Small lymphocytic lymphoma
Small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are very similar. They are often considered different versions of the same disease and are both treated the same way.
Both SLL and CLL start in B cells. They are indolent (slow-growing) and usually occur in older adults. Sometimes SLL can change into an aggressive (fast-growing) type of NHL called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This change is called Richter transformation. If this happens, the lymphoma is treated like DLBCL. Find out more about treatments for DLBCL.
SLL and CLL differ in where the cancer cells are found. In SLL, the cancer cells are mainly found in the lymph nodes and spleen. In CLL, the cancer cells are mainly found in the blood and bone marrow.
Treatments
Your healthcare team will create a treatment plan just for you. The plan is based on your health and specific information about the cancer. What you want is also important when planning treatment.
Because SLL is very similar to CLL, doctors use the CLL International Prognostic Index (CLL-IPI) to make treatment decisions and determine your outcome (prognosis). The CLL-IPI uses specific prognostic factors to determine if SLL is likely to respond well to treatment and if it is likely to come back (relapse) after treatment. Find out more about prognosis and survival for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, including the CLL-IPI.
SLL often grows slowly and may not cause problems at first. When suggesting treatments for SLL and when they should start, your healthcare team will consider:
- molecular characteristics of the SLL cells
- your overall health (if chemoimmunotherapy is being considered as a treatment)
- your age
- factors important to you
To learn more about how SLL may be treated, go to treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).