What is it about ?
Chronic lymphoid leukemia is a slowly growing malignant blood disease, a chronic form of blood cancer. In this disease, a certain type of normal white blood cell, namely lymphocytes, collects in the blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. This buildup in the marrow prevents the formation of other blood cells. The condition is not hereditary.
What is its frequency?
Chronic lymphoid leukemia is the most common form of leukemia. It affects 4 in 100,000 people every year. It occurs twice as often in men than in women. Two thirds are over 60 years old. The disease is very rare below the age of 30. It is also never observed in children.
How to recognize it?
Usually, the diagnosis is made by chance, after a standard blood test. At the early stage, no symptoms are ever observed. Afterwards, normal blood cells are lacking: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
A lack of red blood cells leads to anemia. We then feel abnormally tired, more and more often.
A lack of platelets causes bleeding disorders. This manifests itself as spontaneous bleeding and internal bleeding.
A lack of normal white blood cells weakens the natural defense system and increases the risk of infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
The increase in the amount of abnormal white blood cells can cause the spleen and lymph nodes to enlarge. You can then palpate more or less large balls in the groin, neck and armpits. Swollen glands in the stomach can cause stomach pain.
How is the diagnosis made?
As we have noted, it is usually by chance that an increase in the number of abnormal white blood cells is detected during a routine blood test. If this is the case, the doctor will refer you directly to a specialist in blood diseases (hematologist). The latter will perform a detailed blood test and a bone marrow puncture. An ultrasound will check for swollen lymph nodes and if the spleen has increased in size (called splenomegaly).
What can you do ?
If you have chronic lymphocytic leukemia, it is especially important to pay attention to the development of infections. Given how low your resistance is, infections can be very serious, very quickly. Prompt administration of antibiotics in a sufficiently high dose is important. In case of high fever (over 38.5 ° C), it is also preferable to have them administered directly to the hospital.
The spontaneous appearance of bruising (bruising) on the body is also a warning symptom. This could mean that your blood clotting is failing. In this case, you will need to go to hospital.
What can your doctor do?
At the onset of the disease, no treatment is necessary, since there is no evidence that early treatment prolongs life. Treatment is started if the disease is advanced or if the symptoms are a problem on a daily basis.
To determine the right time to start treatment, a blood test should be taken every 4-6 months. We take the opportunity to check whether the volume of the ganglia and the spleen has increased. If the disease is not advancing, checks can be done every 6 to 12 months.
Treatment includes administration of cortisone and anticancer drugs (chemotherapy). The effect should always be monitored closely with blood tests and possibly a new bone marrow puncture. Sometimes transfusions are necessary. We are particularly attentive to the risk of infections.
These treatments are not a cure for the disease, they are used to reduce symptoms and prolong life. The only treatment that can be cured is a stem cell transplant. A transplant is only possible in some people, and the result may even be uncertain (relapse is always possible).
Want to know more?
- Ultrasound here Where to find on this page of Cliniques St Luc UCL
- Bone marrow puncture – Foundation against cancer
- Corticosteroids – CBIP – Belgian Center for Pharmacotherapeutic Information
- Chemotherapy – Foundation against cancer
- Receiving a stem cell transplant – canadian cancer society
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