Ask the Doctor Question:
Should I be concerned about two enlarged lymph nodes in my abdomen, celac, and periportal. I had one removed during an unrelated surgery. Lab results: 9/24/2018 of that lymph node:
RIGHT CRUS LYMPH NODE: Sections show a bisected lymph node with associated fibroadipose tissue.
The normal lymphoid architecture is effaced and replaced by sheets of monotonous small lymphocytes.
The small lymphocytes show salt-and-pepper chromatin with small nucleoli. Mitoses are rare.
Immunohistochemically, the atypical lymphocytes show coexpression of CD5 and Pax-5. They are negative for cyclin-D1.
Answer: You did not mention if you are currently on any CLL treatments or not. Enlarged lymph nodes can be a reason for concern and are one of the reasons to begin thinking about starting treatment for your CLL. Without having access to your entire medical record, it is impossible for us to make that kind of determination. We encourage you to talk to your CLL doctor about this new development. Also, you can read more about the reasons to begin treating your CLL on our website here.
Also, please make sure you are seeing a CLL expert physician. This is someone that doesn’t just treat an occasional CLL patient as part of their oncology practice. You need to be seeing someone who treats primarily CLL patients on a regular basis as a large majority of their patient volume. If you are unsure, you can check and see if your provider is on our list of CLL experts located here.
