Search Results
Sue
My story begins with a routine yearly mammogram in April of 2020. I am currently a 25-year breast cancer survivor. So, regular mammograms are just a part of my yearly routine, a simple procedure that I endure yearly with no big issues to speak of ― until now. During the mammogram, they noticed enlarged lymph nodes. My doctor thought it was no big deal, and we would watch them for two weeks and then do another mammogram. I wasn’t worried. She explained that I could be fighting an infection or that I just had large lymph nodes as a normal thing.
Related Diseases
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) shares some similar features and symptoms with other closely related types of leukemia.
Clinical Trials
Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Clinical trials are under way to improve remission rates for CLL. Today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society continues to invest funds in CLL research.
Click here to read more about clinical trials.
Watch and Wait
Not all CLL patients need to start treatment immediately. “Watch and wait” is a valid treatment approach that means your doctor will watch your condition but not give you treatment unless you have signs or symptoms that appear or change. This approach includes:
Arturo Pierre
I’m 61 years old. I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) the first time at 51, unaware of any symptoms. I was told that my diagnosis at my age was unusual. After chemotherapy and remission, the disease returned during COVID while I was being treated orally. The second experience was much worse. I’m in clinical remission for the second time in 10 years. Besides CLL, I wrestle with numerous orthopedic issues. I live an active lifestyle and maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and work full time.
Douglas
My story begins almost 24 years ago in 1996, when I was diagnosed with cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Back then, there was no cure for CLL except for a bone marrow transplant (BMT), but that procedure only had a survival rate of 50%, not very attractive odds. My prognosis was I had anywhere from six to 15 years without a BMT.
Sara
Seeing Roses
Jayne & Jenny
My sister Jenny and I both have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and I was doing the Facebook challenge, “50 Miles in November,” for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in honor of us.
Todd
I was diagnosed at age 33 as a result of an unrelated blood test, very young, I was told. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed low risk. My local oncologist sent me to a regional teaching hospital to get a second opinion, and that opinion was, "If I had to pick a cancer, this would be it." Terrible start!
The History of Leukemia
Table of contents
Signs and Symptoms
Many people are diagnosed with CLL even though they do not have any symptoms. The disease may be suspected because of abnormal results from blood tests that were ordered either as part of an annual physical or a medical examination for an unrelated condition. An unexplained elevated white blood cell (lymphocyte) count is the most common finding that leads a doctor to consider a CLL diagnosis.
Generally, CLL symptoms develop over time. As the disease progresses, a person may experience
George
I am a 72-year-old retired Information Technology professional. I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in June 2002 and remain in active treatment today. Over the last 22 years, I have had more than 700 trips for doctor visits, treatments, lab test, emergency room, hospitalizations, and pharmacy. My biggest challenge over the years is managing the cost of premiums, medical treatment, drugs, travel, and medical appliances. I found multiple resources that stepped in to assist me with my financial challenges related to my CLL.
Heather
The world works in mysterious ways, it truly does! When I first volunteered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training (TNT) program in 2015, I never in a million years thought I would be fundraising in honor of my husband Dave. I started out fundraising for my step-grandmother Margaret and his grandmother Pearl. Eventually, the list of people I ran and fundraised in honor or memory of grew to way over 20! All that time it turns out I was fundraising for Dave, too, we just didn't know it yet!
Marty
The last time I gave blood was in June of 2016. I was set to start my fourth gallon when I was told by the volunteer my iron was too low. “Come back next time and eat some raisins before you come,” I was told. The next time was an iron failure again. I made an appointment with my PCP for my annual physical and he drew blood for a CBC. Much to my surprise, he called me the next evening at dinner time and said my white cells had some problems and I should see a hematologist/oncologist. He explained his brother had CLL, a possible diagnosis, and lives a normal life.
Combination Targeted Therapy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Targeted therapies have replaced chemoimmunotherapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We previously reported that combined BTK inhibitor (ibrutinib) and BCL2 antagonist (venetoclax) is highly synergistic. In this proposal, we will conduct a phase II trial of combined non-covalent BTK inhibitor (pirtobrutinib) with venetoclax and obinutuzumab in patients with untreated CLL with primary endpoint of marrow MRD. We will perform BH3 profiling and scRNAseq and correlate with clinical outcomes.
Teresa
I was diagnosed in 2009 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Upon diagnosis, perhaps the greatest shock was becoming aware that I knew so little about cancer, so little about the medical system, and how one needs to go about a process of self-education regarding their disease.
My diagnosis occurred at the Simon Cancer Center, a part of the Indiana University Health System. I was fortunate to have a neighbor who is a nurse practitioner at this cancer center. She intervened when she found out that a routine shoulder MRI revealed multiple enlarged lymph nodes.
Improving BTK Inhibitor Therapy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Through Rational Combination Strategies
Ibrutinib is a targeted oral treatment for CLL that is safe and highly effective, however it must be given indefinitely which leads to chronic side effects and allows resistance to develop. We are conducting two clinical trials that add a second drug to ibrutinib to eliminate the remaining leukemia or ibrutinib-resistant leukemia cells. If these trials are successful, people taking CLL with or without resistance may be able to stop treatment in remission after taking an ibrutinib combination.
Bob
I thought I was super healthy.
It was October 2017, and I had just run a half marathon a few days before. I went to get my blood tested to see if I still was eligible to donate a kidney to a friend who needed one. Four years earlier, I had gone through all the testing and was approved to be a donor for her, but her kidney function had improved enough that she didn't need a transplant right then. By late summer 2017, her condition had deteriorated, so I went back in to restart the process.
Emma
My dad, Panos, was diagnosed with kidney cancer when I was in the fourth grade. His cancer progressed very fast, and he passed away in 2019. My mom, Tricia, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) shortly after. She has had many doctor appointments during this time, and I am so excited to be able to support her through it all and help raise awareness! I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by cancer, growing up visiting my grandma and dad in the hospital at a young age, and I am hoping to make a change by raising money for research and more.
Barbara
While enjoying a 2021 spring vacation with my husband in Kentucky, I began to feel severe pain in my right arm. Over several hours, the pain increased, but I didn’t want to interrupt our vacation plans with a hospital visit. By late evening, my husband could tell that we must get to an emergency room PRONTO! But where in this large city can we find one? We finally stopped at a Home Depot store and asked for directions. After searching on darkened streets in a strange city, we found the emergency entrance to a hospital.
Yeah!
Stephanie
I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in 2000 and had seven months of chemotherapy (ABVD) and 20 rounds of radiation. I have not had a reoccurrence of HL, but in 2014, I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I see my oncologist every four months to check my white blood count, and so far, I am still in a watch-and-wait situation. I work full-time in a high-level, stressful job, have two children, and thankfully, have the energy to do it all and have not had to resort to any treatment yet.
Glenn
I was diagnosed with CLL in 2010 after feeling tired all the time, bruising easily, significant joint pain, a hot mess. I was told I could be treated but never cured. I survived an earlier cancer via radiation therapy where I was over radiated. I had never been so sick in all my life. While I don't ignore my condition I've decided to live best I can. I have a loving family and friends and a good career. I stay active as a volunteer firefighter (my way of giving back in honor of 911 victims as I was on the NYFD career list in 1999), home improvements, and attending family functions.
Wendell
Wendell Ison was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) on June 6, 2006. It was through his own battle that he decided to create the team known as "Wendell's Warriors" as a way to give back and make a difference in people's lives by raising money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Don
My Uncle Don Parker is my hero, and my favorite uncle as well, who just never gave up on himself and others. And when he got sick and passed away with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2001, I was inspired to do a Team In Training (TNT) marathon in Honolulu, Hawaii, that same year in December 2001. I was only able to do 15 miles then, but now I've done eight TNT half marathon events, and this summer it will be my 20th anniversary for doing TNT.