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Last reviewed: 30 Nov 2025
Last updated: 21 Mar 2025

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • shortness of breath and fatigue
  • lymphadenopathy
  • splenomegaly
  • hepatomegaly

Other diagnostic factors

  • B symptoms
  • recurrent infections
  • epistaxis
  • pallor
  • petechiae

Risk factors

  • age over 60 years
  • male sex
  • white ethnicity
  • family history of CLL

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • CBC count with differential
  • flow cytometry
  • peripheral blood smear

Tests to consider

  • serum beta-2 microglobulin
  • fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH)
  • molecular genetic tests
  • direct antiglobulin test (DAT)
  • serum quantitative immunoglobulin
  • lymph node biopsy
  • bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy
  • CT scan/fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT

Treatment algorithm

Contributors

Authors

Jacqueline C. Barrientos, MD, MS

Associate Professor

Department of Medicine

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

CLL Research & Treatment Program

Northwell Health Cancer Institute

Lake Success

NY

გაფრთხილება:

JCB has been a consultant for Beigene, Abbvie, and AstraZeneca; received honoraria from Janssen; and received research funding from Oncternal, VelosBio, and Pharmacyclics.

Joanna M. Rhodes, MD, MSCE

Assistant Professor

Department of Medicine

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

CLL Research and Treatment Program

Northwell Health Cancer Institute

Lake Success

NY

გაფრთხილება:

JMR has received fees for consulting for Abbvie, Genentech, Pharmacyclics, Beigene, AstraZeneca, Morphosys, Epizyme, ADC Therapeutic, TG Therapeutics, Versatem, SeaGen, and Jannsen. JMR’s institution has received research support from Oncternal Pharmaceutics, Pharmacyclics, Acerta, Loxo Oncology, Velosbios, Abbvie, and AstraZeneca.

მადლიერება

Dr Jacqueline C. Barrientos and Dr Joanna M. Rhodes would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Vidhya Murthy, Dr Shankaranarayana Paneesha, and Dr Robert Chen, previous contributors to this topic.

გაფრთხილება:

VM has received a consultancy fee from Janssen, and a grant from Takeda for the ASH Annual Meeting 2014. SP has received consultancy and speaker fees from Janssen, Gilead, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Takeda. RC declares that he has no competing interests.

რეცენზენტები

Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD

Associate Medical Director, Professor

Department of Leukemia Center

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston

TX

გაფრთხილება:

AF declares that she has no competing interests.

Farrukh Awan, MD

Professor of Medicine

Department of Internal Medicine

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas

TX

გაფრთხილება:

FA declares that he has no competing interests.

Paolo F. Caimi, MD

Associate Professor

Department of Medicine

Case Western Reserve University

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cleveland

OH

გაფრთხილება:

PFC has received honoraria from Celgene for participation in a speaker bureau, and from Kite Pharma for participation in an advisory board.

Daniel Catovsky, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, DSc, FMedSc

Consultant Haemato-oncologist

Section of Haemato-Oncology

The Institute of Cancer Research

Sutton

UK

გაფრთხილება:

Unfortunately, we have since been made aware that DC is deceased

რეცენზენტების განცხადებები

BMJ Best Practice-ის თემების განახლება სხვადასხვა პერიოდულობით ხდება მტკიცებულებებისა და რეკომენდაციების განვითარების შესაბამისად. ქვემოთ ჩამოთვლილმა რეცენზენტებმა თემის არსებობის მანძილზე კონტენტს ერთხელ მაინც გადახედეს.

გაფრთხილება

რეცენზენტების აფილიაციები და გაფრთხილებები მოცემულია გადახედვის მომენტისთვის.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Hallek M, Cheson BD, Catovsky D, et al. iwCLL guidelines for diagnosis, indications for treatment, response assessment, and supportive management of CLL. Blood. 2018 Jun 21;131(25):2745-60.Full text  Abstract

Walewska R, Parry-Jones N, Eyre TA, et al. Guideline for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Br J Haematol. 2022 Jun;197(5):544-57.Full text  Abstract

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology: chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma [internet publication].Full text

Eichhorst B, Robak T, Montserrat E, et al; ESMO Guidelines Committee. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2021 Jan;32(1):23-33.Full text  Abstract

Hallek M, Al-Sawaf O. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: 2022 update on diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Am J Hematol. 2021 Dec 1;96(12):1679-705.Full text  Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available here.

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