Key Statistics for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The American Cancer Society's estimates for leukemia in the United States for 2020 are:
- About 60,530 new cases of leukemia and about 23,100 deaths from leukemia (all kinds)
- About 21,040 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- About 4,060 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 70 years. 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.
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2020. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2020.
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, 2020
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