title: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
abstract: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), the leukemia with highest incidence in Western Countries, is a neoplastic disease characterized by a progressive accumulation of functionally incompetent, long-lived small mature lymphocytes in the blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues. B-CLL lymphocytes express characteristic low amounts of surface immunoglobulin and CD5 antigen. They are resistant to Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) transformation; are in prolonged G0 phase, express high amounts of bcl-2 and display a defective response to stimulation through the antigen receptor. Despite the presence of many genetic abnormalities, in CLL, there are no typical chromosomal aberrations or oncogenic abnormalities associated with this disease.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité d'Immuno Hématologie et d'Immuno Pathologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dighiero
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Binet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy