Pathology Consultation on Evaluating Prognosis in Incidental Monoclonal Lymphocytosis and Chronic

A b s t r a c t Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a monoclonal B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder generally characterized by an indolent clinical course. However, some patients with CLL will have more aggressive disease progression, and identifying that subgroup may be important for early, or perhaps more aggressive, intervention. In addition, monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis is often found on routine laboratory evaluation, and it is important to distinguish this entity from overt CLL. Moreover, since many patients with CLL are discovered incidentally and before significant disease progression, prognostic laboratory evaluation may become increasingly efficacious as therapeutic options replace the older strategy of expectan