Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2012
Dr W. S. Wong
Associate Consultant, Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Dr. K.F. Wong Chief of Service, Department of Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Introduction
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the commonest chronic lymphoproliferative disorder of mature B-cells and affects mainly elderly. It is characterized by the presence of≥5x109/L monoclonal and often CD5+CD23+B-lymphocytes in peripheral blood. Haematogists usually have no problem in reaching the diagnosisas the majority of the cases have classical morphological and immunophenotypic features; however, it is an extremely heterogeneous disease clinically with highly variable clinical course.
Some patients are asymptomatic and do not require treatment while others progress early and require...