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Introduction
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of cancer in
which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes. Depending on the type of
white blood cell that is involved, chronic leukemia
can be classified as chronic lymphocytic leukemia or
chronic myeloid leukemia.
Chronic lymphocytic
leukemia (also called CLL) is a blood and bone marrow
disease that usually gets worse slowly. CLL is the
second most common type of leukemia in adults. It
often occurs during or after middle age; it rarely
occurs in children.
In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, production of the
lymphocytic variety of white blood cell goes haywire,
leading to a surplus. There are two kinds of
lymphocytes: B cells and T cells. This disease usually
affects the B cells.
The lymphocytes in CLL are not able to fight infection
very well. Also, as the amount of lymphocytes
increases in the blood and bone marrow, there is less
room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells,
and platelets. This may result in infection, anemia,
and easy bleeding.
Causes
There is no known cause. However, we do know that a
small percentage of people with this form of leukemia
have a family history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia
or lymphoma.
Symptoms
There are usually no symptoms during the early
stages of disease; the cancer is usually discovered
when you have blood drawn for other reasons.
Typical signs include:
- Fatigue
- Increasing inability to exercise
- Excess sweating
- Loss of appetite
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Enlarged lymph glands
- Enlarged liver
- Enlarged spleen
- Enlarged spleen or liver
- Anemia
TreatmentThere's no known cure for chronic lymphocytic
leukemia, and the treatments can cause significant
side effects for some people. In addition, Many people
live for years without symptoms and without the need
for treatment. As a result, the most important
treatment decision in chronic lymphocytic leukemia is
whether or not treatment is necessary.
The
particular form of treatment depends on such factors
as your age, your overall health, the aggressiveness
.Treatment options include:
- Chemotherapy: In this type of therapy, called "chemo"
for short, various potent drugs are given to kill new
cancer cells and shrink cancerous lymph nodes. The
drugs are given by mouth, shot, or IV. You will
probably need frequent blood tests to determine how
your body is doing and how much chemo you need. The
drugs can produce many side effects, and may leave you
susceptible to infection for a while.
- Radiation: X-rays or gamma rays can kill
cancer cells and help prevent the disease from
spreading. They can be effective in reducing pain,
controlling bleeding, and shrinking cancerous
tumors. Doctors also use this type of therapy on
cancerous lymph nodes. Radiation and chemotherapy
are often used together.
- Leukophoresis: In this form of treatment, blood is
drawn from the body, cleansed of white blood cells,
and returned to the body minus the excess cells. This
treatment is sometimes combined with chemotherapy.
- Surgery: If other treatments have failed to remedy an
enlarged spleen, you may need to have it surgically
removed. Lymph nodes are also sometimes removed to
prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of
the body.
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