High risk: Rai stages III and IV Binet classificationĮuropean doctors use a different staging system, based on whether the CLL is found in the lymph nodes in the neck, under the arms, or in the groin area and whether the patient has low levels of red blood cells or platelets. Sometimes the phrase “risk group” is used to indicate the likelihood that the disease may worsen and require treatment. Rai StageĬhart adapted from the American Society of Hematology, Kay et. The patient may or may not have swollen lymph nodes, an enlarged liver or spleen, or anemia. Stage IV: The patient has lymphocytosis and low levels of platelets. The patient may or may not have swollen lymph nodes and an enlarged liver or spleen. Stage III: The patient has lymphocytosis and anemia. Stage II: The patient has lymphocytosis and an enlarged spleen and/or liver and may or may not have swollen lymph nodes. The patient does not have an enlarged liver or spleen, anemia, or low levels of platelets. Stage I: The patient has lymphocytosis and enlarged lymph nodes. Stage 0: The patient has lymphocytosis with more than 5000 lymphocytes per microliter of blood, but no other physical signs. Thrombocytopenia, meaning low levels of platelets Splenomegaly, which is an enlarged spleenĪnemia, meaning low levels of red blood cells Lymphadenopathy, meaning a patient has enlarged lymph nodes Lymphocytosis, which means there are high levels of lymphocytes in the blood This staging system classifies the leukemia according to whether a patient has, or does not have, any of the following: In this staging system, CLL is divided into 5 different stages, from 0 (zero) to IV (4). If the CLL grows and worsens, the stage may change over time.īelow are explanations of commonly used staging and classification systems used by doctors to describe CLL. Importantly, however, there is a wide range of outcomes even for patients who have the same stage, and the stage alone cannot predict the prognosis with certainty for each person. In general, patients diagnosed at an earlier stage have better long-term survival. There is a relationship between the stage of the CLL and the prognosis.
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There are different stage descriptions for different types of cancer. Knowing the stage helps the doctor to decide what kind of treatment is best and can help predict a patient's prognosis. Doctors use diagnostic tests to find out the cancer's stage, so staging may not be complete until all of the tests are finished. Staging is a way of describing where the cancer is located, if or where it has spread, and whether it is affecting other parts of the body. ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe the growth or spread of CLL.