How do people with CLL present?
The majority of people will not have any symptoms of the disease. If present, symptoms can include: repeated infections, fatigue (due to anemia or low red blood count), bleeding (due to low platelet count), and enlarged lymph nodes. A healthcare practitioner may find enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly) or liver (hepatomegaly) and/or enlarged lymph nodes or abnormalities in the white blood cell count on a routine blood test. Once suspected, a blood sample will be sent for a test called “flow cytometry”, which detects “markers” on the surface of the cancer cells, confirming the diagnosis. Markers seen on CLL cells include: CD5, CD19, CD23 and CD20.
