How long can you live with LGL leukemia?

Despite its indolent course, LGL leukemia is associated with a median overall survival of 9 to 10 years, according to one series. Disease-related deaths are mainly due to severe infections that occur in 10% of the patient population.

What causes large granular lymphocytes?

Polyclonal expansions of LGL are usually transient and due to a viral infection, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or cytomegalovirus (CMV), neoplasm or autoimmune diseases1–3; sometimes these disorders develop after splenectomy.

Can LGL leukemia go into remission?

Thus, LGL leukemia prognosis is different than other types of cancer. It progresses slowly and needs consistent management — similar to an autoimmune disease. (In acute forms of leukemia, the disease progresses faster, requiring an intense period of treatment. After that, it may go into remission.)

How is LGL leukemia diagnosed?

Diagnosis. Doctors can diagnose LGL leukemia by examining blood samples under a microscope and the following tests: Bone marrow exam – Samples of fluid and solid portions of the bone marrow may be removed under local anesthesia, allowing the doctor to look for abnormalities.

How serious is LGL?

The bottom line. LGL leukemia is a rare type of cancer where large white blood cells copy themselves too much, making your body prone to frequent infections. Most cases of LGL leukemia are slow-growing, so treatment might not be necessary at first.

Is LGL leukemia an autoimmune disease?

Although LGL leukemia is chronic and managed with immunosuppressant treatment, as in autoimmune disease, it is defined as a cancer because there is clonal expansion (the cells are copying themselves) of either T cells or NK cells.

Is LGL leukemia genetic?

Is LGL leukemia hereditary? No, LGL leukemia is not inherited. Although patients may have mutations present in their leukemic LGL cells, these are acquired mutations and not present in other cells of the body.

Is there a cure for LGL leukemia?

Most cases of LGL leukemia are slow-growing, so treatment might not be necessary at first. Eventually, people with this condition might need a combination of chemotherapy and immunosuppressing medications to slow the growth of cancer cells. There’s no cure yet for LGL leukemia.

What is LGL lymphocytosis?

LGL leukemia is characterized by enlarged lymphocytes, containing noticeable granules, which can be seen when the blood is examined under the microscope. There are two types of LGL leukemia: T-cell (T-LGL) and natural killer cell (NK-LGL). Each type may be chronic (slow-growing) or aggressive (fast-growing).

Is LGL leukemia fatal?

T-LGL leukemia is considered to be a chronic disease with unclear impact on survival. In an observational study 17% patients died during the 2-year follow-up. In contrast, another study showed median survival of 10 years.

Can you live a long life with leukemia?

Long term survival of leukemia varies greatly, depending upon multiple factors, including type of leukemia and age of the patient. ALL: In general, the disease goes into remission in nearly all children who have it. More than four out of five children live at least five years. The prognosis for adults is not as good.