9. What is the survival outlook for people with CLL?
The National Cancer Institute-Sponsored Working Group (NCI-WG) recommends usage of the "3-risk group" modification of the original five-stage Rai staging system. The "3-risk group" modification is as follows:
- Low-risk group - Rai Stage 0 (lymphocytosis only - blood and marrow).
- Intermediate-risk group - Rai Stage I (lymphocytosis and enlarged nodes) and Stage II (enlarged spleen and/or liver) combined.
- High-risk group - Rai Stage III (lymphocytosis with anemia, defined as hemoglobin of less than 11 gm%) and Stage IV (platelets of less than 100,000 per microliter of blood) combined.
The median life expectancy of patients in the low-risk group is 14+ years, the intermediate-risk group 8 years, and the high-risk group about 4 years. For additional perspective on medians, there is an excellent article entitled, The Median Isn't the Message which is available at www.cancerguide.org.
