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Spontaneous Clinical Regression In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

Thomas et al., 2002Leukemia

Thomas, R., Ribeiro, I., Shepherd, P., Johnson, P., Cook, M., Lakhani, A., Kaczmarski, R., Carrington, P., & Catovsky, D. (2002). spontaneous clinical regression in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. British journal of haematology, 116(2), 341–345. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0007-1048.2001.03286.x

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Abstract

. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a B‐cell disorder, which has a median survival of over 10 years from diagnosis for stage A disease. The natural history of stage A disease is generally indolent or only slowly progressive. It is less well known that CLL may undergo spontaneous regression. We report a series of 10 such cases (eight stage A and two stage B) followed at our institutions.

Case Details

Disease Location

Bone marrowithblood/ln

Personal Characteristics

51 -year-old female

Clinical Characteristics

Patient was referred for a cervical ln biopsy in 1995 at that time she had a peripheral lymphocyte count of 55x10^9/l and trisomy 12 in 16% of her peripheral lymphocytes ln biopsy was consistent with cll as was the marrow and trephine lymphocyte count increased to a max of 87x10^9/l

Remission Characteristics

Then there was a regression in the size of her lymph nodes and the lymphocyte count fell over the following 5 years to 3.7x10^9/l in feb 2001 in aug 1999, fish showed trisomy 12 in 30% of marrow lymphocytes and marrow lymphocyte infiltration was 80% similar to marrow at presentation and peripheral lymphocyte count was 3.7x10^9/l

Treatment & Mechanisms

Proposed Remission Mechanisms

Possibility of a natural regulatory mechanism controlling b-cell cll, which in rare instances leads to a downregulation of cell proliferation and eventually to a durable clinical remission

Clinical Treatment

None reported

Non-Clinical Treatment

None reported