My brother has CLL. What blood tests show you have this disease? Does it run in families? Thanks, Ruth

[2006]

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

There are many studies looking at Familial CLL, which runs in families in about 8-10% of cases...

If you suspect your CLL is familial you should talk to your haematologist about entering a program.

There are no test for familial CLL, but perhaps a flow cytometry and FISH blood test would show possible genetic markers of MBL an early state..

cll-nhl.com/2013/07/monoclo...

People with Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity have a higher number of familial CLL...

Here is a study that explores this topic

asheducationbook.hematology...

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

About 10% of CLL is familial, so you may have a higher chance of getting CLL if a close relative has it. It depends on the type of CLL your brother has too, with familial varieties of CLL limited to particular genetic variants of CLL. Ask your brother to check with his specialist whether his particular genetic version of CLL is likely to be familial.

Generally CLL and other leukaemias are indicated by a rising Absolute Lymphocyte Count (ALC). Infections can also cause your ALC to rise, but it should drop when the infection is cleared, but could stay high for causes other than leukaemia, such as persistent inflammation. With the SLL form of CLL, you may not see a change in your ALC, but may become aware of lymph nodes swelling.

CLL (and SLL if it is detectable in the blood) is diagnosed by performing Flow Cytometry Test on lymphocytes from a blood sample, in which specific patterns of surface receptors called CDs (abbreviation for Clusters of Differentiation) are checked to determine what leukaemia (if any) the patient has.

When you have your blood tested, mention to your doctor that your brother has a leukaemia that can be inherited and also ask for a copy of your results. Also be on the alert for development of CLL symptoms (including fatigue, unexpected weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, increasingly frequent infections), but also be aware that these symptoms could be due to other causes.

Neil