Abstract
B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a common clonal B cell leukemia that is often accompanied by a multitude of immune abnormalities. Each immune defect may be linked to several of the common complications affecting B-CLL patients. Furthermore, the combined abnormalities constitute a significant immunodeficiency for each patient. Importantly, some of the immune dysfunctions are potentially very relevant to the in vivo survival status of the leukemic B cell. The elucidation of these abnormalities in the circulating non-malignant immune cells of B-CLL patients has generated important insights into the biology of the disease. This discussion reviews the immune abnormalities of the clonal malignant B cells, the polyclonal B cells, and the immunoregulatory T cells and natural killer cells in B-CLL. In addition, we indicate the potential for immunotherapeutic protocols as innovations in treating this disease.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 27-33 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Seminars in oncology |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Mar 10 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology
- Oncology