CLL to Richters

[Detroit22]

Does anyone know of a CLL to Richters?

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

Welcome to our community Detroit22,

We do have members have developed Richters. You can read previous posts on this topic in the Related posts which you can find below or to the right of your post.

Why do you ask?

Neil

[Detroit22 in reply to AussieNeil]

Well I had a large jump in my blood results and was reading up on my symptoms and lead my to that. I know I’m not a doctor but I do know what is happening in my body so I thought I would ask.

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Detroit22]

Detroit, please don’t immediately imagine a large jump in numbers is indicative of a Richter’s Transformation. It can happen for a number of reasons including progression in the CLL, infection etc. I see your doctor is aware of the increase but doesn’t seem concerned. Do you have other symptoms which make you suspect RT? Again, increased symptoms can simply mean the CLL is ramping up. What sort of jump are you describing? I saw mine leap 35 points in weeks due to an undiagnosed viral infection.

Newdawn

[Detroit22 in reply to Newdawn]

I saw a 15 jump and fatigued has come about as well as some dizziness coming about. I’ve also had bone pain come about which is all new to me.

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Detroit22]

If you mean a 15 jump in your lymphocyte count or WBC, it’s really not much of an increase. Over what time period? That was standard for me over 3-4 months. Fatigue is part of CLL and the bone pain and dizziness could be due to anything. CLL does progress and we get what’s called ‘constitutional symptoms’. We also get the everyday health issues that are not CLL related. I’m afraid they are to be expected.

I really wouldn’t jump to these conclusions Detroit based on those symptoms. Make your haematologist aware of your concerns but it sounds like he doesn’t share them. He will have the full blood results and be in a better position to know if there’s concerns.

Newdawn

[Detroit22 in reply to Newdawn]

Thank you very much.

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to Detroit22]

Which blood results? One indication of Richters Transformation can be a big jump in your LDH result of several times your baseline result, but usually it's the investigation of a rapidly swelling node that leads to diagnosis.

[cajunjeff]

As Neil wrote, we have members on here who have transformed to Richters and are very knowledgeable about it. As I suppose you know, Richters is a dangerous cancer which occurs in a small percentage of Cll patients who have their Cll transform into a more difficult to treat cancer.

It would help you get answers on here more helpful to your situation if you could share some information about why you are interested in Richters and if this is just some future concern or if you or a family member has transformed to Richters. (Sorry for the run on sentence, my 9th grade English teacher would not approve).

There are many exciting new treatments for Cll that are showing promise with Richters. Just as it is with Cll, the prognosis for richters has improved over the last five years, but richters is still a challenging disease to treat.

We have a member Priss69 who is most knowledgeable about Richters. I am sure she could get you the info on the support group they have for Richters.

Good luck to you. If you do want help on some Richters issue, I recommend, along with Neil, that you give some details on what type info you are seeking.

[Deserthope in reply to cajunjeff]

My husband was just diagnosed with Richters. Bone marrow. Just started chemo about 3 days ago. I am a looking for any information to help.

[Big_Dee]

Hello Detroit22

I had 52K jump in WBC in one month because my CLL was so aggressive I was having blood tested for a while on monthly and sometime weekly basis. My ALC was doubling every 2.5 months and never slowed down before treatment. I am starting 4 years in remission and I do not have RT. Best to discuss your concerns with your doctor. Don't assume the worse until you see doctor. Blessings.

[Detroit22 in reply to Big_Dee]

Thank you, I see my doctor on Friday but just was asking. I’m not a doctor but I now my body, I pined my CLL back in 2019 three months before my doctor did.