title: [Chronic lymphatic leukemia. A population-based study of symptoms, findings, complications and choice of treatment].
abstract: 224 patients with a recent diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, confirmed by immune phenotype, were studied with a mean follow-up of 16 months. The median age was 72 years and the ratio of men to women was 1.51. An incidental diagnosis because of leukocytosis was made in 75% of the patients; in only 22% was the diagnosis related to symptoms. 80% were in stage A, 7.5% in stage B, and 12.5% in stage C. A relation was found between advanced stage and the number of lymphocytes in the blood, the percentage of lymphocytes in the bone marrow, WHO performance status, bacterial infection and disease-related mortality. Thus, six patients in stage C (21%) died because of infection (septicaemia or pneumonia), as opposed to only one out of 196 patients in stages A and B. The incidence of bacterial infection was 64% in stage C, as compared to 8.3% in stage A. Treatment with chlorambucil, started in 59 patients, was in accordance with the guidelines of the national programme for 52 of them. In contrast, a strict indication for prednisone (autoimmune cytopenia) was found in only 42% of 42 patients given this treatment.
authors.affiliation: Hematologisk avdeling Medisinsk klinikk Aker sykehus Oslo.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ly
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hammerstrøm
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergheim
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Grøttum
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lødemel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002699:Chlorambucil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D002699:Chlorambucil; D011241:Prednisone
vernacular_title: Kronisk lymfatisk leukemi. En populasjonsbasert undersøkelse av symptomer, funn, komplikasjoner og behandlingsvalg.