptoms can develop, including fatigue, bruising, bleeding and enlargement of the lymph nodes and spleen. CLL is different in every person. Some people have CLL that grows slowly and others have CLL that grows much more quickly. The experts at the OSUCCC – James offer specific tests to determine which CLL type a patient has.

CLL accounts for about one-third of all new cases of leukemia, and more than 15,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with CLL each year. The disease occurs most often in men, and the average age at diagnosis for both men and women is 72. The James is consistently paving the way in learning more about what causes chronic lymphocytic leukemia, leading to even more highly targeted prevention, supportive care and treatment.

To design the most targeted, accurate treatment plan for your specific cancer, your CLL specialists determine how much of the disease is in your body, if it has spread and if so, precisely where it has spread. This is called staging.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia stages include:

• Stage 0: In this stage, there are too many lymphocytes in the blood (called lymphocytosis), but there are no other signs or symptoms of leukemia.

Intermediate Risk Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

• Stage I: There is lymphocytosis, and the lymph nodes are larger than normal (this is called lymphadenopathy). Red blood cell and platelet counts remain normal or close to normal.
• Stage II: There is lymphocytosis, and the liver and/or spleen are larger than normal. Red blood cell and platelet counts remain normal or close to normal.

High-Risk Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

• Stage III: There is lymphocytosis, and the red blood cell count is low. Platelets remain normal or close to normal and the lymph nodes, liver or spleen may be larger than normal.
• Stage IV: There is lymphocytosis, and the platelet count is low. The lymph nodes, liver or spleen may be larger than normal. Red blood cell count may be low. 

If you’ve been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, would like a second opinion or would like to speak with a leukemia specialist, please call The James Line at 800-293-5066 or 614-293-5066 to make an appointment.