Is CLL the same as lymphoma, and what's the difference?
CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and SLL (small lymphocytic lymphoma) are actually the same disease, just in different locations in your body. Both involve the same type of abnormal B cells growing out of control.
Here's the key difference:
- CLL (leukemia): The Show Full Answer
Is CLL the same as lymphoma, and what's the difference?
CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and SLL (small lymphocytic lymphoma) are actually the same disease, just in different locations in your body. Both involve the same type of abnormal B cells growing out of control.
Here's the key difference:
- CLL (leukemia): The cancerous B cells are found primarily in your blood and bone marrow
- SLL (lymphoma): The cancerous B cells collect in your lymph nodes and spleen
The distinction comes down to where the cancer cells are located and how many abnormal cells are in your blood. If your absolute lymphocyte count is 5,000 or more per microliter, it's called CLL. If it's less than 5,000, it's called SLL.
Both are considered slow-growing (indolent) forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. They're treated similarly and have the same outlook. So while CLL is technically classified as leukemia because it involves white blood cells in the blood, it's closely related to lymphoma and shares many characteristics with it.
January 14
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