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@tatayababa

What made the doctor invesitgate? I have been diagnosed with CLL and SLL not really understanding the difference; had a CT scan this AM. i have no symptoms ; very anxious about all this.

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Replies to "What made the doctor invesitgate? I have been diagnosed with CLL and SLL not really understanding..."

Hi @tatayababa, I found some information for you that might help explain CLL and SLL, the differences between the two and how you can have both at the same time.
Here’s an excerpt from the Lymphoma Research Foundation
“Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) are cancers that affect lymphocytes. CLL and SLL are essentially the same diseases, with the only difference being the location where the cancer primarily occurs. When most of the cancer cells are located in the bloodstream and the bone marrow, the disease is referred to as CLL, although the lymph nodes and spleen are often involved. When the cancer cells are located mostly in the lymph nodes, the disease is called SLL”

The full site can be found here: https://lymphoma.org/understanding-lymphoma/aboutlymphoma/cll/#:~:text=CLL%20and%20SLL%20are%20essentially%20the%20same%20disease%2C,the%20lymph%20nodes%20and%20spleen%20are%20often%20involved.
This is from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/sll/symptoms-treatment-sll#symptoms

Both diseases can be very slow to progress but you’ll need to be monitored on a regular basis, sometimes every 3-6-12 months. That depends on the stage of the disease. But you don’t have to live in fear of this. Your hematologist/oncologist will be able to help you determine when and if you’ll need treatment.
Because there can often be no symptoms, sometimes this is discovered during routine medical exam and blood test. Is this what happened with you?