The Duke Center for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) program helps patients with CLL manage their disease.

What Is CLL?

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) are cancers that affects B-cells, a type of white blood cell. White blood cells normally help fight infections. Because both CLL and SLL arise from the same type of cancer cells and have the same prognosis and treatment, we will refer to both diseases as CLL.

CLL is the most common type of leukemia in the United States. 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 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 may require therapy after several years. Some people might need to be treated right away.

Treatment does not cure the leukemia, but can often keep it in remission. 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.

Research

There is much work being done at Duke and throughout the world in laboratories and clinical trials to find new therapies for this leukemia. Much progress has already been made, and the future is bright.

More Information about Duke CLL Program

To make an appointment with Duke's CLL program, call 888-ASK-DUKE (888-275-3853).

Please e-mail us or visit the Duke Center for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia for more information.

Physicians

Physicians offering this service include:

• Beaven, Anne W.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Datto, Michael B.
  • Pathology
• De Castro, Carlos M. III
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Diehl, Louis F.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Friedman, Daphne R.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Gockerman, Jon P.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Lanasa, Mark C.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Mahmood, Ahmad A.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Moore, Joseph O.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Raybon, Kelvin B.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology
• Rizzieri, David A.
  • Medicine / Cellular Therapy
• Spiritos, Michael D.
  • Medicine / Medical Oncology

Locations

This service is available at:

• Morris Cancer Clinic
  Morris Building, 200 Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710