Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL): A Case Study

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) are slow-growing cancers that affect the immune system by disrupting the normal function of B-cells. The patient symptoms associated with CLL and SLL can be vague; therefore, many cases go undiagnosed for years. Diagnostic medical sonography is an imaging technique that can determine the abnormal appearance of lymph nodes and guide medical providers in the appropriate direction when investigating a questionable case of lymphoma. This case study presents a superficial left-neck sonogram of a 65-year-old Caucasian man complaining of left supraclavicular pain and swelling. This initial sonogram was the first phase in a sequence of examinations that led to the patient’s diagnosis of CLL/SLL.