Chronic lymphocytic leukemia natural history, complications and prognosis
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2]
Overview
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Natural History
The clinical course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia varies widely from patient to patient. Some patients die early because of complications, but most patients survive for 5 - 10 yrs. The course of the disease is benign initially but followed by terminal, progressive and resistant phase which lasts for 1 - 2 yrs.
Complications
- Hypogammaglobulinemia leading to recurrent infection.
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia - IgG type
- Transformation to high grade lymphoma
- Richter's transformation
- Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement - intussusception, small intestinal bacterial contamination, colitis
- Increased risk of other cancers - melanoma, lung and gastrointestinal cancers
Prognosis
The prognosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia depends on:
- The stage of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, whether lymphocytes are spread throughout the bone marrow, whether the chronic lymphocytic leukemia progresses to lymphoma or prolymphocytic leukemia.
- Treatment response: Whether the chronic lymphocytic leukemia patient gets better with treatment or has come back.
- The patient's general health.
Survival varies from 5 years to more than 25 years.
References