Treatment of CLL depends on the stage of the disease and the patient's age and overall health. The course of CLL varies greatly from person to person. Some patients may remain without symptoms for years; in others the disease progresses more rapidly.

Following is a general outline of treatments used in the various stages of CLL (see also: What are the stages of CLL?):

Stage 0 - Treatment is generally not needed.

Stage 1 - If the patient is without symptoms, treatment may still not be required. External radiation therapy to swollen lymph nodes and chemotherapy may also be considered.

Stage 2 - If there are few or no symptoms, treatment may still not be required. Other possibilities at this stage include chemotherapy, external radiation to the spleen and/or lymph nodes, and clinical trials. (see also: What are clinical trials?)

Stage 3 - Treatment at this stage may include any of the following: chemotherapy, external radiation to the spleen, surgery to remove the spleen (splenectomy), external radiation to the whole body (total body radiation), clinical trials of bone marrow transplantation, and clinical trials of biological therapy.

Stage 4 - The treatment options in stage 4 are much the same as stage 3.

Refractory CLL - Refractory means that the CLL initially or no longer responds favourably to treatment. The CLL may become refractory to a particular course of therapy in which case other therapies are used. If the CLL becomes refractory to all standard treatments, the patient's treatment options will depend on many factors. Two options that may be available to consider include entering a clinical trial of new chemotherapy, biological response modifier, or monoclonal antibody drugs and bone marrow transplantation.