The Basic Biology of CLL and SLL

Receiving a cancer diagnosis of any kind can be overwhelming in and of itself, let alone trying to understand the biology of the disease. We are here to help walk you through that process. We encourage you to try and learn just a little bit at a time, and slowly the big scientific words will become familiar and you will begin to build upon your knowledge. At CLL Society, we believe Smart Patients Get Smart Care! So let’s begin learning about the following:

Gain some general knowledge about the two diseases called leukemia and lymphoma.

Get to know the differences and similarities between the two diseases, understand why it is important to understand them both, and learn about the overlapping diagnoses of CLL and SLL. 

Learn about the normal structure and function of the white blood cells (lymphocytes) that become cancerous in CLL and SLL.

Discover where these cancerous white blood cells can be found beyond just the blood, namely in the bone marrow, the lymph nodes, and the spleen. 

Understand the difference between chronic versus acute leukemias. 

Read some of the articles we’ve curated for you.

It’s okay to read them one at a time and take a break here and there. You don’t need to learn everything in one setting. In fact, the more you come back to do more reading, the more you will build upon your knowledge

Learn about the diseases called leukemia and lymphoma.

Get to know the differences, the similarities, and the confusing overlapping diagnoses. 

Learn about the normal structure and function of the lymphocytes that become cancerous in CLL/SLL.

Learn more about where we find them beyond the blood stream, namely in the bone marrow, the lymph nodes, and the spleen. 

Understand what is meant by chronic versus acute leukemias and when we say that cancer is clonal.
 

Read the articles we’ve curated for you.

Click on the article links below.

For a deeper dive into this topic you’ll find additional information here.

For a deeper dive into this topic you’ll find additional information here.

ADDITIONAL READING

Introduction to Immunity Part 4: Testing
As the immune system is complex, so is testing. The best testing for antigens is to isolate a protein large enough to be antigenic and specific enough so that it is only found in that one situation.  You can choose a test for the presence of active inflammation
Introduction to Immunity Part 3
This article will repeat some of the earlier material, but you can still go back and reread them from past CLL Society Tribune editions, Introduction of Immunity Part 1 and Part 2.  Let us put together all the factoids from the first two articles and see if we can
Introduction to Immunity Part 2
In this article we will review the specific defense system or the immune response. For those of you who like history, this system was first clarified in the 1960s, so our knowledge of it and its functions has grown by leaps and bounds.
Introduction to Immunity
This is a general introduction to one of the ways that your immune system tries to protect you. I have combined and simplified a fair number of steps in order to give the reader a general sense of the function.

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