Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in Central Africans

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a haematological malignancy characterized by monoclonal proliferation and accumulation of mature looking small lymphocytes particularly in the marrow, blood, lymph nodes and spleen.1-3 In 90 to 95% of cases, the cells are monoclonal B lymphocytes.3 Although in Europe and America CLL of B-cell origin is the commonest type of leukaemia, it is extremely rare before the age of 50 years, after which its incidence increases progressively with age. The male to female (M:F) ratio is 2:l.2,3 In contradistinction to these findings, CLL is rare throughout Southern, South Eastern and Eastern Asia as well as in Asians who;, migrated to North: America and Europe. This suggests genetic determinants as they usually suffer from the CLL of T-cell origin: