In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), not all patients need treatment at diagnosis. Only about a third of patients do. Dr. Nicole Lamanna, a leukemia specialist at Columbia University School of Medicine, says CLL grows very slowly and how often patients are seen depends upon the blood counts. During the early stages of the disease, people are monitored and get blood tests every few months in an active surveillance approach. But if their blood count is stable over several years, monitoring becomes less regular.
Only if the leukemia starts progressing very quickly will treatment options be recommended.
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Dr. Nicole Lamanna is a hematologist/oncologist at Columbia University Medical Center. Her research interests include lymphoid leukemias, specifically chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Read More
In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), not all patients need treatment at diagnosis. Only about a third of patients do. Dr. Nicole Lamanna, a leukemia specialist at Columbia University School of Medicine, says CLL grows very slowly and how often patients are seen depends upon the blood counts. During the early stages of the disease, people are monitored and get blood tests every few months in an active surveillance approach. But if their blood count is stable over several years, monitoring becomes less regular.
Only if the leukemia starts progressing very quickly will treatment options be recommended.
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