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Surgery for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Surgery has a very limited role in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Because CLL cells tend to spread widely throughout the bone marrow and to many organs, surgery cannot cure this type of cancer. It's rarely needed even to diagnose CLL, which can often be done with blood tests. Sometimes minor surgery is needed to remove a lymph node to help diagnose or stage the cancer.
Splenectomy
In rare cases, the spleen may be removed (splenectomy). This isn't expected to cure the CLL, but it can help improve some of the symptoms. Sometimes CLL can make the spleen grow so large that it presses on nearby organs and causes problems. If radiation or chemotherapy doesn't help shrink the spleen and reduce symptoms, splenectomy may be an option.
Splenectomy may also improve blood cell counts and lower the need for blood product transfusions. One of the spleen's normal functions is to remove worn-out blood cells from the bloodstream. If the spleen gets too large, it may become too active in removing blood cells, leading to a shortage of red blood cells or platelets. When this happens, taking out the spleen can help improve blood counts. This is done much more often for patients with hairy cell leukemia than for those with regular CLL.
Most people have no problem living without a spleen, but they're at higher risk for certain bacterial infections. Doctors recommend certain vaccines for people before their spleen is removed. If your spleen has been removed, be sure to report any signs of infection to your health care team right away.
More information about Surgery
For more general information about surgery as a treatment for cancer, see Cancer Surgery.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
- Written by
- References
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.
National Cancer Institute. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version. February 7, 2018. Accessed at www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/hp/cll-treatment-pdq on April 17, 2018.
National Cancer Institute. Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version. March 23, 2018. Accessed at www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/hp/hairy-cell-treatment-pdq#section/_10 on April 17, 2018.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma, Version 5.2018 -- March 26, 2018. Accessed at www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/cll.pdf on April 17, 2018.
Last Revised: May 10, 2018
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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