Duke's Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia program helps patients with CLL manage their disease.
What Is CLL?
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer that affects B-cells, a type of white blood cells. White blood cells normally help fight infections. CLL is the most common type of leukemia in the USA. No one knows what causes CLL, but sometimes the disease runs in families.
Often a person will be diagnosed with CLL after his or her doctor notices an elevated white blood cell count, and a special test (called flow cytometry) shows the high count is due to the leukemia. In this circumstance, the person may have no symptoms. Other people with CLL might have enlarged lymph nodes, an enlarged spleen, low red blood cell count and fatigue, or low platelet count and easy bleeding and bruising.
Treatments
Treatment for the CLL is required in certain circumstances, which are determined by an oncologist or hematologist (cancer or blood doctor). Some people with CLL never need treatment. Others might not need treatment right away, but might require therapy after several years. And some people might need to be treated right away.
Treatment does not cure the leukemia, but can often keep it in remission for many years. Many people live with CLL for years to decades.
There are several different chemotherapy options when treatment is required. The treating oncologist or hematologist decides which is the best regimen to use for each patient. Few patients are treated with a bone marrow transplant for CLL. Transplantation has many risks, but it is the only treatment approach that has the possibility of curing the leukemia.
In addition, there is much work being done throughout the world in laboratories and in clinical trials in order to find new therapies for this leukemia. Learn about research happening at Duke's CL laboratory.
Appointments
To make an appointment with Duke's CLL program, call 888-ASK-DUKE (888-275-3853).
Physicians
Physicians offering this service include:
Locations
This service is available at:
