|
Images |
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most frequent form
of leukemia in the western hemisphere, and represents approximately one-third
of all leukemias. CLL is characterized by the accumulation of B, or rarely
T-, lymphocytes in the blood and lymphocytic organs. CLL is primarily a
disease of the elderly, with the median age of onset being 65 years. There
is a slight male predominance of 2:1.
Nearly half of the new cases of CLL are in asymptomatic patients in which the disorder is discovered incidentally during blood testing. Symptomatic patients have fatigue, weight loss, lymphadenopathy, and infections as the most common presenting features. With the accumulation of neoplastic lymphocytes in other organs, such as bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen, splenomegaly, anemia and thrombocytopenia develop. Immune related complications are frequent, as are hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and collagen vascular diseases. CLL may evolve into a more aggressive large cell lymphoma in about 10% of the cases (Richter's syndrome). |
by
Robert McLay andJohn Krause. Copyright Tulane University