Monday, September 08, 2008
I have CLL, and six months ago my white blood cell count was about 34,000. I was told that I had five years to live if I didn't have chemo treatments and 10 if I did. Last week the count went to 72,000, and I was told those figures are now two and a half years and five years. How can longevity be determined by white blood cell count? Would a combination of chemo and radiation be better than chemo alone? Thank you.
I am disturbed and disappointed that you have been hearing such numbers from your doctor. It is generally true that the faster the CLL count increases the greater the likelihood that CLL can result in death. However, the absolute number of the circulating CLL cells is a poor indicator of how long one will live. There are other, better indicators, including studying blood samples to look for chromosomal abnormalities and specific proteins to identify subtypes of the disease.
Furthermore, huge advances in biologic and chemotherapy for CLL have changed the outlook considerably. For many people, CLL is simply a disease to die with and not from.
In general, radiation therapy in CLL is used to shrink large bulky masses of leukemic cells that may accumulate in the spleen or in lymph nodes.
Learn more in the Everyday Health Leukemia Center.