Editorial Note: Please note that this section is currently under review and will be updated soon.
ON THIS PAGE: You will find some basic information about this disease and the parts of the body it may affect. This is the first page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Use the menu to see other pages. Think of that menu as a roadmap for this complete guide.
Editorial Note: Please note that this section is currently under review and will be updated soon.
ON THIS PAGE: You will find some basic information about this disease and the parts of the body it may affect. This is the first page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to B-Cell Leukemia. Use the menu to see other pages. Think of that menu as a roadmap for this complete guide.
ON THIS PAGE: You will read about the scientific research being done now to learn more about HCL and PLL and how to treat these types of leukemia. Use the menu to see other pages.
Doctors are working to learn more about HCL and PLL, ways to prevent these types of leukemia, how to best treat each disease, and how to provide the best care to people diagnosed with HCL or PLL. The following areas of research may include new options for patients through clinical trials. Always talk with your doctor about the best diagnostic and treatment options for you.
ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about the factors that increase the chance of developing CLL. Use the menu to see other pages.
ON THIS PAGE: You will find some helpful links to other areas of Cancer.Net that provide information about cancer care and treatment. This is the final page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to B-Cell Leukemia. Use the menu to go back and see other pages.
Cancer.Net includes many other sections about the medical and emotional aspects of leukemia for the person diagnosed and their family members and friends. This website is meant to be a resource for you and your loved ones from the time of diagnosis, through treatment, and beyond.
ON THIS PAGE: You will find some questions to ask your doctor or other members of your health care team, to help you better understand your diagnosis, treatment plan, and overall care. Use the menu to see other pages.
ON THIS PAGE: You will read about your medical care after treatment for leukemia is completed, and why this follow-up care is important. Use the menu to see other pages.
Care for people diagnosed with leukemia doesn’t end when active treatment has finished. Your health care team will continue to check to make sure the disease has not returned, manage any side effects, and monitor your overall health. This is called follow-up care.
ON THIS PAGE: You will learn more about coping with the physical, emotional, social, and financial effects of leukemia and its treatment. This page includes several links outside of this guide to other sections of this website. Use the menu to see other pages.
Every treatment for HCL and PLL can cause side effects or changes to your body and how you feel. For many reasons, people don’t experience the same side effects even when they are given the same treatment for the same type of leukemia. This can make it hard to predict how you will feel during treatment.
ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe the growth or spread of most types of cancer, called stage, and how this differs for HCL and PLL. Use the menu to see other pages.
ON THIS PAGE: You will find a list of common tests, procedures, and scans that doctors use to find the cause of a medical problem. Use the menu to see other pages.
Doctors use many blood and bone marrow tests to diagnose HCL and PLL. They also use these tests to find out how much the disease has spread. Doctors may also do tests to learn which treatments could work best.
Your doctor may suspect that you have HCL or PLL based on your symptoms. Blood and bone marrow tests are the only sure way for the doctor to know if you have HCL or PLL.
