Leukemia Different types

[Gbasil]

Hi

As a new member to this site and enduring CLL, have some simple questions.

Are Hodgkin, non Hodgkin, CLL, SLL all DIFFERENT types of leukemia ?

How does a haematologist determine what the patient is suffering from?

If they utilise results from blood test, what parts are of interest to determine diagnosis?

Thanks

Basil

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

There's a range of leukaemias/lymphomas, many of which are caused by B-lymphocytes. The different B-lymphocyte blood cancers happen at various stages in the development of the B-cell. Even multiple myeloma is a B-cell cancer that occurs when the B-cell has matured into a plasma cell (that's the point in the development of the B-cell when it becomes an antibody factory).

A Flow Cytometry blood test (or the biopsy of a lymph node for SLL) is used to identify which blood cancer a patient has. Basically, the test looks for special 'CD' markers or 'Clusters of Differentiation' (known proteins on the cell membrane) that can be used to uniquely fingerprint the different cell types in your body. These markers change as blood cells mature and also uniquely identify what blood condition you have.

Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas are B-cell cancers. There's a vast range of Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas including CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia) and SLL (Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma), which are the same - their CD fingerprints match. CLL is both a leukaemia and a lymphoma. If the CLL cells stay out of the blood you have SLL, if it's found in the blood you have CLL. Patients with SLL may go on to develop CLL, i.e. the cancerous B-cells begin to appear in the blood as the lymphoma develops.

Some links on how CLL/SLL is diagnosed:

cllsociety.org/cll-101/diag...

updates.clltopics.org/423-t...

and for a more complete list of conditions by CD markers, including T-lymphocyte cancers:

nhlcyberfamily.org/tests/cd...

A quick overview of haematological cancers:

petermac.org/patient-care/c...

Neil

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero in reply to AussieNeil]

In the U.S. they will often call the early diagnosis CLL/SLL, and patients think they have both.

This is when things are unclear sometimes as to which way things will go, primarily for insurance reasons ... so both CLL and less frequently SLL are covered.

CLL and SLL are different sides of the same coin....

~chris