Ask the Doctor Question:
I’m getting ready to start treatment. My WBC is 71.5, lymphocytes are at 93. Is this too soon for treatment?
Answer: While your WBC is high, CLL is generally never treated for one isolated lab value. It is more of a big picture analyses of how your labs have been trending over time and whether or not you have other “B symptoms” which can be read about here.
We would encourage you to speak with your CLL expert and come to a shared decision. Regardless of the decision to treat, please make sure that your physician has performed all of the appropriate testing needed PRIOR to deciding what treatment regimen they will place you on. Chemotherapy is no longer the standard of care (only for a small portion of young, healthy CLL patients with certain biomarkers). You can read more about that on our website under the Test Before Treat section, specifically this one-pager which will help you summarize what you and your physician need to know about the necessary testing.
