When people are diagnosed with CLL, treatment does not begin immediately unless treatment-indicating signs/symptoms are present. Read the list of these criteria below the video. 

Instead, CLL specialists take an active observation approach, also known as watch-and-wait. This strategy is used because studies have not yet shown that early treatment improves the length or quality of life for people with CLL. Watch-and-wait also helps patients reduce the amount of time they are exposed to therapy-related side effects. 

The following symptoms indicate that it might be time for you to begin treatment: 

• Drenching night sweats
• Fever with no infection
• Extreme fatigue
• Unintended weight loss of at least 10% of your body weight within 6 months
• One or more of your organs, like the spleen or liver, stops working properly
• The size of your spleen or lymph nodes is increasing quickly and causing you pain and bloating
• Your red blood cell and platelet counts decrease (cytopenia)
• You have autoimmune cytopenia (your body is destroying its own blood cells), and treatment with steroids is not working

Some clinical trials are exploring whether earlier treatment could provide better control of CLL. If you are interested in beginning treatment before the above signs/symptoms develop, talk to your CLL specialist about your eligibility to participate in a study focused on early treatment options.

You can also explore open clinical trials recruiting patients with the HealthTree CLL Clinical Trial Finder.