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Hematologic Malignancies Program

Patient and Family Education

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Symptoms

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 15,490 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia were diagnosed in the United States in 2009. It is also estimated that approximately 4,390 individuals died from this disease as well. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia progresses slowly and usually occurs in people age 60 and older. In the first stages of the disease there are often no symptoms. As time goes on, more and more lymphocytes are made and symptoms begin to appear.

If a person experiences the following symptoms, he or she should see a doctor: swelling of the lymph nodes, enlarged spleen or liver, persistent fatigue, or bleeding.

A doctor will do a physical exam and may order blood tests to count the number of each of the different kinds of blood cells. If the results of the blood tests are not normal, a doctor may do a bone marrow biopsy. During this test, a needle is inserted into a bone and a small amount of bone marrow is taken out and looked at under the microscope.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) from chronic lymphocytic leukemia depends on the stage of the disease and the patient's age and general health.

This page was last updated on: February 9, 2010.

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