What is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells that arises from the bone marrow and circulates in the peripheral blood. It is characterized by uncontrolled growth of white blood cells. Leukemia is a disease of the blood cells and does not usually form a solid mass or tumor. Although leukemia starts in the bone marrow, it can spread to the blood, lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system (CNS) and other organs.
There are four major types of leukemias:
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
The terms "myelogenous" and "lymphocytic" denote the different types of cell involved. The terms "acute" or "chronic" refer to the rate of progression of the disease.
Acute leukemia is a rapidly progressing disease that results in the accumulation of immature, non-functional cells in the marrow and blood. As a result, the bone marrow often can no longer produce enough normal red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Chronic leukemia progresses more slowly and permits greater numbers of more mature functional cells to be made.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 15,490 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were diagnosed in 2009 in the United States. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia affects males more than females with men accounting for about 60% of all CLL cases. The incidence of CLL is much higher in Western countries than in Asian countries such as China and Japan.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia represents approximately 25% of all leukemias and occurs most frequently in the elderly population. The median age at the time of diagnosis is 70. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia usually does not develop in people under age 40 and is also extremely rare in children The incidence of CLL in the United States is higher in Caucasians than in African Americans. Recent research indicates that the 5-year survival rate of patients with CLL is 73%. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 4,500 people in the U.S. will die of CLL in 2007.
Knowledge is Critical when Dealing with a Life-Altering Condition such as Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with CLL, it's critical to learn everything you possibly can about this condition so that you can make informed decisions about your treatment. That's why we created the Medifocus Guidebook on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, a comprehensive 169 page patient Guidebook that contains vital information about CLL that you won't find anywhere in a single source.
The Medifocus Guidebook on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia starts out with a detailed overview of the condition and quickly imparts fundamentally important information about CLL, including:
The theories concerning the underlying causes of CLL.
The specific types of genetic mutations that are found in people with CLL.
The risk factors that can increase a person's chances for developing CLL.
How CLL is diagnosed based on factors such as signs/symptoms, physical examination, blood tests, and specific genetic abnormalities.
A detailed description of the two major staging systems, called Rai and Binet, that doctors use in order to:
Determine the extent of progression of the disease
Develop an optimal treatment plan
Predict the most likely outcome (prognosis) in terms of expected years of survival
Understanding the Standard Treatments...and the Treatment Options
Because currently there is no known cure for CLL, understanding the standard treatments - and the treatment options - is critical in attempting to prolong survival and maintain the patient's overall functional ability and quality of life. As you read through the section of the Guidebook that focuses on the treatments for CLL, you will specifically learn about:
Which patients with CLL do not require any treatment for several years and may benefit from a "watchful waiting" approach where the disease