Key Statistics for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The American Cancer Society's estimates for leukemia in the United States for 2019 are:
- About 61,780 new cases of leukemia and about 22,840 deaths from leukemia (all kinds)
- About 20,720 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- About 3,930 deaths from CLL
CLL accounts for about one-quarter of the new cases of leukemia. The average person's lifetime risk of getting CLL is about 1 in 175 (0.57%). The risk is slightly higher in men than in women.
CLL mainly affects older adults. The average age at the time of diagnosis is around 70years. It's rarely seen in people under age 40, and is extremely rare in children.
Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2019. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2019.
Cancer Stat Facts: Leukemia-Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, 2010-2014. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/clyl.html. Accessed on January 5, 2018.
SEER Lifetime Risk (Percent) of Being Diagnosed with Cancer by Site and Race/Ethnicity: Both Sexes, 18 SEER Areas, 2012-2014 (Table 1.15) National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. Accessed at https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2014/results_merged/topic_lifetime_risk.pdf on January 5, 2018.
Last Medical Review: May 10, 2018 Last Revised: January 8, 2019
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