CLL and SLL

[Wendy328]

Are CLL and SLL the same. My report lists both.

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

Hi Wendy

You are one on the other... its common early on in the U.S. to write it as CLL/SLL.. this is to cover both bases for insurance code reasons, I have been told.

They are different versions of the same cancer and are treated the same, however they appear differently...

Notably CLL has a raised blood lymphocyte count, SLL blood is normal. Both may have swollen, nodes, spleen and bone marrow involvement. CLL is staged as a leukemia, SLL is staged as a lymphoma... however, by classification, the are both subtypes of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma...

~chris

[Wendy328 in reply to Cllcanada]

Thanks for the answer. Clearly in the blood with enlarged nodes.

[mariemascio]

Hi Wendy -

I'm new here, so still learning, but this is my understanding: with a CLL/SLL diagnosis our cancerous white blood cells have a particular profile - a certain look and fragility and a set of proteins on their membranes used to "fingerprint" the disease. It's the same cell for both SLL and CLL.

Some patients first show up with a concentration of these cells in the blood - that's CLL. CLLers may also may have swollen lymph nodes. Or maybe not, at least initially. Other patients show up with few or no cancer cells in the blood, instead the cells concentrate in the lymph nodes and organs - that's SLL. Those cells will eventually "spill out" into the blood and build up enough to be called CLL as the disease progresses.

After that initial difference between SLL and CLL in the early stages though, the way the disease progresses and treatment options are the same.

Take care,

Marie

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero in reply to mariemascio]

Good explanation... Marie

SLL appears in the blood usually an indication for treatment in about 30-50% of cases..

Some SLL patients never have blood involvement...

More on SLL from the late Dr. Hamblin

mutated-unmuated.blogspot.c...

~chris

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

This earlier post probably doesn't add much more to the replies you've already had, but you can see that it does confuse people given the dual diagnosis:

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

My diagnosis was officially given as CLL/SLL and while I met the criteria for SLL at diagnosis, about 18 months later my lymphocyte count moved up into the "CLL" range.