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.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about body changes and other things that can signal a problem that may need medical care. Use the menu to see other pages.

People with HCL or PLL may experience the following symptoms or signs. Sometimes, people with HCL or PLL do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be a different medical condition that is not leukemia.

• Enlarged lymph nodes in PLL. In HCL, hairy cells build up more often in the spleen and bone marrow and may not cause noticeable lymph node swelling.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about the factors that increase the chance of developing PLL or HCL. Use the menu to see other pages.

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Although risk factors often influence the development of cancer, most do not directly cause cancer. Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do. Knowing your risk factors and talking about them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices.