Nadeem Ikram, Khalid Hassan, Samina Tufail.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) - An overview.
Int J Pathol Jan ;1:48-59.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), haematological malignancy of old age, is viewed by clinicians and investigators as an uninspiring disease with an indolent course . But the last ten years have witnessed renewed interest in its biology and treatment. CLL is characterized by proliferation, accumulation and sustained increase of morphologically mature but functionally incompetent lymphocytes. Peripheral lymphocytosis is accompanied by an accumulation of similar cells in the bone marrow, spleen, liver, lymph nodes and other lymphoid organs. The cause of this disease is unknown, although it appears likely that the genetic factors contribute to its development. The majority of cases involve B-lymphocytes and the disease is thought to arise by clonal expansion of a rare CD 5 positive B cells. At the time of presentation the patients may be completely free of symptoms, ostensibly feeling quite well and having no abnormality at physical examination; on the other extreme, they may have profound weakness, night sweats, fever, weight loss, large bulky and generalized lymphadenopathy with enlarged spleen and liver.

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