Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Lymphoma

Essay by jncbsasCollege, UndergraduateA-, May 2005

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

Downloaded 12 times

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Lymphoma

There are many kinds of cancer that plague Americans every year. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Lymphoma are just two of these. Each year, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society host a charity walk to raise money for these cancers and also others in the blood cancer category. Although they are often seen together on pamphlets, these two cancers have distinct differences as well as similarities.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, or CLL, is a form of cancer that is caused by an abnormal DNA cell found in the bone marrow. This form of cancer starts in the lymphocytes of the bone marrow (www.cancer.org). The Leukemia and Lymphoma organization claims that it is an injury to the DNA of a single cell and that it is not an inherited gene. This change eventually becomes malignant, or leukemic, and eventually leads to an increase in of lymphocytes, or white blood cells, in the blood.

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that is caused by the way a lymphocyte is produced. Unlike CCL, this cancer starts in the lymphoid tissue which is found through out the body (www.cancer.org). If an error occurs while it is in production, the result could be an abnormal cell. According to the Lymphoma Organization, these abnormalities can accumulate in two different ways. They can either duplicate faster than normal cells or they can live longer than normal lymphocytes (http://www.lymphoma.org/site/pp.asp?c=bfIKIVMIG&b=38244). Some testing that can be done for CCL is simple (even though it sounds like it could be painful to me). These tests include standard blood work or a biopsy of the bone marrow. When the blood is drawn, the doctors might look for an elevated white blood count. This would mean that there is an increase of lymphocytes congregating in the lymph nodes. However, the...