Getting diagnosed
Screening means testing people for early stages of a disease before they have any symptoms. For screening to be useful the tests:
need to be reliable at picking up cancers
overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
must be something that people are willing to do
Screening tests are not perfect and have some risks. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.
Find out more about cancer screening
There is no national screening programme because:
this condition is rare, so many people would have unnecessary tests
the benefits don't outweigh the costs
Talk to your GP if you think you are at higher than average risk of CLL. Or if you have any symptoms of chronic leukaemia.
Read more about risks and causes of CLL
Find out about possible symptoms of CLL
CLL is different from most cancers because it is not usually possible to cure it but it is a very slowly developing disease. Some people live for many years without symptoms or treatment.
These people are monitored closely by their doctor. This monitoring is called watch and wait, or watchful waiting. If the leukaemia starts to cause symptoms treatment can then control the CLL for a long time.
Last reviewed: 15 Aug 2024
Next review due: 15 Aug 2027
See your GP if you notice a change that isn't normal for you or if you have any of the possible signs and symptoms of chronic leukaemia.
Your GP should refer you for an urgent blood test if your symptoms could be due to CLL.
Your doctor can usually diagnose CLL by doing a number of checks on your blood sample cells. These are called immunophenotyping tests. You then may have other tests to find out more information about your CLL.
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a cancer that affects the white blood cells called lymphocytes. It tends to develop very slowly.
CLL affects the white blood cells called lymphocytes. It tends to develop very slowly. Find out about the treatment you might need and much more.
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