Do I have cancer?: I am 28 years old and for... - CLL Support

CLL Support

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Do I have cancer?

I am 28 years old and for 1 year my lymphocytes are consistently high level 4500-5000. Every other count is normal. I have red itchy rashes in my body that comes and goes. Suffered from weight loss. Do i have leukomia?

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Riyasat

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AussieNeilPartnerAdministrator6 years ago

You have lymphocytosis - a raised lymphocyte count. What's causing that might be a leukaemia, but it is most likely due to another cause, perhaps some underlying infection. Rather than trying for a self diagnosis via the internet, your best course of action is to work with your doctor to eliminate the more common causes. That may eventually require a referral to a haematologist, who could order a Flow Cytometry blood test to find out if you have a clonal population of lymphocytes responsible for your lymphocytosis. That still doesn't mean you have cancer. There's a condition named Monoclonal B Cell Lymphocytosis (MBL) which might eventually develop into a leukaemia.

Neil

Riyasat• in reply toAussieNeil6 years ago

I went to a Haematologist and he has given me a test called immunophenotyping. Does this test detect MBL?

CllcanadaTop Poster CURE Hero• in reply toRiyasat6 years ago

The method used is flow cytometry. It will differentiate CLL from a number of other lymphomas...

Immunophenotyping

Immunophenotyping is the analysis of heterogeneous populations of cells for the purpose of identifying the presence and proportions of the various populations of interest. Antibodies are used to identify cells by detecting specific antigens expressed by these cells, which are known as markers. These markers are usually functional membrane proteins involved in cell communication, adhesion, or metabolism.

Immunophenotyping using flow cytometry has become the method of choice in identifying and sorting cells within complex populations, for example the analysis of immune cells in a blood sample. Applications of this technology are used both in basic research and clinical laboratories.

Cell markers are a very useful way to identify a specific cell population. However, they will often be expressed on more than one cell type. Therefore, flow cytometry staining strategies have led to methods for immunophenotyping cells with two or more antibodies simultaneously.

By evaluating the unique repertoire of cell markers using several antibodies together, each coupled with a different fluorochromes, a given cell population can be identified and quantified.

Many immunological cell markers are CD markers and these are commonly used for detection in flow cytometry of specific immune cell populations and subpopulations.

AussieNeilPartnerAdministrator• in reply toRiyasat6 years ago

Yes. The full name is Flow Cytometric Immunophenotyping. See my lengthier reply below.

NewdawnAdministrator6 years ago

We’ve had this conversation privately Riyasat and my advice was the same as AussieNeil’s. We cannot diagnose on here and the advice remains that you must further consult a haematologist and specifically ask why your ALC count is slightly raised, why your RBC is higher and why the MCV is reduced.

Best wishes but I’m afraid we are unable to assist you with a diagnosis on this site as it would be unsafe and totally inappropriate.

Newdawn

Riyasat• in reply toNewdawn6 years ago

I went to a Haematologist and he has given me a test called immunophenotyping. Does this test detect MBL?

starsafta6 years ago

Has a biopsy of your rashes been done to rule out Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)? It is a rare form of lymphoma that presents on the skin as a rash. Most docs don't recognize it, and it can progress for many years before diagnosis. You might ask a good dermatologist if such a biopsy would be helpful.

Riyasat• in reply tostarsafta6 years ago

No but I went to a Haematologist and he has given me a test called immunophenotyping. Does this test detect MBL?

J_886 years ago

You need a Flow Cytometry done to see if you have CLL. Yes it could be Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. This often does develop into CLL. It is definitely something if your lymphocytes have been steadily high for a year. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoc...

Riyasat• in reply toJ_886 years ago

I went to a Haematologist and he has given me a test called immunophenotyping. Does this test detect MBL? Why he hasnt given me flow cytometry test?

J_88• in reply toRiyasat6 years ago

I'm pretty sure immunophenotyping is a flow cytometry.

AussieNeilPartnerAdministrator• in reply toRiyasat6 years ago

We've confusingly used a short cut name. The full name is Flow Cytometric Immunophenotyping. The flow cytometry process is used to do the Immunophenotyping. Here's a very technical paper explaining its use in situations such as yours: bloodjournal.org/content/11...

Incidentally MBL doesn't 'often' develop into CLL. Per the article referenced by J_88 , "Recent studies suggest that CLL is very often preceded by MBL, and that MBL progresses to CLL requiring treatment at a rate of around 1-2% per year."

I'm closing off replies to your post now, so that you don't get misleading advice from members who don't realise that you don't yet have a diagnosis of CLL. In the unlikely event that you do end up with a CLL diagnosis, our community will be here to support you, but being diagnosed with CLL at your age is quite rare. The median age at diagnosis is 71 - nearly three times your age!

Neil